72 Electra Glide losing power

[FingersMalloy]

Hello all.

Here is my problem....

I just bought my Electra Glide a month ago. The first time I took her out I went riding without my headlight on, I just had my highway lights. When I realized that I forgot to turn my headlight on, I flipped the switch.

I got about 5 miles down the road and I lost all the power to my bike and I glided to a stop. I flipped the switch to ignition, she fired right up and I went on my way. Every time I flipped on the headlight the bike, after a few minutes, it would lose all power. But, I could start it back up right away.

So, I took it to a shop that works on old Harleys. After looking at several things, they replaced a wire going from the coil to my ignition switch. I don't know why this would have worked, but they rode it for 70 miles and the problem never came back...

I took her on an 1100 mile road trip with the headlight on and had no problems. Then all of a sudden, it started happening again last weekend. This time though, it took about 5 minutes before I heard a click, then all my power came back.

I am not an expert by any stretch, but here were my thoughts.

I first thought it could be a circuit breaker, but do they reset by themselves? Sorry if that is a dumb question but I am new to this stuff? My other thought was a bad voltage regulator?

The ignition switch is new, so I know it is not the problem. Any feedback would be much appreciated because chasing ghosts is not fun alone....

Thanks,
Jason

[shovelmike]

That's a great old bike you have there, I have a '73 FX. I suspect that you have a short/ground in the headlight circuit. These bikes have been up and down the road a while and I suspect there is a place or two where the insulation has worn through. Most of the time it doesn't touch the frame, but when it does it will trip the circuit breaker...and yes, after it cools down it will reset.
Visually check all along the harness for damage, especially the headlight circuit. Pull connectors apart and make sure that both male and female side are clean..shiny clean as possible. You can twist a piece of crocus cloth/ armature cloth into a small cone to polish with (this cloth can be bought at an auto parts store or hardware store). Do not use regular sandpaper because the sand will come off and imbed in the copper making things worse.
Tape any bare spots carefully or use heat shrink tubing where you can. Replace sections of wire that are really bad.
Let us know how it works out. Ride safe and God bless. Sincerely: Shovelmike.

[FingersMalloy]

Thank you very much. I will take a look at it this weekend, and I will let you know how it goes.

Thanks again!

[shovelmike]

Great..good luck. Keep us posted.

[Ray Heflin]

I just started restoration on a 72 Electraglide.
Shovelmike's advise is correct, these old machines have seen a thing or two.
You can get a complete wiring harness at jpcycles.com. If you want to keep it
original repair the existing harness. I suggest getting a Clymer repair manual for 1966-1984 shovelhead. It has the wiring diagrams for your 72 in it. You can also get HD service manuals through jpcycles.com. Call 800-397-4844 for a free catalog!
Good Luck!!

[Buzz Kanter]

A lot of old timers add a simple circuit breaker on top of the battery. And yes, they do reset themselves.

[MR.MF]

Buzz, wish i had thought about the circuit breaker or even a fuse, when i was 22or 23 i bought an old cb400 honda 4 cyl with a 4 into one open header this thing was a beast wires hanging out everywhere and no brakes, got it for 100 bucks it had to be rewired and i was in to big of a hurry to take the time to do anything right in life, i installed switches for the lights and the ignition, starter and then jumped it off to ride it home as i said i was young on the way home one of the wires i ran to the ignition must have grounded out it burnt through my shorts and through the seat before i could get it stopped, did i mention the thing had no brakes! to make a long story short i have a nice burn scar in my groin/ n---s sac and will always remember the day!

[unclepsycho]

Ouch ! We'll take your word for it,....
that hurts to even hear about it....

Am glad my old 72 honda 350 didnt have wiring problems like that... it would just cut out 1 cylinder once in a while....It was stolen on my 20'th B-day.... waaay back when.....

[Boneyard]

Jason,
Take a look on the underside of the battery box and you'll see a main power curcuit breaker that was standard on an Glide. I would start by replacing it as they do fail after a time from moisture and vibration. It could be 37 years old! Another week spot in the wiring is the junction block inside the headlight housing.
Good luck, Boneyard