Sportster 1999 wont run after rain yesterday | GTAMotorcycle.com

Sportster 1999 wont run after rain yesterday

M

Mateo

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Hey guys,

I went to moto Social Yesterday. I hope a lot of you were there coz it was really cool.

It rained a bit during the meet and after I left and started riding home my bike started dying on me. I would ride and then boom the engine dies. happened like 6 times to me by the time I got home. I was hoping that it might dry out over night but when I tried to start it again today after work it would only idle for half a minute before dying again. Any idea what that might be? I changed the ignition unit last year.

I'm by Bathurst and Lakeshore. Does anyone know a good repair shop in the area that can tow my bike to them?

Thank you guys

Mateo
 
Mateo said:
Hey guys,

I went to moto Social Yesterday. I hope a lot of you were there coz it was really cool.

It rained a bit during the meet and after I left and started riding home my bike started dying on me. I would ride and then boom the engine dies. happened like 6 times to me by the time I got home. I was hoping that it might dry out over night but when I tried to start it again today after work it would only idle for half a minute before dying again. Any idea what that might be? I changed the ignition unit last year.

I'm by Bathurst and Lakeshore. Does anyone know a good repair shop in the area that can tow my bike to them?

Thank you guys

Mateo
Click to expand...

Its a harley, maybe its allergic to rain, who knows?
 
it might seem silly,, but you do have gas in the tank.. do you know where the reserve tap is?

i was riding with a Lady on a sportster... it seemed to be running out of gas when she pulled over... I told her to flip to reserve... she had no idea what that was..... once on reserve, it seemed to run fine
we went to a gas station,, filled up.. she knew she had never put that much gas in before... and had only gone a few km since filling..

when I picked her up.. I noticed her sons mini bike was beside her bike.... so I asked her if the kid rides the bike much... I asked her if she gave the kid money for gas... and she was really confooooosed... so I asked her where she thinks the kids is getting gas for the mini bike.

lol
anyway...
does it have gas in the tank?
 
bigpoppa said:
Its a harley, maybe its allergic to rain, who knows?
Click to expand...


tumblr_nba366I8hI1qdjbb7o1_500.gif
 
meester_jamie said:
it might seem silly,, but you do have gas in the tank.. do you know where the reserve tap is?

i was riding with a Lady on a sportster... it seemed to be running out of gas when she pulled over... I told her to flip to reserve... she had no idea what that was..... once on reserve, it seemed to run fine
we went to a gas station,, filled up.. she knew she had never put that much gas in before... and had only gone a few km since filling..

when I picked her up.. I noticed her sons mini bike was beside her bike.... so I asked her if the kid rides the bike much... I asked her if she gave the kid money for gas... and she was really confooooosed... so I asked her where she thinks the kids is getting gas for the mini bike.

lol
anyway...
does it have gas in the tank?
Click to expand...
H

This isn't a silly question at all. I do have gas though. I will try to flip it to the reserve to see what happens because on the last few tries even though the starter was cranking the engine just never came alive. I'll flip it to reserve and see.

Thank you for the advise
 
Fuel, air, spark - the 3 simple requirements for a gasoline engine. Sounds like you're lacking in 1 of the three. Gas is the easiest to rule out, air is obvious unless the engine is damaged somehow or the air filter is completely clogged (unlikely), so ignition is the likely (and most common) culprit.
 
hold a screwdriver in the boot where the plug goes.. and near the engine.. so you are simulating a spark gap... spin it over and see if you see nice blue spark..
or.. pull the plug, put it into the wire boot.. and lean the threads of the plug against the engine.. crank it over and see the spark...
observe the plug.. is it wet and black .. or dry and brown ... if you see spark.. put a small amount of gas in the plug hole,, and put the plug back in ,, wire back on, and spin it over... if it chugs a bit.. then you need to find out where the gas circuit is blocked.
 
What type of air filter is on it? Some of the more open or funnel shaped Harley style filters can take in water in the rain.

