going back to the shop AGAIN tomorrow (3rd in 500 miles)

[TylerDavin06K9]

Well i took my bike for the first ride since spending 1600 DOLLARS in the last three weeks. bike still dies randomly, and more frequently (horn locks out and lights flash). I keep telling them I think its the computer, but they keep telling me different things. I'm hauling it 3.5 hours AGAIN tomorrow, and at this point I'm just being frustrated with my 250 dollar a month paper weight. Any suggestions as to what to do next? To the mans credit, he said he'll make it right and get it taken care of, but I'm so frustrated.

 

[dmouse]

try talking with kaptamerica as he is working on fixing EHC`s he might be able to help might be worth emailing him and ask ??

 

[Letbigdogintocanada]

Time to WP that MF,or just find a shop that knows wtf they talking about!!!

 

[Nukeranger]

I also recommend not taking your Dog to someone who doesn't know Big Dogs inside and out.

 

[bruce]

I do not no what info you guys have, first should think about doing your own work. but if not anything you can tell them will help. maybe install a spark tester ( you can get ones that look like spark plugs (cheap) but have a light in them and just leave it on. and maybe carry a can of carb. spray to help check for fuel problem. you need fuel, spark and compression for engine to run. most likely loosing fuel or spark or maybe both. also does the engine not running have a pattern, damp weather etc.

 

[BigDogBro1]

Well i took my bike for the first ride since spending 1600 DOLLARS in the last three weeks. bike still dies randomly, and more frequently (horn locks out and lights flash). I keep telling them I think its the computer, but they keep telling me different things. I'm hauling it 3.5 hours AGAIN tomorrow, and at this point I'm just being frustrated with my 250 dollar a month paper weight. Any suggestions as to what to do next? To the mans credit, he said he'll make it right and get it taken care of, but I'm so frustrated.

We need more details on the failure condition.
Q: Can you restart the bike?
Q: What happens when the bike dies?...give some details. EHC LED's

There is dealer software and cables available to view the EHC failure codes and its status.

Here are some things to check on the carbed bikes.

1. Disconnect battery! Remove EHC harness A&B connections, inspect for broken pins, clean out old dielectric grease and repack with new grease.

2. Check ALL battery terminal connections at battery. PULL check the crimped connections on the smaller wires and make sure all connections are clean and tight. Place the large cable connections next to the battery post first then the smaller wires.

3. Check the ignition switch for loose worn key clicks. Don't hang anything heavy from key. This switch only connects a EHC input signal to ground to allow the bike to start. If the switch contacts are worn out from vibration then the EHC could shut down.

3. Battery condition and charging system condition. Battery needs to be 12.8 volts minimum when OFF charger for an hour. ALWAYS keep the battery on a Battery Tender or similar maintenace charger.

4. Check the headlight bulb plug for melting and allowing the H/L beam contacts touching the ground contact. Use the ceramic H4 plug replacement. Don't add any electrical accessories to your bike without checking on the forum. The EHC monitors certain current loads and reacts to possible adverse conditions.

Do some searching on this forum for more things to check. Your not the first to have this problem. It's not always the EHC module causing this effect. If you do need to replace the EHC, I would go with the OEM BDM harness conversion system instead of the Wire+ or other unit.

Good luck!

 

[crowster]

I would not be taking it back to the same people. I would be going to another shop.

 

[Hoss]

Have you talked to the guys at Werner Cycle Works in Omaha.

They have a Big Dog certified Tech there. They have a lot of knowledge with them.

Werner Cycle Works

Address
14410 Frontier Road
Omaha, NE 68138


Contact
Phone: (402) 894-3050

Werner Cycle Works Omaha, NE (402) 894-3050

 

[bigdogtech01]

So they charged you $1600 for what? What parts have they replaced? For that amount, you could have bought 3 of the updated EHC's from Big dog....at least one of them would be good, lol.

 

[Five Five]

try talking with kaptamerica as he is working on fixing EHC`s he might be able to help might be worth emailing him and ask ??

He's had. The ability and equipment to test your EHC

 

[Fibersnake]

Did the bore out and the big cam along with the Kury Hypercharger get installed right before the issue or had they been on there awhile and bike ran fine with no issue?

Well i took my bike for the first ride since spending 1600 DOLLARS in the last three weeks. bike still dies randomly, and more frequently (horn locks out and lights flash). I keep telling them I think its the computer, but they keep telling me different things. I'm hauling it 3.5 hours AGAIN tomorrow, and at this point I'm just being frustrated with my 250 dollar a month paper weight. Any suggestions as to what to do next? To the mans credit, he said he'll make it right and get it taken care of, but I'm so frustrated.

