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2011 FLHR starting problem

2K views 9 replies 7 participants last post by  Fat City 
#1 ·
I think my battery is near death. Recently I've noticed some hard starts- taking just a second or so too long to turn the engine over. Once or twice it did that thing where the starter catches and then balks for a split second, then turns the motor over.

Last Saturday it wouldn't turn over at all. Hooked up the battery tender and came back 24 hrs later- bike started, rode it for an hour or so, parked it. Did not connect battery tender because I wanted to see if battery would hold its charge til next attempt.

Today (a week later), no start. Headlight beam a weak pale yellow. Connected the battery tender and went out and purchased a multimeter.

This is the part where I mention that battery is the bike's original battery, 4 years old this summer, 26k-some miles.

So my concern is: is it the battery or the charging system at fault? I'm sure many of you have had this problem at one time or another. Any guidance is appreciated. Man I hope it's not the stator. That job might be beyond my skill level.
 
#3 ·
The first thing you need to do is make sure you have a good battery, take it to an auto parts store and have it load tested, when reinstalling battery make sure all connections are clean and secure.
 
#8 ·
No, the first thing you do when looking for a charging system problem is make sure the battery is fully charged and in good working condition.

Voltage readings are meaningless if the battery is kaput...
 
#7 ·
I will pull the battery this week and have it bench-tested. Cheap 1st step. Also if you guys have any brand recommendations for a replacement battery, please chime in. The H-D replacement batteries are not well-reviewed by users. Plus, my 96" engine has been punched out to 103" so I want all the cranking amps I can get. Note: I had auto-compression release installed when the bike was upgraded to 103".
 
#9 ·
Having just went through the same thing, replace the battery. My battery was original (2012) and I have 62k miles. Same as you, hard starting, lights dimmed during start, yet was told by the service dept that the battery still tested good. After several months I got tired of the uncertainty and told service to put in another battery (it was in for tires at the time). Since then, BIG difference. No more chanting "please, please, please" when pressing the starter button.
 
#10 ·
Just to wrap this up-
Today I installed a new GYZ32HL YUASA battery
500 CCA
It started the bike on the 1st try, right out of the box
2nd start was almost instantaneous

I'm riding again, boys
 
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