Hi 

I have a question I need answered regarding an electrical fault I have with my 2010 1200 Custom and I am hoping someone can shed some light on this for me and help me come up with a solution.

The problem I am having is when I ride the bike for about 30 minutes and then stop the engine it won't start again the dash lights work except for the Neutral light all other electrics work even the fuel pump but when I press the starter NOTHING. I have had a mechanic look at it and he changed some relays it has a brand new battery which is clean and secure but the problem is still there I have been told that it might be the ignition barrel but I am reluctant to change any more parts until I hear from someone who has heard of or knows of this fault. So this is my dilemma can anyone help me out.

 

 

Reading your description is sounds like it only happens once the bike is hot, if you let it cool does it start again? Have you looked the neutral / clutch kill switch?

Yes it only happens when the bike is hot and when it cools down it starts fine. I have not looked at the Neutral / Clutch kill switch where is that? I am mechanically minded with cars but not with bikes especially newer bikes with all the electronics.

Earth on the frame Loose?

I have checked the earth its tight. after I rode it last night I switched the ignition on and off over and over while holding down the start button and at times it kicked once but wouldn't start and the neutral light didn't come back on. I have jump started it straight from the battery to the starter motor and that got it started. The bike and the neutral light came back on but I can't do that every time I stop the motor or if I stall it at a set of lights on a hill. The problem confuses me.

I have checked the earth its tight. after I rode it last night I switched the ignition on and off over and over while holding down the start button and at times it kicked once but wouldn't start and the neutral light didn't come back on. I have jump started it straight from the battery to the starter motor and that got it started. The bike and the neutral light came back on but I can't do that every time I stop the motor or if I stall it at a set of lights on a hill. The problem confuses me.

It sounds like it could be the neutral sensor

If you place it in neutral and also hold the clutch in will it start, the fact that the neutral light is not going on does imply that that would be the cause of the issue. The bike will not start unless in neutral or the clutch is pulled in ... a "safety" feature

I have tried starting it with the clutch in and it still won't start I have the workshop manual now so I will look for neutral sensor.

I have not got the manual in front of me but you may be able to bypass the sensor using a jumper lead to view it as "always" being in neutral to see if that fixes the issue ... reading a few other places the harness it connects to can also be an issue with the sportsters

I now have the workshop manual and I will be doing some brain storming and fault finding but if it is the Neutral switch I might need to go to a mechanic to change it out looks like a job too big for me. I ran a wire direct from the battery to the starter motor and the bike started and the neutral light came on but that is only something I want to do as a last resort if I am stuck somewhere as it may cause faults somewhere else.

I would check it is all nicely plugged in if you can as the fact it fails once warm could mean it is just loose ...

I have checked all the connections that I can find and they are all tight and clean it is really starting to get to me now I don't want to have to pay the prices that Harley want for repairs but I might have to.

The heat thing is what you should be looking at. If the bike runs okay when warm then it sort of points to something in the starter system/circuit.

The engine runs fine when warm or cold, doesn't over heat, no oil loss or any other fault it is just the starting thing when it warms up after about 15 - 20 minutes of riding. due to the neutral light not lighting up when the fault occurs I think it points to that part of the electrical system.

Hmmm..I would have bought that a buggered neutral switch would through an error code. Is he switch internal or external to the transmission? If internal then it could be the engine heat breaking it. I wonder if you could bypass it somehow...it's either a normally closed or normally open switch so if you have access to the connector you could try to fool it.

I did just have some real odd start symptoms on my sporty and it turned out to the the fob battery was on its way out.  Replaced it as the first guess and all is well again.  Might be worth looking at given a battery is only $3 or so.

 

Maybe the Starter Relay is over heating, causing it to lose contact internaly. See if you can borrow one for a ride to get hot, If bike Will start when hot, then you have the answer.
Have seen this happen on another bike, Plus in my parents Car. They changed Starter relay and all was fixed.

Good idea... Repco or Supercheap should stock relays for less than $20

Tried the Start relay and I went through and cleaned all the connections then took the bike for a ride and the fault is still there. I think I am down to two options the Neutral Indicator Switch or the Ignition Barrel. If that doesn't work I might just do a ghosty and clame it haha. I am missing riding every day.

Question... Have you recently changed the tranny oil?