 

[TylerDavin06K9]

So heres why I took it back to the same people. I'll give the story leading up to it first. When I bought the bike, the owner said for 14,000 he would make it a brand new bike (with the bore, cam, trans etc) - Which I did, however he said it died randomly and thought it was a short or bad ignition. Well, the bike died more and more over time with more frequency. Now, when I say it would die, I mean it would completely cut out no lights, no power, no nothin. I could turn the key and restart it and keep going, but the more I rode it, the more it died. I did research, and screened a lot of threads on this site and ultimately decided it HAS to be the EHC. I took it to a local shop in Des Moines only to have them tell me after 800 that its the computer, and that takes months (after it sat at their shop for a month during primo ride time). SO I took it to indianola iowa to a harley shop and they said "no clue" and charged me a hundred. After allllll this hoopla I was told to call steve at steves bike shop in ursa, Ill. Steve is a PHENOMENAL man with great integrity, and I told him my concern was that I give him X amount to fix the issue, I get it back to DM and it has the same issue, to which he said if that happened he'd make it right. SOOO I got it back, rode it and 3 miles down the road it dies. In steves defense when i dropped the bike off it was 8 below, and when I picked it up it was 10 below, so there wasnt really an opportune time to ride the bike. SO I called steve and said 'we have a problem", described the issues again and he said "i know its a pain for you to get it here, but if you get it to me I'll make it right." So I spent some time on the road, chalked it up to a good road trip and took it back. I in no way want to talk badly about his shop, because he has a great level of integrity, and an honest work ethic and business ethic. I'll let you know how it goes picking it up next week, but I DO have my firstborn coming out C section about 2 days later, so it may be a day or two! THANK you very much for the support and help!

 

[Fibersnake]

I know that most likely it has been checked, but did anyone check the ignition switch or replace it?

 

[TylerDavin06K9]

he said he was going to look into the ignition this time, and make damn sure it doesnt die when i come to pick it up this time!

 

[bigdogtech01]

he said he was going to look into the ignition this time, and make damn sure it doesnt die when i come to pick it up this time!

That should have been one of the first things to check...it takes nothing but a simple turn of key to verify if it's the old or new switch. With switch in the ON position, do you remember if it turns off with very little movement? Or do you have to turn the key 50 degrees before it turns off? If it turns off with very little movement, 5 degrees or less, then you have the old switch and most likely that's the problem. But, it could also be EHC related. A major short under fuel tank can cause the circuit breakers inside EHC to trip. Make sure you have them check all the wires under fuel tank...I'm still confused as to what the $1600 went towards
For that much, they should have tested the entire electrical system, all wires, all modules/sensors and for sure replaced some of them.
Wish you were closer, I would fix that thing for ya.

 

[TylerDavin06K9]

Sorry, I'll clear up the 1600. I put 911.71 for 214 charging 32 amp system. Primary 0 ring and inspection o ring, clutch lever bushing, lubricate clean something (cursive), pully bolts, they also say they adjusted the clutch, cleaned and inspected clutch plates, repaired a mirror mount, repaired ignition module screws, repaired foot peg rear because it was too loose. That all for 911.00, then 135 for a replacement heat shield from VH, the cost of the hyper charger, and 200 for a speedo, tach all in housing. I guess I only paid him 911, but all and all i've put 1600 into this thing in the last two weeks. NOW update, he called today and said they rode it for 30 some miles and couldnt get it to die for the life of them. This thing died worse for me than ever after riding it AFTER they fixed it. He says that I cant crank back all the way on the throttle because it robs so much power from the battery, which causes it to die, to which I said "I cant imagine a motorcycle would have so much power, but I cant crank back on it because it dies, theres no way a motorcycle should run that way, especially with a newly replaced entire charging system." My latest tactical move was to call a local shop that I really thought impressed me after they walked me through and showed me everything. I called him out of frustration, and he told me theres no way that its the charging system, and that the way they will figure it out is to diagnose everything BUT the ehc because they dont have the diagnostic equipment. I have zero mechanical ability, and have no idea how to take this EHC out to send it out, and quite frankly just dont want to wait that long. I'm SOOOOOOOO frustrated because I've put so much effing money into this bike without the ability to even ride it confidently. I mean seriously, I've put probably 3000 dollars in payments into this thing, 2200 dollars in "repairs" and still have only been able to ride maybe 300 miles. I'm at my whits end with this thing, but am in HEAVEN when I can actually ride it. I just want somebody to figure out the damn dying problem so I can confidently ride over 300 miles at a time if i want. We have a short riding season in Iowa, I have my first baby coming in 10 days, and I need to be conscious of how much I'm spending at this point. Luckily my wife is supportive, and just wants to see me get taken care of, but so far I've been to 3 shops, and approaching my fourth without any success. When i dropped off the bike, I told him 1200 bucks to make it run. I'm far from that at this point, and I was hoping to have him call me and say "sure enough its the ehc, or sure is the ignition" but he says he cant get it to die for the life of him. SO FRUSTRATED.

