xmmotorsports
Member
Mar 23, 2009
- #1
I am putting a new starter on my '02 Pitbull. Has anyone had any luck with the Ultima Thunderfire 2.4 kw starter?
My last starter crapped out on me. I have also read all the threads on how to fix the 'click click click' also, but nothing seemed to work (replaced battery, kept on tender & changed cables also). I do NOT have compression release.
Anyhow, just curious for some feedback. I bought the starter about a week ago & it's at the BD dealer now getting it installed.
Moespeeds
Well-Known Member
Mar 23, 2009
- #2
I put one in a Bourget and it's been great. I just put a BD re manufactured starter in an '05 Chopper and I'm not impressed, so I think you made the right choice. What's the dealer bangin' you to put that in? It's a pretty simple do it yourself job.
RCAdd1ct
JAFO
Mar 24, 2009
- #3
I put a spyke on my HD.
Call them up and talk to them. They said the battery and cables will make or break an install. I went to having trouble starting my 117" to no issues after the install/rewire.
xmmotorsports
Member
Mar 24, 2009
- #4
Just got a call from BD dealer & they said my 2.4 Thunderfire is too long to fit & I need to put a low-profile speedometer pickup in there so the new starter will clear. They said about $125 for parts & labor on this sensor.
Anyone have any knowledge of this issue, or am I getting hosed?
xmmotorsports
Member
Mar 24, 2009
- #5
Moespeeds said:
What's the dealer bangin' you to put that in? It's a pretty simple do it yourself job.
About 1.5-2 hours labor plus gasket & fluid. Approx $160-180 total. I have no idea on how to install it. I'm fairly mechanical, but chickened out at the last minute when it came to pulling the primary cover off. Better safe & out the $$ than sorry in this case.
stlmikie
I wish I had more money.
Mar 25, 2009
- #6
Bring it.
Did you take it to Gateway? They are pretty good about it. I live just a few miles from you. Bring that bitch over here and we con do it at my place.
The primary cover and all is so simple. Won't be an issue.
shovelcowboy
Well-Known Member
Calendar Participant
Mar 25, 2009
- #7
I have an Utima Thunderfire and no issues (works great)! I have used lots of Ultima parts and find them good quality.
Shovelcowboy
xmmotorsports
Member
Mar 25, 2009
- #8
Yes, Gateway has it right now. They know their BD's, that's for sure.
Here's the latest... my Thunderfire is longer than stock, so they had to add a low-pro speedo sensor & wire it in. After they put the new starter in, it didn't work. The clutch just kept grinding. They bench tested the new starter & determined it to be a bad starter.
They put my old starter back in.... AND IT WORKED! They had replaced a solenoid under my dash that was bad & it works fine.
So now I have to send this starter back to Midwest for a refund. I thought it would be a rarity for a new starter to be junk right out of the box. I am very pleased with the service from Gateway on this issue. They could've put a new starter in & charged me for it when all I needed was a $6 relay. They rock!
Last edited:
xmmotorsports
Member
Mar 25, 2009
- #9
stlmikie said:
Did you take it to Gateway? They are pretty good about it. I live just a few miles from you. Bring that bitch over here and we con do it at my place.
The primary cover and all is so simple. Won't be an issue.
PM sent. Thanx
C
chaingunner
Guest
Mar 25, 2009
- #10
stlmikie said:
Did you take it to Gateway? They are pretty good about it. I live just a few miles from you. Bring that bitch over here and we con do it at my place.
That's what makes this site so damn nice.
:2thumbs: stlmikie!
xmmotorsports
Member
Apr 2, 2009
- #11
UPDATE: My Ultima Thunderfire starter was too long to fit in my '02 Pitt. It was hitting my speedo sensor. BDM dealer had to replace my speedo sensor with a low-profile one. They put the starter in, & they said it was defective out of the box (it would not retract), so I returned it to Midwest.
They put my old starter back in, changed a starter relay under my dash, & it started right up.
Midwest got my returned starter back a few days ago & they said it worked fine when they bench tested it. Not sure what that is all about, but anyways...
FWIW- According to my BDM dealer, the Ultima Thunderfire will NOT fit my year Big Dog without changing the speedo sensor ($100 + labor)
Raywood
The Pirate
Staff member
Calendar Participant
Troop Supporter
Apr 2, 2009
- #12
xmmotorsports said:
UPDATE: My Ultima Thunderfire starter was too long to fit in my '02 Pitt. It was hitting my speedo sensor. BDM dealer had to replace my speedo sensor with a low-profile one. They put the starter in, & they said it was defective out of the box (it would not retract), so I returned it to Midwest.
They put my old starter back in, changed a starter relay under my dash, & it started right up.
