A wee pool....

Gazz · Jul 3, 2021

Anyone have an idea where this might be coming from? Air box is dry and can't see any drips.... Starter gasket?

Voodooo · Jul 3, 2021

Gazz said:
Anyone have an idea where this might be coming from? Air box is dry and can't see any drips.... Starter gasket?

Starter gasket

City Garage · Jul 3, 2021

What he said^^^^^

speirmoor · Jul 4, 2021

Inline filter screen? If that doesn't seal right, oil will migrate down there. Happened to me

Lincolnshire Poacher · Jul 4, 2021

Gazz said:
Anyone have an idea where this might be coming from? Air box is dry and can't see any drips.... Starter gasket?

I had similar on my 2013 Sport after a few weeks after delivery. It was a faulty seal or bearing I believe from within the starter motor…..apparently some early starter motors were ‘not up to spec’.
I stand by to be corrected!

City Garage · Jul 4, 2021

Install Harley sealed starter and poof problem solved.

comet · Jul 5, 2021

Lincolnshire Poacher said:
I had similar on my 2013 Sport after a few weeks after delivery. It was a faulty seal or bearing I believe from within the starter motor…..apparently some early starter motors were ‘not up to spec’.
I stand by to be corrected!

Same with my 2013.

ntst8 · Jul 5, 2021

City Garage said:
Install Harley sealed starter and poof problem solved.

Are Harley replacements available in the US? I went to my local HD dealer here in NZ and was told that the part number was obsolete but that they could supply a genuine 3rd party aftermarket item.

TonyA · Jul 5, 2021

Yes available everywhere on line etc . Any one of these Harley Sportster have the starter you need . Don't focus on one part number go instead for a year and model Harley Sportster . Buy OEM HD if you can . Clive bought a "DB Electrical" brand starter and their website claim new manufacture and a warranty.

HARLEY-DAVIDSON	Motorcycles	XL 1200V Sportster Seventy-Two	2016	1200cc
HARLEY-DAVIDSON	Motorcycles	XL 1200X Sportster Forty-Eight	2010	1200cc
HARLEY-DAVIDSON	Motorcycles	XL 1200X Sportster Forty-Eight	2011	1200cc
HARLEY-DAVIDSON	Motorcycles	XL 1200X Sportster Forty-Eight	2012	1200cc
HARLEY-DAVIDSON	Motorcycles	XL 1200X Sportster Forty-Eight	2013	1200cc
HARLEY-DAVIDSON	Motorcycles	XL 1200X Sportster Forty-Eight	2014	1200cc
HARLEY-DAVIDSON	Motorcycles	XL 1200X Sportster Forty-Eight	2015	1200cc
HARLEY-DAVIDSON	Motorcycles	XL 1200X Sportster Forty-Eight	2016	1200cc
HARLEY-DAVIDSON	Motorcycles	XL 1200X Sportster Forty-Eight	2017	1200cc
HARLEY-DAVIDSON	Motorcycles	XL 1200X Sportster Forty-Eight	2018	1200cc
HARLEY-DAVIDSON	Motorcycles	XL 1200X Sportster Forty-Eight	2019	1200cc
HARLEY-DAVIDSON	Motorcycles	XL 1200X Sportster Forty-Eight Anniv.	2018	1200cc
HARLEY-DAVIDSON	Motorcycles	XL 1200XS Sportster Forty-Eight Special	2018	1200cc
HARLEY-DAVIDSON	Motorcycles	XL 1200XS Sportster Forty-Eight Special	2019	1200cc
HARLEY-DAVIDSON	Motorcycles	XL 50 Sportster 50th Anniv.

City Garage · Jul 5, 2021

31390-86, The curretnt HD part number 31390-91F

Gazz · Jul 5, 2021

Voodooo said:
Starter gasket

Thanks

Gazz · Jul 5, 2021

Thanks for the replies guys... mines quite a late model Nov '17... Buying a whole new starter seems a bit extream to cure a leak from a gasket. What is the problem with the starter and or gasket?

ntst8 · Jul 5, 2021

In my case the starter ring gear has been ruined by the starter motor not engaging properly and graunching its way into the ring gear. I am replacing both the ring gear and the starter to be on the safe side.

ntst8 · Jul 5, 2021

TonyA said:
Yes available everywhere on line etc . Any one of these Harley Sportster have the starter you need . Don't focus on one part number go instead for a year and model Harley Sportster . Buy OEM HD if you can . Clive bought a "DB Electrical" brand starter and their website claim new manufacture and a warranty.

