Okay, I screwed up! I washed the bike using soap and water and then used a leaf blower to dry. I didn't protect the handlebar controls and I think I might have shorted something out. The starter switch works intermitently now. When I hold down the start switch I hear a very slight electronic sort of click. Sometimes it turns the starter imediately but sometimes I have to hit the switch 5 or 6 times before the starter kicks in. It could be the starter connections too. Maybe I blew water into the starter connections? Anybody have any ideas before I start disconnecting things and really screw something up? It's an 06 Streetglide so I don't think it is a bad battery or anything like that.

 

I wash mine every weekend,...use soapy water,...brush,....I soak the hell out of eveything! So far, never had a problem. Make sure all the screws are tight on the housings,..especially if you've change to chrome or something,..or changed hand grips. The switches inside are sealed switches,....so water getting in there shouldnt be a problem anyway.

There's a very good chance the problem is not on the handlebars,...I think all of those switches are the "sealed" type. I'd check all the sensor switches for water,...around the primary,..and look all up under the frame,...I don't know what all those are,...but they are not sealed,....you can visually see the contacts(exposed to water),...good luck,.....

 

Yeah, I got an idea for ya...Ride it and stop washing it...

 

Thanks for the help Sledge! I normally wouldn't have washed it but I got back from 4 rainy days at Americade with some off road (dirt) riding and it really looked bad. One of the houses we stayed at was real back woods through dirt roads.

 

Just for thought, your problem may have nothing to do with washing it. The bikes are meant to get wet. You ran it at Americade and got it soaked, right?

 

Bill,
Yeah ran it in the rain the whole time at Americade but the problem started right after washing and I was thinking maybe the leaf blower had something to do with it.

 

Possible... Forced air into the gauges and controls isn't what the designers had in mind. I, too, learned the hard way this past weekend when I hit the console with air from a weed blower (trying to blow out all the water) and ended up with a fuel gauge fogged up -- probably due to moisture being forced past the seals and into the gauge itself... BUMMER!

Other posts on this site suggest avoiding such results by not aiming the blower at the gauges/switches, etc... Yes, they can get wet from washing and from the rain, but weed blowers can force air at 100+ mph -- not something intended for the seals and gaskets to protect against.

Hope you can get some help -- or that it dries out sufficiently to work again.

 

Washing your bike shouldn't be the likely culprit. These things are designed to be used outdoors(IE: heavy rain conditions etc). That is ... Unless you have a faulty seal or misconbooberation somewheres else. (Could even be a fine slice in a wire coating causing a short). Might take some time to find the culprit. Also, your starter might on the fritz, too. Check it all out good, but just washing shouldn't cause this problem.

 

Seriously...You might've forced water into the starter through it's cover...If the gasket on the cover was not installed correctly that might be a good place to start. Remove the cover (3 bolts) and inspect for moisture.