Sent from my Le Pan TC802A using Tapatalk
 
Mateo said:
Hey guys,

I went to moto Social Yesterday. I hope a lot of you were there coz it was really cool.

It rained a bit during the meet and after I left and started riding home my bike started dying on me. I would ride and then boom the engine dies. happened like 6 times to me by the time I got home. I was hoping that it might dry out over night but when I tried to start it again today after work it would only idle for half a minute before dying again. Any idea what that might be? I changed the ignition unit last year.

I'm by Bathurst and Lakeshore. Does anyone know a good repair shop in the area that can tow my bike to them?

Thank you guys

Mateo
Click to expand...

Sounds like a fuel problem. If it was ignition it probably wouldn't fire at all, or it would be missing. Impossible to diagnose online like this, but it is surely just a minor problem. At 1999 this is a 16 year old bike. I would check the intake manifold for leaks, especially if you noticed the bike is hard to start when cold and requires lots of choke. The way you're describing it, I doubt it had much to do with the rain.
 
Mateo said:
Thanks a lot for the advice guys. I really appreciate it. I will try these and report back
Click to expand...

One other thing. Check the small vacuum hoses running from your tank valve to the carb and make sure they are on tight with no cracks. Your bike will not get fuel if those hoses leak.
 
how old are the plug wires? any microscopic cracks in the casings will let moisture in , it runs , it dies, its hard to get started. If you have fuel, on that bike I would pull the air filter and see how it starts or runs without the filter unit, dont ride it just start it to eliminate that problem, then change the wires on coil and plugs and see what that does.
Years ago i could spray WD40 ( the WD stands for water displacing) on a coil and plug wires and my honda would start, it makes a mess, but it did start.

I'd bet money on electrical moisture issue, at 98% humidity nothing was drying yesterday.
 
bigpoppa said:
Its a harley, maybe its allergic to rain, who knows?
Click to expand...

Beat me to it...bike is ruined. Call Harley and they'll sell you a new one, just don't get it wet next time. lol
 
OK, check the battery terminal wires. 99s are solid mount motors and they tend to shake loose.

Next, check the air breather backing plate and make sure it's secure in the intake manifold. Then check for any other vacuum leaks.

One item that tends to flake out around the 10 year mark is the ignition module. Not easy to verify and costly to replace. Helps if you have a buddy or mechanic with a bike of the same model to swap out and give it a try.

But, when the ignition module goes, it does funny things like just stop. Or sputter and run fine. No rhyme or reason, weather or not, hot or cold. It just acts up and gets worse.
 
I know a very good mechanic who works at a decent shop in the west end. PM me if you need info.
 
Check the rubber boot from the carb to manifold. If deteriorated and cracked will give starting issues.
 
ok guys I'm super ashamed to admit it but turns out I just run out of gas lmao. My bro just didn't fill it up to the top last time he fueled up. I know this bike can run 200kms before refueling. It was at 178 when the problems started happening. I was sure there was gas in the tank though coz when I shook the bike I could hear the gas. Perhaps it was just the gas in the reserve tank though. I just went down and switched it to reserve and it runs just fine.

Once again thanks for all the advice and jokes in this thread. I appreciate you guys helping me out.

Ride safe and see you on the roads!!
 
meester_jamie said:
it might seem silly,, but you do have gas in the tank.. do you know where the reserve tap is?

i was riding with a Lady on a sportster... it seemed to be running out of gas when she pulled over... I told her to flip to reserve... she had no idea what that was..... once on reserve, it seemed to run fine
we went to a gas station,, filled up.. she knew she had never put that much gas in before... and had only gone a few km since filling..

when I picked her up.. I noticed her sons mini bike was beside her bike.... so I asked her if the kid rides the bike much... I asked her if she gave the kid money for gas... and she was really confooooosed... so I asked her where she thinks the kids is getting gas for the mini bike.

lol
anyway...
does it have gas in the tank?
Click to expand...


Turns out it was the best question my friend. Thank you
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