Hi all,
It had been a while since I started the Buell but I've had a few issues getting it going again. Firstly I could not get it started at all. Using the jump pack the starter sounded like it cranked the engine over once then nothing but clicking. I tried to jump off the car after that and still had the same issue. I did a bit of digging and found that it could have been the grounding wires so I cleaned them up and that finally allowed me to start the bike with the jump pack.
I still can't start it without the jump pack though and I've been charging the battery. The standing charge earlier was 12.5v, when I turned the ignition on it sat at 11.1v (lights on etc) then when I hit the starter I never saw it go below ~9.5v yet I still get the same result as before. I thought I was going to see the volts go down much lower if the battery was stuffed and didn't have enough grunt to start it. The battery is rated at 190CCAs, not sure whether or not that's an issue but it's never been one before. From what I have read the battery is apparently OK. I may be wrong.
Are the grounding wires still a little bit dirty? Does the jump pack have just that much more grunt that it overcomes this?
Update:
I don't think I can edit the post twice. Can't seem to find the button again.
Just jumped the bike and went for a ride (around 20-30 minutes long) and that didn't seem to help it. I did notice the check engine light came on at high RPM as well which I have never seen before. Might just give up and take it to the shop, it's in need of a service anyway.
Does seem like your battery is dead, get one with a minimum 200 CCA. Do you have a service manual? They are available here on the forum or via buellmods.com. Save your self some $$$ and learn to do the maintenance, not many Buell techs out there in HD shops and to mention piece of mind that it's been done right, just saying.
Thanks Thrstrmech,
I've just come across the service manual which is going to help me a lot. It seems very difficult to find a mechanic around here that will work on Buells, or at least one that I am confident will do a good job.
The battery was sitting at 13.4v when I took it off the charger but it has slowly crept down to just above 12.7v which is where it has been sitting for a while. I'm going to check it again in the morning and see how much it has drained. I have another battery here which I know is in good working condition so I can replace it with that if I need to. I do hope the battery is what has caused the engine light to flick on at high RPM though. I've been reading about how I can get the error codes off the bike so if the battery doesn't stop that from showing up I'll give that a go too.
The battery had dropped to 12.5v overnight so maybe it is stuffed or there's something on the bike draining it. I removed the battery to do the same test without anything plugged into it and took the opportunity to use a good working battery in its place. Started the Harley fine with the good battery, removed it then hooked it up to the Buell, still no good. Put it back in the Harley and again it started fine.
Strange, it's like the motorcycle batteries aren't strong enough to start the Buell, but jumping from the car or the jump pack itself (rated up to V8s etc) starts it fine. What does all this mean?
Scrap that. I don't seem to be able to get enough juice no matter what I use now which is different to what I was experiencing before. The starter motor seems like it's struggling no matter what. I'm used to it sounding sluggish and always thought it was a characteristic of the bike but this seems a little excessive.
Anyone have any ideas?
I know I seem to be talking to myself a lot but I thought it might be a good idea if I upload a video of what I'm experiencing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUJWJZXHuZA
Hopefully that gives some more clues.
Is there a way I can create an auxiliary ground using a a jumper cable or similar?
The advice I got when I had a similar issue was: Clean the mating surfaces, cables and battery, at the Pos and Neg battery leads. Make them shine. Clean the mating surfaces, cable and post, of the big positive cable that goes to the starter. Clean the mating surfaces of the cables and the grounding surfaces under the air box, on the engine.
In my case the 'sluggish' starter turned out to be a marginal battery. I bought the HD item and it really cranks over now. But my understanding is, from reading here, there are a lot of starting issues related to corrosion on cables/wires and their junctures.
Alan
alan: 190 CCA's must be a chinese POS battery. the factory/dealer issue is 300 CCA's and a deka big crank is 320. these buells need every CCA they can get to start.
Hi vomitbomb, this just needs some isolation and elimination.
First test: isolate the circuit so that only the battery and starter are involved. Apply battery +12v directly to the starter solenoid. Does it turn over at normal speed?
Gaining access to the solenoid wire may be difficult. It is a green wire on my 2008, so it's probably the same for 2009. Not sure if it will be easier to tap into the output of the starter relay or to try down at the starter itself. Removing the plastic sprocket cover might make it easier.
If the above test passes, you could be experiencing a large voltage drop somewhere before, or inside of, the starter relay. It's just a matter of continuing to eliminate whole pieces of the circuit until you isolate the failure.
If the test fails, you have eliminated the entire starter interlock circuit and can now focus on the battery, the battery+ wire going to the starter, and the starter itself. And as always, good grounds are no less important than any other part of the circuit!
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