Midwest got my returned starter back a few days ago & they said it worked fine when they bench tested it. Not sure what that is all about, but anyways...
FWIW- According to my BDM dealer, the Ultima Thunderfire will NOT fit my year Big Dog without changing the speedo sensor ($100 + labor)
Does your 02 have the 107" S&S motor in it or a different one?
I think BD back in that day and age used the Spyke starters but don't quote me on that.
Sounds like you are good to go now though. If you have starter problems again you might consider having it re-built. Several on here have and saved some money.
Nomad2day
Longhair Redneck Geek
Apr 3, 2009
- #13
Someone correct me here on our starters in the Big Dog bikes. On the 07 models anyway I am under the thought that we have a 2.4 kw unit in a 1.8 housing made by Spyke...
I have talked to them a couple of times on this and understand that our batteries are under rated for what we have...
Thanks,
Neil
stiffy
Member
Apr 16, 2011
- #14
I just put a 2.4kw Thunderfire in my '01 Mastiff last night. It's tight but it fits. They did use Spyke starters in the early models. Don't know if or when they changed. Mine was a 1.6 kw, I believe. I rebuilt it 3 times and decided it was time for a new one. What kills most of these starters is voltage loss through the battery cables and exciter wire. I put on new All Balls braided battery cables. There's also a kit I'm going to put on that eliminates the starter relay at the ECM and puts a lot more voltage to the exciter wire.
M
mcvojp01
New Member
May 26, 2011
- #15
Man i tried one of those 2.4kw and for some reason it had my jackshaft binding up and it would only spin in place instead of sliding out to engage the primary. Me and my mechanic tried everything for a week lol but it would not work on my 2003 Mastiff!!!!!!!!!
stiffy
Member
May 26, 2011
- #16
The reason the starter is binding is because there's a bolt on the back of the motor that's hitting the plate on the transmission, making the starter out of alignment. I used a dremel to make a little pocket for the bolt head to fit in and it bolted up nicely then. My speedo pickup was a little high too so I filed it down to the potting material. I've called Big Dog to get a low profile speedo pickup. The only other problem I had was that the starter has 1/4-20 thread on the end of the spindle and 10-24 thread further in. They provide two bolts but neither would work with my All Balls solid jack shaft. It has a 5/16 bolt necked down to 10-32 thread. So, I bought a grade 5 5/16 bolt, cut it the same length as the 1/4-20 bolt they supplied and turned it on the lathe and tapped 1/4-20 thread the same length as theirs. It was a pain in the A$$ but it works fine.
I hope this helps some of you.
C
carl57harley
New Member
May 27, 2011
- #17
I've had good luck with the Ultima starters. This one (2.4kw) is a super high-torque starter that should turn your motor easily. I'd think seriously about compression releases (electric ones are the bomb) though as those big heavy pistons will eventually wear out even this starter, not to mention mutliple batteries with a release.
stiffy
Member
May 27, 2011
- #18
I highly recommend a good 200A (minimum!) battery and the braided All Balls battery cables. Also, it's best to bypass the stock exciter wire setup on most Big Dogs and use a Bosch relay that will send a full 12 volts to the solenoid. That's the biggest cause of burning up starters is too little voltage and amperage getting to the thing. The Thunderfire kicked over my S&S 107 so easily and quickly it was almost scary.
J
jimmy 03
New Member
Jul 17, 2013
- #19
mcvojp01 said:
Man i tried one of those 2.4kw and for some reason it had my jackshaft binding up and it would only spin in place instead of sliding out to engage the primary. Me and my mechanic tried everything for a week lol but it would not work on my 2003 Mastiff!!!!!!!!!
I used a 2.4 in my 03 pitbull with a s&s 107 and baker 6 speed I had the same problem after taking it apart and putting it back together five times I noticed one of the bolts on the starter in the front that holds the armetair together was hitting a built up piece on the tranny case causing the starter to not mount flush even though it is so small of a gap I could not see it the shaft was not straight and that caused the binding so I ground down the tranny case where the bolt wash sitting and problem solved.. as for issues I have 0 ga battery cables I made myself crimping and soldering the rings and a 325 CCA agm battery, after a year of starting problems that made me crazy it now starts first crank every time for the last 4 months with no compression release. The wire plus retro fit wiring did wonders also
Moespeeds
Well-Known Member
Jul 17, 2013
- #20
Hey guys I posted on this back in 2009 but I must not have noticed the 2.4kw. They have a longer housing, stick with the 2.0 or 1.75 either can turn your motor over just fine. I also had an issue with a 2.4 breaking the flanges on the housing where it bolts to the motor. It happened twice and we decided it was just too damn long and heavy. Switched to the shorter 2.0.
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