Start problem

[myronman3]

it is your connections. clean the connections with a wire brush, and clean the battery posts. also clean the ground on the frame.
i bought a new battery thinking the old battery was going downhill. i got a lithuim battery for a replacement, sometimes it cranks like a demon and other times worse than the old battery. i ended up putting the old battery back in, and it doesnt do it as bad. i suspect the cable connecter that attaches to the battery as there was more angle on it with the lithuim battery. i am going to look into this this winter....it is something that they should not do. the new battery has more cold cranking power than the old, yet the old battery doesnt have this problem AS bad. i really think it is the cable connectors.
anyone actually able to follow that rambling post?

[airBuell]

I will clean my connections. I don't understand why I would get indications of a discharged battery when my battery seems fine. IF the terminals were the culprit they would effect the odometer/clock without power being applied to the bike. Unless as power was applied there was a short due to a dirty ground, or something?

With the bike running I had about 14.3V across the terminals. Bike off I had 13.3V on the battery after removing trickle charger. After riding the bike around town my first reading was 13.3V, and then I had another reading of about 12.9V. All seem like indications of a healthy battery and charging system.

[jimijeans]

Hey airBuell, might want to check the Battery out of the Bike with a [Load Test] at an Auto parts store. Once that is Accomplished, you can move on to testing the Voltage on the Regulator then the Stator. Sometimes the Stator will barely charge through the Regulator the Regulator will do the same thing. Sometimes the Regulator plug will have a bad connection one minute and you bump or are riding something and it will Quit charging for a couple of miles.
IT WON'T throw a code till the battery is really Low or dead.If your Lucky the Engine light will come on letting you know to check her out Fast! Also Check the Plug and Terminals on the Regulator for burnt wires or loose terminals. Theres a small Kit thats sold for that problem FOR those years of bikes . Now the Volts at [Idle] in Neutral is 12.3 to 12.6 at 1,500RPMs or less. The Volts at above 2,000. plus RPMs on your lightning is supposed to climb as the RPMs go up!Unless you hold it Steady at some RPM point. Charging will Max out at 3,800 to 4,000RPMs to 14.3 sometimes with the Bright lights on it will go up to 14.6 for a second or two. If the Bike is Turning over Slowly after a couple of Days with NO Charger.
Say you don't use your Bike for a week(7)days and it Clicks or turns over slowly? If it turns over slowly a lot thats' really Bad for the Starter. Checking the Terminals is always easy but make sure to Seperately Load Test the Battery if you ARE having to charge it many times a month especially after riding and Two days go by and you hop on to go somewhere it should Spin over Quickly. If a Buell Bike Battery is more than 2 to 3 years old always have a load test done.After Checking the usual areas/Cables and Terminals.
I would hope it was a Battery OR Regulator Plug Before the Starter gets Burned up by low Voltage and frys the Starter. Make sure to Check The Relay switch also. Good luck. Ride Safe. *Jimi

[sideng]

I've found that it's a good idea to check the tightness of your battery connections on a regular basis, they have a nasty habit of vibrating loose in a short time even when you "know" you got them tight. All of my starting and "battery" problems have been because of this.

[konarider94]

i got a lithuim battery for a replacement, sometimes it cranks like a demon and other times worse than the old battery.

i am having this issue. sometimes it cranks so fast but others the starter will click several times then start like normal. this also resets the clock and trip odo indicating a pretty good voltage drop.

[myronman3]

it has got to be something about the way they are wired. mine is still doing this, and it pisses me off to no end.
i have had high compression big twins my entire life and this is NOT normal. i wish i could trace wires out better, i would heavy gauge wires directly where they need to go.

[airBuell]

I keep it on the trickle charger, then start it like normal. When it's been sitting in the parking lot for 8hrs I give it a 1sec press of the start switch and release, then hold the start switch until it starts. This seems to be a good work around for the trip odo/clock reset/voltage drop.

[riceetr]

Mine was doing the same thing when I bought it so I thought it was the battery so I replaced it, a month later it wouldn't start at all it would just click. I read a bunch on these forums and found someone who took the airbox off and had a loose ground cable so I checked mine and found that one of the bolts was very loose and turned out about a 1/2". I cleaned it up and tightened it up and now it fires up perfectly every time even after sitting for months. So take off the airbox and seat and on the top of the frame there is a cable that connects the ground from one side of the frame to the other and see if its loose.
I got a screaming deal on my bike because the previous owner thought something major was wrong with it.

[BrunoBR]

Hi Buellfans, I'm a newbie here and i'm trying to solve a problem like the one reported.
Sorry about my poor english.
My XB9SX has a difficult start. When I push the start button, the instrument panel gives a small flash in the odometer/hour (it turns off but doesn't reset) and the starter motor gives a small stop and them comes with all strenght and the my buell start.
I've changed the battery, thinking it could be the solution, but i was wrong.
The problem persists and i'm thinking to take a look into the starter motor brushes and it's collector ring.
Did someone make this check-up before? Thanks, Bruno (Brazuca).