QuestionQUESTION: A friend has a 96 ultra classic. for the last 2 years has been experiencing a no start hot condition...Only clicks. Rides 15 minutes, an hour, two hours shuts off and on restart only clicks.
volt meter shows 10v. If he rolls the bike a few feet it will start. He can connect a 2v charger and it will immediately start.
This is an intermittant problem. He replaced the battery 3 times.
same thing. He gave the bike to a HD dealer for a week and they found nothing, but it happened the very next time he rode it. Nothing else has been changed. He is looking for somewhere to start so he can try to find the problem himsel over the winter.
Thank You,
Barry
ANSWER: When you say the volt meter shows 10 volts. Is this when the bike is running and at the battery? What RPM are you showing this?
Mike
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: This is when hitting the start button, however he told me that if he is sitting at a light, at idle, and applies the brake his volt meter will drop from 12.5-13.0 to as low as 10.0, just by squeezing the brake lever, regardless of rpm. I asked him if he ever checked with a separate meter at the battery when this happens and he said no, because he has never carried a meter with him and it happens on the road. He only goes by what the factory volt meter shows. Also the bike has never died while running from low battery voltage.
Thanks again
AnswerI would start by checking the voltage at the battery at idle. The volt meter on the bike could be off. The battery might not be up enough, because of low charging, to start. Next, Check the battery cables on both ends. If they are really old, replace them. Last thing is to check when it doesnt start is to check at the starter, where the wire goes to the starter from the starter relay. When hitting the starter button see if there is power there. If not then the relay is bad
Good luck and happy riding
Mike
