Bob LaRosa takes a moment to review a common question he gets. Why does my Harley ignition switch give me trouble?
He admits it’s a trick question because it might not be the ignition switch at all. You’ll have to look at the wiring harness as a whole and the charging system.
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Bob and Mark demonstrate the process for lubricating your Harley’s steering head bearings and adjusting the fall-away. As always, Bob stresses the importance of adequately prepping all bolts, consulting your user manual to be sure everything is done correctly, covering any painted areas on the bike and, if possible, working with two sets of hands.
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Now that you’ve fully serviced your Harley Sportster, you can take the opportunity to check all of the safety features on the bike. Make sure the lights are working properly, the horn makes noise, turn signals are operational, and all grommets are in place. Then you should check the throttle, add oil and fill the tires to the correct level. Once your finished with the service, get out and ride!
*****The service manual states you should follow your negation cable down from battery and remove nut that secures the connector to ground stud on the crankcase boss behind the starter motor assembly. You will need to do the reverse during installation.
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Bob demonstrates how to service the front and rear brake calipers on a Sportster. There are a few changes that Harley has made over the years, so you should be sure to pay attention to the differences; they could affect how you service your bike.
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Bob and Mark demonstrate the best way to remove and replace the rear tire on your Harley Sportster. Then Bob shows you how to service the rear axle and inspect the wheel bearings so you can guarantee a smooth and safe ride. Also, he makes sure to apply anti-seize on the axle.
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Bob,
ya made ignition switch failure waaaaaaaaay too complicated. if switch has time/miles, like 108,000 miles on my ’01 FLSTC, then it’s probably the switch.
OK, check battery connections first, but then pull the dash, unplug switch wiring, remove switch, take out keeper-ring, & disassemble the switch. chances are you’ll find all kindsa gunk in contact area. take some ever present brake parts cleaner, paper towel, spray down all parts & dry. during re-assemble, put di-electric grease on spring-loaded contact buttons, a little H-D Super Lube on cover hinge, inside lockset, and other metal-to-metal surfaces, re-assemble, bolt back in dash, re-connect wiring, install dash. about 1 hour time.
now test it, & good possibility no more switch issues. not really a rebuild, but a cleanout. save$ $$$ installing new ignition switch.
just saying….
marklewis
Ticket 17099 I have a 2009 Heritage Classic Softtail and I want to attach a mp3/Bluetooth player identified to be for this bike. The wiring diagram has a Positive wire, Negative wire, and an ignition wire. Connecting the Pos and Neg wire no problem. However, I do not know how or where to connect the ignition wire. Please advise. Thank you for your time.
Dear William,
Thank you for contacting us. In regards to your question:
The other wire needs to be “switched power”. You should have an empty grey plug under your seat for switched accessory power.
https://www.fixmyhog.com/video/simplifying-electricity-002170/
Hope this helps.
Sincerely,
Mark
Fix My Hog Video Membership
I’ve had to replace my ignition switch 2 times in two months 2004 flhtpi 29000 miles on it
Also the acc works perfectly no power when in the ignition position