Picked up a 1989 XL1200 Sportster recently.
As far as I know there is no motor upgrades.
When I bought it, it fired up easy, but then went to fire it up the other day for only about the 3rd or 4th time and got a whirring sound and motor wouldn't spin.
A buddy suggested it was the starter clutch. I'm not super in the know on the inner workings of starters. So we pulled the starter and swapped it for another USED starter.
With the primary, clutch basket, etc off we hit the start button and verified the gear would come out and spin. Then we reassembled the primary drive but left the cover off and hit the button, starter motor gear comes out, engages into starter ring on clutch basket, puts tension on it and trys to spin it but cannot and makes the same sound we heard initially with the first starter that came on the bike.
Next, we pull the plugs so there's no compression.
Hit the button and starter works good and turns the motor.
We put plugs back in.
We check the voltage drop on the battery while we hit the button. Drops to 8V or lower. Won't spin the motor.
We pull my buddy's truck up, remove battery from the motorcycle and put jumper cables direct to appropriate wires that go to the battery terminals.
Hit the button and motor spins.
We figure we've got a bad cell in the battery.
Go get a brand new battery. Hook it up, hit the button, motor turns over. Figured we had it. Put the seat on, and get ready to give it a test rip, hit the button......
Same old familiar sound. No go.
Thoughts?
2 bad starters?
Starter clutch?
Bad wiring somewhere?
Weak batteries?
As far as I know there is no motor upgrades.
When I bought it, it fired up easy, but then went to fire it up the other day for only about the 3rd or 4th time and got a whirring sound and motor wouldn't spin.
A buddy suggested it was the starter clutch. I'm not super in the know on the inner workings of starters. So we pulled the starter and swapped it for another USED starter.
With the primary, clutch basket, etc off we hit the start button and verified the gear would come out and spin. Then we reassembled the primary drive but left the cover off and hit the button, starter motor gear comes out, engages into starter ring on clutch basket, puts tension on it and trys to spin it but cannot and makes the same sound we heard initially with the first starter that came on the bike.
Next, we pull the plugs so there's no compression.
Hit the button and starter works good and turns the motor.
We put plugs back in.
We check the voltage drop on the battery while we hit the button. Drops to 8V or lower. Won't spin the motor.
We pull my buddy's truck up, remove battery from the motorcycle and put jumper cables direct to appropriate wires that go to the battery terminals.
Hit the button and motor spins.
We figure we've got a bad cell in the battery.
Go get a brand new battery. Hook it up, hit the button, motor turns over. Figured we had it. Put the seat on, and get ready to give it a test rip, hit the button......
Same old familiar sound. No go.
Thoughts?
2 bad starters?
Starter clutch?
Bad wiring somewhere?
Weak batteries?
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