 

[TylerDavin06K9]

thank you

Have you talked to the guys at Werner Cycle Works in Omaha.

They have a Big Dog certified Tech there. They have a lot of knowledge with them.

Werner Cycle Works

Address
14410 Frontier Road
Omaha, NE 68138


Contact
Phone: (402) 894-3050

Werner Cycle Works Omaha, NE (402) 894-3050

thank you, this is my next step if the local guys (which so far have impressed me)

 

[TylerDavin06K9]

thank you

We need more details on the failure condition.
Q: Can you restart the bike?
Q: What happens when the bike dies?...give some details. EHC LED's

There is dealer software and cables available to view the EHC failure codes and its status.

Here are some things to check on the carbed bikes.

1. Disconnect battery! Remove EHC harness A&B connections, inspect for broken pins, clean out old dielectric grease and repack with new grease.

2. Check ALL battery terminal connections at battery. PULL check the crimped connections on the smaller wires and make sure all connections are clean and tight. Place the large cable connections next to the battery post first then the smaller wires.

3. Check the ignition switch for loose worn key clicks. Don't hang anything heavy from key. This switch only connects a EHC input signal to ground to allow the bike to start. If the switch contacts are worn out from vibration then the EHC could shut down.

3. Battery condition and charging system condition. Battery needs to be 12.8 volts minimum when OFF charger for an hour. ALWAYS keep the battery on a Battery Tender or similar maintenace charger.

4. Check the headlight bulb plug for melting and allowing the H/L beam contacts touching the ground contact. Use the ceramic H4 plug replacement. Don't add any electrical accessories to your bike without checking on the forum. The EHC monitors certain current loads and reacts to possible adverse conditions.

Do some searching on this forum for more things to check. Your not the first to have this problem. It's not always the EHC module causing this effect. If you do need to replace the EHC, I would go with the OEM BDM harness conversion system instead of the Wire+ or other unit.

Good luck!

I bought a brand new battery for it last year, its a good battery from HD. I havent checked the headlight bulb, and i really have no clue about anything else on this list simply because I'm not mechanically inclined at all. I can turn the key off and on and restart the bike, but It will just die a couple hundred yards down the road. I almost think it HAS to be a loose wire, but I'm not confident enough to take the take off, and I'm not sure I have any business telling a mechanic what I think it might be. Before I took it in, some trips the bike would only die here and there, some others it was just outrageous how many times it would die. I pulled the computer looking harnesses on the sides of the EHC, and they all appeared okay, but the grease inside was hard like dried candle wax. That being said, I put in a new speedo, and did NOT put the spacer between the bracket and the housing because I couldnt get it to stay. I am not going to give up, but sure and bitter about this whole deal. thanks for the help though it really is a big help.

 

[Fibersnake]

Yes there is something wrong with the statement about too much power when letting off on throttle and being charging system. Hell if you had a full charged battery and the charging system failed, it for most part will still run and FOT or idle until the voltage is so low to kick it out.

 

[DRBarnhart]

I told him 1200 bucks to make it run.

For that kind of money you could fly Andrew out to your house and get it fixed right!!! :2thumbs:

SO FRUSTRATED.

Little "tough love" here brother, you really need to get past being "frustrated"! After all, you bought the bike with the "shutting down" problem and most of the money that you've spent has nothing to do with fixing THAT problem. :bang:

I understand what you're saying about not being "mechanically inclined" but that has little to do with not being able to disconnect 4 screws and two bolts which is all it would take to remove the EHC so you could send it to Curtis for testing. :up:

An idea, if the next shop doesn't find something concrete, have them ask this forum for ideas rather than piss away your money tightening foot pegs and mirrors!!

My :zz2cents:,

Dennis