The weather around here has been so crummy, I haven't been able to ride Lilybeth for over 30 days. :cry1 I'm starting to get a bit concerned about starting her up after such a long time of inactivity. After all that time, all lubrication must have completely drained out of critical areas.

Anything I should do to make sure I don't cause any damage before I attempt a start?

you souldn't have anything to worry about ,but if your still unsure , pull the sparkplugs out and roll it over with the starter for a few seconds then put the plugs back in and go for it

I always store my bikes for the winter: from mid-November or early December to early April. About 4 or 5 months. I just start them up. No Problems. If a bike has sat for many months or for between a few and several years then the lube would be a problem. You'd want to make sure there were no stuck valves or whatever.

Dave- you shouldn't have any problems with starting after a month. I just rode mine the other day after it had sat for 3 or 4 weeks. She was a cold-blooded bitch and didn't want to start at first, but she came around to my way of thinkin' after 4 or 5 tries. Just make sure to check the oil & kick the tires before you give it a shot.

Dave,
If your Sporty is like mine, it will take about 4-5 tries below 50f to get it to fire (I don't use the enrichener). In which case it pumps enough oil to get it to lubing fairly quick once it fires up. Ride safe.

Just remember not to engage the starter more than 10 seconds at a time or you could burn it up.

Starting the bike after a months down time shouldn't be much different than starting the bike after a week of waiting between one Saturday and the next providing the battery has stayed up. When the temperature gets below 45 I use a pre-heater that blows 110 degree air over the engine for 30 minutes. Hell, the bike thinks it's summer by the time I fire it off. A month's nothing, go out there and fire the thing up.......

"Just remember not to engage the starter more than 10 seconds at a time or you could burn it up."

I'm trying to figure this one out as it doesn't compute... If the battery is up then the starter, an electric motor, should run and run and run providing the voltage remains constant. I can think of a few reasons a starter motor would burn up but none of them have to do with the actual starter motor itself. In my case it has never taken more than 10 seconds to fire off the engine but I wouldn't worry if it were more.


Hawk

I'm trying to figure this one out as it doesn't compute... If the battery is up then the starter, an electric motor, should run and run and run providing the voltage remains constant. I can think of a few reasons a starter motor would burn up but none of them have to do with the actual starter motor itself. In my case it has never taken more than 10 seconds to fire off the engine but I wouldn't worry if it were more.

Just passing along what is in the owners manual.

If I'm wrong someone correct me, but
The starter is not just a motor to run round and round as long as it wants. It's a high torque starting device for an engine. The correct amperage to operate it is ok for a short while (like Bert says), but for too long, will overheat the windings in it and "burn it up". Easy to take care of the starter, just give it a rest every time you try to crank it longer than 10 secs. (That's a long time at one-thousand-one...two...etc)

get this , my jeep repair manual says to let the starter cool for 30 min. after cranking it for 30 seconds

its not uncommon for that cranky old bastard to spin over for half a min. just to start it , so if it don't start I'm 'sposta wait 1/2 hour before trying again , (ya boss thats why I'm late for work , I had to wait 1/2 hour to restart my jeep)

I started mine up after it sat for 6 weeks. Took 3 tries, cranked about 3-4 seconds each try.
I had the enricher out full, I goosed the throttle a couple of times before trying.
The second try I goosed it again and she sputtered. On the third try, I let her crank and really goosed it, she fired up.
Ohhh that is such a wonderful sound :D

She goes into storage tomorrow, we're supposed to get to mid 50's. Only good thing about putting her away is that the garage she's going into is a 20 minute ride away. :tour

Hmm. That's gets me to thinkin' (a dangerous thing to do sometimes!).

How does one jump start a Sportster? Same procedure as jump starting a car?

Can I use an automotive (12 volt) charger for my Sportster battery? If I do, should I disconnect the negative side of the battery first? I do that on a car...

jump star just like a car

charge it with the lowest amp setting you have (2 amp or lower) no need to disconnect the battery

Just remember not to engage the starter more than 10 seconds at a time or you could burn it up.

Dang Billy!! that's what she told me too :cry1 My ole' ironhead can be a cold bitch as well..so a shot of starter fluid in the air cleaner is a lot better than cranking on the starter...works every time too....freakin' stuff smells good too :yikes

"The starter is not just a motor to run round and round as long as it wants."

Electric motors, which are generally used for operating something else, will operate at specific temperture ranges, which is typically determined by the load created by the device the motor is driving. Sure, they will get hot, however, the time rating is often well below what the motor will actually take. A prime example is, "my jeep repair manual says to let the starter cool for 30 min. after cranking it for 30 seconds." Manufacturers always use a failsafe to prevent damage to the vehicles systems and components. This doesn't necessarily mean that the system or component won't operate, as advertised, for extended periods. Therefore, in the case of our Harleys, which can and do often take more than ten seconds to fire in certain conditions, I wouldn't worry about it; simply use good sound judgement and let it rock......

Hawk

I know of a guy that runs starter motors in his barstool racer for power and he hasnt burnt one out yet