To Harley or not to Harley???

Energy One

NOLA_BigDog

Member
My Dog arrived sat. night and my first ride was Sunday afternoon... I noticed the tach wasn't working so i called the dealer and thy said it was working when it left. Harley said they have a tech that used to work for big dog and he might be able to fix it... $100 to look at it. Harley is 3 mins from my house. Big dog is am hour away and no telling when I could get it there.... What u think?
 

CurtK

Active Member
Hey Bryan

Sorry to hear you are having issues already but I will put my money on you getting a minimum 5-10 D-I-Y troubleshooting tips here before bringing to a dealer to screw it up anymore. :roll:

You haven't been here very long but the 'tech-guys' on this forum are freakin awesome. Standby, the responses are coming.:flag:

Curt
 

erldawg

Guru
Yes you need to let the the speedometer do its sweep after you turn the key on before you hit the run button.....

You should have received an owners manual with the bike I suggest you read through it to familiarize yourself with the operation before going out again.

If by chance you did not get one through the dealer you could download an owners manual at the BDM website....:flag:
 

Raywood

The Pirate
Staff member
Calendar Participant
Troop Supporter
It's just the tach... I wasn't aware I had to let it cycle..
Pull the speedo unit apart and see if any of the wires have come apart or if a wire broke loose from the tach board. May just be a simple solder job. Many here have done this before. The thing comes apart real easy and many examples in the "How To" section. Check all the connections under the tank also.

:cheers:
 

Gas Man

Cool isn't cheap
Calendar Participant
new tach is 90 bucks!!! plug and play. so if its your tach buy a new one and put it yourself.
If that is the true cost then I say NO WAY to pay the tech to work on it.

$100 for him to look at it + parts
or
$90 new tach

Well I would still check it out before you just start throwing parts at it. But that's what the forum is here for.

As far as replacing the tach. That is the easy part.

Getting the speedo apart is simple
http://www.bigdogbiker.com/forums/how/451-how-remove-install-swap-your-speedo.html

Then its only a metal ring clip holding the board in. EASY!
 

BikerDave

Hang Around
Hey NOLA congrats on your new scoot :cheers: I read your previous post about your battery being dead when it arrived. Guessing you charged it overnight to get it running but be sure the battery is FULLY charged or that can be the problem with your tach. Picked up my dog last fall and half the time the tach would not light unless I would shut down and restart after a few mins. Finally decided to put in a new batt and now the tach fires up every time. These bikes can do wierd shit if the batt is not healthy. :up:
 

1BADK9

Limited Edition Member
YEAH NOLA, get your hands on that manual and read it all. I sheared off my starter gear because of manual ignoritis ( i wasn't given one at the sale), I was applying a little throttle when starting my dog....little did I know that adds to the compession of the cylinders and causes stress to the starter gear shaft. But had i read the manual there is a big ass warning not to apply throttle during start up.

Also get your hands on a battery tender and use it. These dogs are very particular about low voltage.

And finally ASK ASK ASK, there are no stupid questions except the one that is not asked. These folks here are are the wikipedia of BIGDOG. ENJOY
 

Stick

Member
Disconnect Battery Battery for five minutes

If letting the speedo cycle pre-start through doesn"t work. Try disconnecting battery (all positive leads) for a couple of minutes. I had to do this for my speedo last month. It was suggested by a tech rep at BDM...and yes, I feel your pain of having to go to B.R. for service. If your out of warranty, one of the ex-N.O. Big Dog mechanics now works for G Smith Motorsports ( G Smith Motorsports - Custom Motorcycles - 504.737.1600) in St. Rose.
 
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