Electrical problems 2004 big dog

Energy One
Hello, i am a new member. I did the introduction thing but not sure it ended up in the right place. My name is dave, i bought a 2004 big dog a couple of months ago and have been trying to get in as many miles as possible before it turns cold. All was well except the speedo was not working. I tried to reset it but each time it displayed error. I figured who needs a speedo anyway. When i got the bike the front brakes also did not work, i rebuilt the front master cylinder btw a 5/8" jay brake kit will work perfectly plus easy to find and cheaper than the big dog kit. After i fixed that i decided to go for a ride, i get only an 1/8 mile or so and the bike starts to miss and backfire so i turn around and try to get back home. It dies and i coast to a stop on the side of the road and notice smoke. I notice the speed sensor wire on the trans is on fire so i turn off the key and it goes out. At this point the bike will not start. I bought a new sensor for a bigdog and put it in, all wires look fine on the old one except near the sensor itself. After installing the new one i noticed the positive battery cable was loose so i tightened it. I have no headlight, turn signal lights come on but do not blink, bike will not turn over, i looked at the ehc no obvious problems, doesnt smell burnt, does have one yellow light lit up when the key is on. I have worked on many bikes but big dog electricals are really a pain. Sorry for such a long post but i figure it helps to be very detailed. Thanks in advance for any help getting my dog going again
 

drbalazo

Member
Sorry for what you are going though. I went throug a hard time as well with mine and it turned out to be the EHC. I installed a wire plus and everything has been running prefect. All I can tell you is that the yellow light is a good thing. Someone here will soon help you out.
 
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thanks, I have been looking around on here for a little while as a guest and it looks like alot of nice people who know their big dogs. Im already glad I joined and Im just getting started. I am lost on the big dog electricals. I owned a bike shop for many years and built many custom motorcycles but with wiring I always kept it very simple and very basic, not alot of extra stuff to go wrong which probably explains why I never broke down on mine. I closed that shop a few years ago and have had a few harleys but I liked the detail and good looks of the big dog. with any luck I can get it back on the road without having to rod a bank to pay for it. seems electrical issues have been a serious weak point on many big dogs.
 
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