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Engine cutting out

roadking01

Member
Contributor
My 2001 RK has developed a nasty habit, the engine turns off while the bike is in motion, the flashers work, i know this because the last time it happened I was doing 70 mph at night with a bunch of traffic behind me. when the engine died and the headlight went out, i hit the flashers, turn the main switch to the off possition then back to the on possition and I got power back, then I popped the clutch and the engine turned back on, this has happend a few times and suspect that the main switch is on it's way out. Anyone out there have any thoughts on what could be causing this?
 
My 09 Heritage went in for some mods recently,whilst there they said it cut out/wouldnt start,said they changed the system relay,seemed a bit strange but they said any age they can 'just go',maybe yours is havin similar prob,could be starter relay?...get sorted asap,sounds like it could of been a lot worse,70mph pitch black..take care
 
This problem created a recall to replace ign. switches in the mid '90's. Supposed to have better switches, but it sounds like your problem. Do a search on this forum for something like "ign switches" and see what you turn up.
 
They had a recall for the circuit breaker on 2001 touring models, the fix was to install a 50 amp in place of the factory 40 amp
I don't think the flashers would be working if this was the problem but you might check that your breaker was updated anyways.

M-1151 Safety Recall Code 0113 April 15, 2003
MAIN CIRCUIT BREAKER REPLACEMENT
As recently advised in ML-390, Harley-Davidson has determined
that a defect exists on certain 2001-2003 FL Touring
and Police model motorcycles. These motorcycles have a
condition whereby the 40 amp main circuit breaker could
open due to reasons other than for which it was designed,
causing an unexpected interruption of all electrical power.
This condition could cause a "quit while riding" situation,
which could occur without warning and lead to a crash,
thereby presenting a risk of death or injury to the rider.
 
They had a recall for the circuit breaker on 2001 touring models, the fix was to install a 50 amp in place of the factory 40 amp
I don't think the flashers would be working if this was the problem but you might check that your breaker was updated anyways.

M-1151 Safety Recall Code 0113 April 15, 2003
MAIN CIRCUIT BREAKER REPLACEMENT
As recently advised in ML-390, Harley-Davidson has determined
that a defect exists on certain 2001-2003 FL Touring
and Police model motorcycles. These motorcycles have a
condition whereby the 40 amp main circuit breaker could
open due to reasons other than for which it was designed,
causing an unexpected interruption of all electrical power.
This condition could cause a "quit while riding" situation,
which could occur without warning and lead to a crash,
thereby presenting a risk of death or injury to the rider.

If you still have the 40 amp breaker, replace it with the 50. This is the most likely cause of your problem.:)
 
Hi Guys.

I'm New to this site and this is my first post.
Had a similar problem with my 06 FXST, normally happened on uneven roads, speed bumps etc. Stripped my main switch from the tank and opened it, (watch out there are 3 small springs and copper contacts) the springs had gone soft. streched them out, sanded contacts to clean them, added some new grease. end of problem. hope this helps.
 
Thanks everyone for your imput, I figured I start with the easy suggestions first so over the weekend I desided to removed the circuit breaker to see if i had a 40amp in the bike still, but I couldn't find any marking on the braker to identify it as a 40amp or a 50amp. does anyone know if there's a way to test it with a multimeter to find the amperage range? or if there is a visual way to tell?
 
T does anyone know if there's a way to test it with a multimeter to find the amperage range? or if there is a visual way to tell?

There is No way to test those breakers. They absolutely go bad by tripping with lite loads. There is a good chance that it will get warm when you run it at 1/2 it's rating (20 amps) which positively indicates it has a problem.

Change it out with a new one or better yet if you can, install a MAXI fuse. It's a Much better way to protect a circuit. (that is if you can fit it to work):p
 
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