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Bike won't start after washing

78K views 30 replies 11 participants last post by  harleyxlc  
#1 ·
Please be kind, I'm sure this has been answered somewhere and is a newbie question. But my flame suit is at the cleaners :)

Washed the bike, as carefully as I could I thought. Dry everything off and it won't start. Bike was in neutral when I backed it down the driveway (engine off). I push it in the garage figuring I got water somewhere and I'll let it dry out.

An hour later, still no go. Lights on the dash are good, turn signals, oil light etc. But neutral light is not on. I tried moving the shifter up, down, one arm up in the air, etc. Neutral light will not come on. Starter does absolutely nothing. I assume it is either not in neutral or thinks it is not in neutral. Bike rolls back and forth freely, like it is in neutral.

Any thoughts?
 
#5 ·
Since the starter button does nothing, I'd say: (1)you flipped the kill switch while washing or drying (2) There's water in the clutch switch (that tells the bike the clutch lever is pulled in) (3) there's water in the kickstand safety switch (that doesn't allow the bike to start or run while in gear with the kick stand down) (4) probably a combination of 2 & 3. It's happened to me before.
 
#7 ·
harleyxlc said:
I agree, crx81. Kill switch is ok.

Do these things dry by themselves or will they need my assistance?

When it happened to me, it just sorted itself out. Will dry out eventually. If it's still not working tomorrow, then I'd start getting concerned. The switches for the clutch and kickstand are usually very accessible. You could check them and try to dry them (blow dryer? air compressor?) yourself if you'd like.
 
#9 ·
wait, is this on the sporty or the ninja?

when I said air filter getting wet I was thinking sportster, i don't know if that could be it on the ninja, I'm not familiar with the air intake system there.
 
#10 ·
There isn't going to be a clutch switch on a Harley.

If it is on the Ninja, make sure the kickstand is up, clutch lever pulled in, and starter button pressed. Anything?
 
#11 ·
It's the Ninja. The Harley doesn't have a clutch switch or a kickstand switch.

Normally I start it kickstand down in neutral. Tried up with clutch in and that didn't work either.

I'm going to let it sit overnight and see what happens tomorrow night.
 
#12 ·
I couldn't wait for tonight, checked it out before work. Still no go. So tonight I will crawl around and find this damn switch.

What I don't get is if the kickstand switch is messed up, why isn't the neutral light coming on? I can see why it may not start, but I would expect the dash light to still be lit.
 
#14 ·
guy said hes not getting a "neutral light" So this means to me that the neutral sensor is either wet or malfunctioning. The starter wont engage when its in gear but if the clutch is pulled in it should. HMMMM try bump starting it
 
#16 ·
Reckless01 said:
The starter wont engage when its in gear but if the clutch is pulled in it should.
Which is what leads me to believe it's also a problem with the clutch switch. It's much easier to get to than the neutral position sensor... I wouldn't even know where to look for that one. LOL! It really sounds like water in a couple of switches/sensors. Must have REALLY soaked that bike down, because I ride in INSANE Florida rains, and wash my bike all the time. I only had a problem like that once after washing, and it went away after a few hours.
 
#17 ·
No alarm.

No neutral light, although it is behaving like it is in neutral (I can roll it back and forth). All other lights on the dash work.

Won't start with clutch engaged or not. Won't start with shifter in neutral or first.

Agree a sensor is wet somewhere, but I am still confused about why/which one. I would think that if the sensor on the kickstand or a sensor that tells the bike it is in neutral has failed, it should not start. But wouldn't the neutral light still come on?

Or if the neutral light got moisture in it, then it should start, but the light should fail.

It's almost like the neutral light isn't just a light for when the bike tranny is in neutral, but it is a "bike in neutral, kickstand good, I am ready to start" light :)

And no power washer, very light mist from one of those Mr. Clean nozzles with the water filter.
 
#18 ·
crx81 said:
Which is what leads me to believe it's also a problem with the clutch switch. It's much easier to get to than the neutral position sensor... I wouldn't even know where to look for that one. LOL! It really sounds like water in a couple of switches/sensors. Must have REALLY soaked that bike down, because I ride in INSANE Florida rains, and wash my bike all the time. I only had a problem like that once after washing, and it went away after a few hours.
I try to use as little water as possible and as lightly as possible, but the proof is in the pudding, you must be right :)

Care to point me to that clutch sensor?
 
#20 ·
harleyxlc said:
No neutral light, although it is behaving like it is in neutral (I can roll it back and forth). All other lights on the dash work.

Agree a sensor is wet somewhere, but I am still confused about why/which one. I would think that if the sensor on the kickstand or a sensor that tells the bike it is in neutral has failed, it should not start. But wouldn't the neutral light still come on?

If the sensor that detects that the bike is in neutral is not working, how would the light "know" to come on? They are all part of one circuit. The bike being in neutral, but not "knowing" it's in neutral is how you know you've got a sensor/switch failure.
 
#23 ·
Nope. I tried again last night. No go. Crawled around underneath and found what I think is the sensor. It is a small plug with a wire attached, going into the front left side. But it looked dry and secure. I cleaned it up anyway.

I have ordered the service manual, which should be here today or tomorrow, and I'll try again. :)
 
#24 ·
The problem is a short, nice post ment11. The ignition fuse was blown and I had to test it out by blowing two more fuses :) They blew as soon as I hit the starter button.

And checked the owner's manual. The bike is not supposed to start in gear with the clutch engaged...but I had fun trying that anyway.

Off to the dealer...