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1989 FLTC Not Starting Intermittent Problem

@Tourglider

I don't believe my year was included in the recall when I saw the notice posted on the web.

I'm not going to swear that I've completely fixed the issue on mine yet (I'm a little paranoid about it), but so far so good since I replaced the wire that runs from the starter relay to the solenoid, and the wire that runs from the positive post on the solenoid to the main circuit breaker.

For me, both of the wires visibly looked to have seen better days. They were both spliced at least once, and were obviously partly corroded.

This is probably not the case for you.

Have you followed through with all the wiring troubleshooting? Testing voltage, voltage drop, continuity, and current throughout your main harness?

Have you done the "see what gets hot test"? As the others in this thread so aptly pointed out to me, that definitely helps indicate where you have a bad connection and is likely part of the problem.

Good luck ...
 
Working on 15 to 20 year old bikes does have a tendency to complicate things regarding failures of items that "normally" do not give problems for the "life of the machine" so things like ignition switch or bad wires does introduce obscure problems like these. Best advice is to troubleshoot more and substitute LESS. One thing that helps me through is to troubleshoot and replace based on TWO tests before replacing a part. For example, blown fuse? see if you measure voltage drop across the fuse contacts, it is open, pull it and check with ohmmeter for continuity and visually check it to see if it has discolored or distorted link inside. Replace if more than one condition exists.
 
@NewHD74Fan: Very good advice.

@Tourglider: Did you ever get your situation worked out?

...

For me, it's been 15 days of good starts and over 1000 miles since I replaced those wires. I'm feeling pretty confident at this point (knock on wood). :)

I just put in new plugs yesterday, on inspection the other ones looked like they could use a refresh, and I have no idea how long they were in there from the other guy.
 
the switch did it and yes it sure works alot firmer. Coil springs weaken or loose their set if not allowed to relax,and there are 3 big ones in the switch.
 
I have been having the same problem with my '89 Ultra. It seems that many people owning scooters around this time have this problem. Checking on the internet I find many comments by many people of this phenomenon. My Father in Law has an '91 Ultra and had the same symptoms. He finally wound up installing the manual starter solenoid button that Catwoman refers to. I tried to buy one for my '89 and when it came it was not the right bolt pattern, the supplier said that the '89's were a one of and they weren't made anymore. Catwoman, i am interested in which manufacturer you found that made a button for your '89!!??!!
 
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