my 2007 softail starts first time good but when it gets hot  and i start it again it makes a horrible noise sounds like it does not engage properly to the starter motor the battery is a bit over 2 years old  thanks

mate I will keep a watch on this my mates soft tail dose the same is sounds like the starter drive and ring gear are clashing badly His is under waranty so I cant pullit apart to have a look

squid spoke to me about this, if your bike has any of the symptoms, get it looked at ASAP,,,,,,,,,,, it's not a good outcome if ya do nothin .........

You haven't given much of a description of the sound that your bike is making or for how long it has done it but, this is some info from another forum - Hey dudes! That "cracking" sound you are hearing is normal. Ya, I know that is what the dealers all tell you when you call something to their attention and they don't know what it is. I have a new 2009 and it does it too. It is a little bit more pronounced when the bike is hot and restarted, but they all do it, really. My buddy rides a 2008 with low mileage on it and it does it too. I have purposely hung around large congregations of bikes when they start up to leave and it is very, very, common. I have always figured it was selenoid popping into gear, but don't know for sure. I will admit, it is a little disarming when you first hear it. My first time I thought it was a rocker arm which had broken loose.     What these guys are talking about is normal with the starter but I'm not sure if this is your problem ??

he has it in the shop now getting fixed, will post the outcome when he lets me know ....