You may have just bought your brand new Harley Sportster and down the road with less than 10 miles and get your first warning light. For those that are lucky, can drive for more than 5,000 miles and never get a warning light. The best thing to do is prepare for this and know what is wrong with your bike when you get a warning light.
The important thing is to know what these lights mean. What do you do with each one. Normally these warning lights follow a universal symbolic language to overcome communicating barriers all around the world.
In this article I will share helpful information regarding dash indicator warning lights, especially for Harley Davidson Softail, Sportster, Touring and Dyna Glide models.
The idea to share my experience here is to try and avoid that you freak out when you get a warning light on your beloved bikes. Most problems on Harley Davidson bikes are not difficult to diagnose but sometime it can be tricky to track down the issues.
Color Coding
Most commonly 3 main colors are used as the indicators.
- Green/Blue: This color indicates the normal activity of the system.
- Amber/Yellow: When you see this color it is a pre-warning indicator, it indicates that something is about to go wrong.
- Red: Stop your bike when you see this color. It indicate a fault somewhere in the system you should check immediately.
Warning Lights Meaning
1. Motorcycle Ignition Light
This lights turns on in red but then it turns off. If it turns on while you are riding then it indicates there is some problem with your engine. You can continue your drive but it is best for you to get your bike checked for any problems with your engine or a battery that needs replacement.
2. ABS Warning Signs
ABS stands for Anti-Lock Braking system. This system comes installed in all Harley Davidson models to prevent skidding when you brake and give a safer ride.
The indicator light turns on when you start your motorcycle and stays on until you are at 10-15 mph. When you reach this speed the ABS activates and the light should turn off. If the ABS light turns on while you are driving over 15 mph means there is a fault with the ABS system. You can continue your drive because it does not affect the braking, but you should check it out as soon as possible.
3. Motor Oil Pressure
This light should remain off while your motorcycle is on. If this light turns on in red it means the oil pressure falls or there is a leak.
You should take your bike to a mechanic as soon as possible. You should not drive long after this light turns on to avoid damaging your engine.
4. Engine Temperature Warning Light
This warning light turns on when there is engine overheating. This is serious because the engine is surrounded by electrical wiring and overheating can cause a spark.
Is this light turn on check for leaks in the cooling system. Fix the leak and refill it. You should allow the engine cool down before starting the engine again.
5. Check Engine Light
If the check engine warning light goes on it normally indicates something serious is happening to the engine. In some rare cases it nothing is happening so it is best to do a “code check” as soon as possible. With the code you can find out what is the problem and have it fixed.
6. Engine Management Warning Light
This is an amber color indicator that monitors the functioning of the engine from ignition to intake, fuel, and exhaust. If this light remains on, get your engine checked as soon as possible.
7. Motorcycle Neutral Sign
This green indicator light only informs the drive that the gear is in a normal position.
8. Directional Indicators
This lights go on when you turn on your directional indicators to inform other drivers what side you will turn. When both lights go on simultaneously you are informing other drivers of a hazard and to take precaution.
9. Low Battery Sign
This indicator is special to Harley Davidson to warn of problems with the battery. It usually turns on when the battery voltage is low for more than five minutes.
You should change the battery as soon as possible.
10. Red Key Light
This light is also special to Harley Davidson motorcycles and it indicates the battery is unplugged.
This normally happens because you forgot to plug it back after you are done installing something on your bike that required the battery to be unplugged.
11. Red Security Light on Speedometer
The red security light coming on means there is an issue somewhere. But, it might not necessarily mean a problem with your security system, especially if you don’t have one.
FAQ’s
What does the red light mean on my Harley Davidson?
It is an indicator of something faulty that you need to get checked as soon as posible.
How to reset the check engine light on a Harley Davidson manually?
First you turn the engine off, then disconnect the negative battery and wait for a few minutes. Finally reconnect them again and start the engine.
Why is my check engine light still on after I’ve fixed the problem?
Hard to believe but sometimes lights turn on because of a code that has to work itself out of the system, like after you go a certain number of miles, or after your engine has been started a certain number of times. Just wait a couple of days after you fix the problem to see if the check engine light turns off.
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