Can't start Flathead - need help

[foxman86]

this may be a bad idea or a good 1 but think be for u do this. i had a honda 350 cb and the starter was out but ever thing workd so i put a little starter fluid in her and push run form nutral down my street and jump on it and hit the 1s gear no problems, HOW EVER u have an old harley cant say it should or shouldnt work or be wise .

[sirhrmechanic]

Technically, you should be at full retard to start... not advanced. You advance the spark as the bike catches and your revs come up. At full advance, you get pops... and on a big twin with high compression, launched over the handlebars. ;-)

But sounds to me like a timing thing.

A couple of days ago, KNUCK posted on here about being able to set the 45 timing 180 degrees off... wonder if that could be part of the problem??

One question I didn't see answered... did the bike run previously? Have you run and ridden it without problems.... then after it sat, you had it not run? That kind of eliminates a timing problem. If that were the case, I would leaning toward bad coil or similar.

Just some thoughts.

Cheers,

Sirhr

[JohnR]

Did it run before sitting for a year? If so its not cam timing. Put a compression guage on the motor. If there is no compression it will not start. Its possible to get what appear to be clean spark plugs wet fouled enough not to fire. Install a new set of correctly gapped plugs & give it a try.

I once removed the cam cover on a Sportster looking for incorrect timing. Then later found it was fouled plugs stopping the motor from starting. Check the compression. Might have some valves sticking after sitting for so long?

[David]

Have you checked the coil? It may be weak and will fire the plugs ouside the cylinder, but under the pressure of the compression stoke it may not be producing enough secondary voltage to jump the gap. This is a common problem with older original coils and many new after market ones. David

[c.o.]

I had exactly the same problem as David explained this past summer with my Panhead. I was several hundred miles from home and I double checked the whole timing routine, etc,etc... The bike was in stubborn mode when it came to starting. It was narrowed down to the coil but it periodically had enough life in it to get me home. In fact the ol' sickle ran pretty good most of the way. It wasn't until I was about 5 miles from my place that it started to cut out again. I cussed the re-pop coil and will be going a different route coil wise next year.

[greg pagel]

45 starting problem

Sounds like a bad condenser to me.

[T. Cotten]

NicoNP!

Did you pay any attention to Ohio-Rider's suggestion?

It might have saved you a lot of tail-chasing.

http://virtualindian.org/11techleaktest.html

....Cotten

[Rubone]

Has anyone paid attention to the fact that this thread is 5 years old???

[T. Cotten]

Has anyone paid attention to the fact that this thread is 5 years old???

When it comes up on "What's New", its "new" all over again.

NicoNP must have paid attention to Ohio-Rider after all!

....Cotten

[DCoul]

That's funny.

I didn't notice.

[frichie68]

Least he could do is let us know he got it started.
Or not.

[exeric]

Least he could do is let us know he got it started.
Or not.

Absolutely ! When knowledgeable people give advice, the least one can do is say thanks. Like the way Robbie pointed out this thread is 5 years old

[T. Cotten]

Absolutely ! When knowledgeable people give advice, the least one can do is say thanks. Like the way Robbie pointed out this thread is 5 years old

That's advice? Or just ragging?

When I post ""advice"", it is not only for the present, but for future searches.

Without the future,... there is no History.

....Cotten

[exeric]

I think emoticons are a bit infantile, and cutesy but in this medium of communication, they are essential to let people know when a post is satirical, or light hearted. Robbie's observation was funny, even without the emoticon.

[T. Cotten]

Sorry Eric,..

..But I didn't study English for years and years, and then learn how to type, only to be reduced to using insipid pictograms.

....Cotten
PS: The fellow probably sold it.