Things that make you go hmmmmm......

CuDaMaN

Member
This is one of those “I guess you had to be there” stories. Just weird......... (I’ll try & keep this short)
Went out for a ride last weekend, bikes running great, just did an oil change & cleaned the plugs, batteries charged, etc., etc...........
Met at a friends house, we proceed to run up the street to get gas. I don’t need any, so I park off to the side. The guys tank up really quick and are fired up ready to go. Playing catch-up, I get on mine, key on, press Run button, then Start button. Bike is in N and clutch is pulled in. Motor cranks, I release start button and motor freezes with a very noticeable thud......as in stops immediately and had the feeling as though someone just hit it with a hammer.
Now, I’m motionless on the bike thinking “Well, that can’t be good” and going over in my brain what just happened and why. The only thing I can remember NOT doing is manually pressing in on the compression release for each cylinder before starting up. I take Raywoods advice & try to do that every time even though they are suppose to be automatic.
So, now the guys are at the exit ramp looking back to see what’s going on, so I figure WTF..... I can’t screw it up any worse than it already is, so I do it again, only this time pressing the releases in like I would normally do. She fires right up, and we went on to ride most of the afternoon & I rode more Sunday with no problems.
This has never happened before and yes, there are some times that I don’t manually press in on the compression release valves with no problems what so ever.
So the question is, WTF could have caused this to happen??? Just a freak occurrence?? Would cylinder pressure cause it to do that if it hadn’t fully fired up yet (letting off the Start button too soon)??
I’m still getting use this bike and the motor with all it’s different aspects of how & what it’s supposed to run and feel like. Still learning about it so me and the S&S can become old friends...

On a more upbeat note, I joined the 1000 mile club......................WOOOOO HOOOOO.......lol



:eek::D:lol:
 

CuDaMaN

Member
75 views and no negative feedback, or any feedback for that matter...... lol
I'm gonna take that as a good thing and chalk it up to just a freak occurrence.
I'm still getting use to these 117 S&S motors & what they can do from time to time if not treated properly. Maybe I should of held that start button in for just a nano second longer until it fired 100%. I may just be over reacting to stupidity on my part.:willy_nilly::willy_nilly::willy_nilly: I'll never let myself be "rushed" again, that's for sure............. Lesson learned:angry: Case closed:up:
 

BorgerBigDog

BORN TEXAN
Damn i'm glad you havent had any problems and i hope you dont have any more.Congrats on the 1000 mile club looks like the 2000 club will be with you soon .Be careful out there and have fun !!!:up:
 

Raywood

The Pirate
Staff member
Calendar Participant
Troop Supporter
Greg, when mine starts "thunking" like that its cause the battery is getting weak and can't turn it over. Put a meter on it and make sure you have 12.8 or more volts.

Congrats on the 1000 mile mark. Many more to come

:2thumbs::cheers:
 

Big B

Active Member
Make sure you don't twist on the throttle while cranking. This has caused me some unwanted results a couple times.
 

Raywood

The Pirate
Staff member
Calendar Participant
Troop Supporter
Damn i'm glad you havent had any problems and i hope you dont have any more.Congrats on the 1000 mile club looks like the 2000 club will be with you soon .Be careful out there and have fun !!!:up:
:cheers:
 

RCAdd1ct

JAFO
If the engine is already hot and there is fuel in the cylinders/intake you can get a starter kick back.

If it happens every now and then don't worry about it. If it happens more frequently it can cause starter, starter gear and ring gear damage.

Making sure the compression releases work is a good first start.

My HD did it all the time, but it was because the mechanical compression releases locked in too soon. I have not had it happen since the new S&S 124" engine was installed with the auto compression releases.
 

CuDaMaN

Member
If the engine is already hot and there is fuel in the cylinders/intake you can get a starter kick back.
That's the answer I was looking for, and it makes perfect sense given that the bike ran perfectly the rest of that day and the next.........

I forgot how the old 1976 Superglide use to try and break my leg on occation (no electric start), kicking back on me dam near throwing me over the bike or nailing me in the shin..........frickin ouch!!!!!
Thank you everyone for your thoughts on this !!!!! :cheers:

The only pic I have left of her.......... Loved that dam thing !!!!



So very long ago........


..
 

V

Guru
When my bat went thats what it would do. Just a half as thud and then the lights flashed. Push stated it got it home and bought a HD AGM battery. but my batt was bad
 
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