HARLEY-DAVIDSON Motorcycles XL 1200V Sportster Seventy-Two 2016 1200cc
HARLEY-DAVIDSON Motorcycles XL 1200X Sportster Forty-Eight 2010 1200cc
HARLEY-DAVIDSON Motorcycles XL 1200X Sportster Forty-Eight 2011 1200cc
HARLEY-DAVIDSON Motorcycles XL 1200X Sportster Forty-Eight 2012 1200cc
HARLEY-DAVIDSON Motorcycles XL 1200X Sportster Forty-Eight 2013 1200cc
HARLEY-DAVIDSON Motorcycles XL 1200X Sportster Forty-Eight 2014 1200cc
HARLEY-DAVIDSON Motorcycles XL 1200X Sportster Forty-Eight 2015 1200cc
HARLEY-DAVIDSON Motorcycles XL 1200X Sportster Forty-Eight 2016 1200cc
HARLEY-DAVIDSON Motorcycles XL 1200X Sportster Forty-Eight 2017 1200cc
HARLEY-DAVIDSON Motorcycles XL 1200X Sportster Forty-Eight 2018 1200cc
HARLEY-DAVIDSON Motorcycles XL 1200X Sportster Forty-Eight 2019 1200cc
HARLEY-DAVIDSON Motorcycles XL 1200X Sportster Forty-Eight Anniv. 2018 1200cc
HARLEY-DAVIDSON Motorcycles XL 1200XS Sportster Forty-Eight Special 2018 1200cc
HARLEY-DAVIDSON Motorcycles XL 1200XS Sportster Forty-Eight Special 2019 1200cc
HARLEY-DAVIDSON Motorcycles XL 50 Sportster 50th Anniv.

Great info thanks, i had given the "up to 2012" description to the dealer but hadn't realised the more recent ones worked too.
You would hope that the HD parts guys would know of the interchangability with later years, i'll have another go.

Voodooo · Jul 5, 2021

Gazz said:
Thanks for the replies guys... mines quite a late model Nov '17... Buying a whole new starter seems a bit extream to cure a leak from a gasket. What is the problem with the starter and or gasket?

My 16 commando has been leak and trouble free.

my 17 domi naked is another story. Has had a starter gasket leak since day one. And the cam cover gasket had a tear in it. Shitty assembly work.

TonyA · Jul 6, 2021

Gazz said:
Thanks for the replies guys... mines quite a late model Nov '17... Buying a whole new starter seems a bit extream to cure a leak from a gasket. What is the problem with the starter and or gasket?

Hi Gazz , Just trying to explain something here. Sometimes the starter is leaking from inside out and not through the mounting gasket. You may have a mounting gasket leak OR it may actually be leaking through the starter housing seams. When the primary is spinning up all that oil onto the starter gear , oil gets into the housing where the starter gear comes out of and finds its way out through the starter especially if you don't have a transmission/primary vent . So try the gasket first and see ?
There are 4 places that I know of capable of leaking oil in the starter and only 1 of them is the mounting gasket .
1. Mounting Gasket
2. Sealed bearing behind starter gear (this must be a sealed bearing)
3. Shaft o-ring seal that starter gear rides on/from (this shaft must have this o-ring type seal)
4. The starter housing that contains these parts must be sealed with silicone RTV before final assembly. (Says so in H-D service manual)

Gazz · Jul 9, 2021

ntst8 said:
In my case the starter ring gear has been ruined by the starter motor not engaging properly and graunching its way into the ring gear. I am replacing both the ring gear and the starter to be on the safe side.

Yikes, that's a very unpleasant and costly experience!

Gazz · Jul 9, 2021

TonyA said:
Hi Gazz , Just trying to explain something here. Sometimes the starter is leaking from inside out and not through the mounting gasket. You may have a mounting gasket leak OR it may actually be leaking through the starter housing seams. When the primary is spinning up all that oil onto the starter gear , oil gets into the housing where the starter gear comes out of and finds its way out through the starter especially if you don't have a transmission/primary vent . So try the gasket first and see ?
There are 4 places that I know of capable of leaking oil in the starter and only 1 of them is the mounting gasket .
1. Mounting Gasket
2. Sealed bearing behind starter gear (this must be a sealed bearing)
3. Shaft o-ring seal that starter gear rides on/from (this shaft must have this o-ring type seal)
4. The starter housing that contains these parts must be sealed with silicone RTV before final assembly. (Says so in H-D service manual)

Hi Tony,

As usual a great explanation, thank you for making that clear. As my bike is later I am keeping my fingers crossed its just the gasket. There is only one way to find out )).

As the primary cover has to be removed I may require a primary gasket too... As the factory spares ate still closed I think the fix will have to wait for a while.. Thanks again...

Panetone · Jul 10, 2021

Gazz said:
Hi Tony,

As usual a great explanation, thank you for making that clear. As my bike is later I am keeping my fingers crossed its just the gasket. There is only one way to find out )).

As the primary cover has to be removed I may require a primary gasket too... As the factory spares ate still closed I think the fix will have to wait for a while.. Thanks again...

Waiting for gaskets?
Call Thiel Motorsport, Ollie has the biggest stock of parts in Europe.

Britfan60 · Jul 11, 2021

Not the starter gasket but an O ring inside the started which was faulty since day one. Took forever for that info, so after cracking open the cases and resealing, installing a new starter gasket......changed the started and the problem ceased. This is when Norton factory was in denial and US dealerships didn't have a clue. Thanks to Matt Capri of South Bay Norton, no defunct, for sharing the info on faulty starters and telling me it was probably the most misdiagnosed problem on the bike.