98 883 hugger battery cover - 2003 Harley Davidson XLH Sportster 883 Hugger

Remove the negative battery terminal or the ground cable to case connection and then remove the primary cover and then remove the two starter mounting bolts and washers with a ball hex driver. THEN remove rear exhaust pipe, remove the positive battery lead and solenoid wire from the starter. Remove the starter and gasket from the right side of the motorcycle.

INSTALLATION procedures:

Install starter and starter gasket from the right side of the motorcycle, then attach the positive battery cable and solenoid wire to the solenoid and from the left side install the two starter mounting bolts and washers and tighten them to 13-20 ft-lbs which is 18-27 Nm. Then reinstall the primary cover, fill it to the proper level with primary chaincase/transmission fluid/oil and then reconnect the battery ground and re-install the rear exhaust pipe.

if your sitting on the bike they are under your left leg

Your problem is probably do to a blown ignition fuse. Remove the triangle cover on the left side of the bike just behind the battery. Grab the cover and pull straight out to remove it. No need to remove screws. Once the cover is off look at the bottom side for a big plug with a bunch of wires going into it. Unclip and slide out. The fuse with the two red and black wires and one gray wire is the ignition fuse. Check and replace this fuse if necessary.

The difference between the 883 and the hugger were very small. the hugger came stock with buck horn handlebars and a shorter suspension. the differences are still noticeable today between a standard 883 and and 883 low.
1992:

• Hugger model made even lower
• Standardized hand controls
• Production Information:
• XLH 883 $4,499
• XLH 883 'Hugger' $5,075
• XLH 883 'Sportster Deluxe' $5,559
• XLH 1,200 $6,400

also check your vin number if you have and 883 it should read 1hd4cam........ or for a hugger 1hd4cem....

Harley has been moving stuff around since 2000. They should be either under the seat or behind the triangular panel on the left side of the bike as far as I know.

Good Luck
Steve

I never pull the derby cover unless I have to fix something. I do exactly what you described and have for 20 years. Never had a problem.

Harley has made a few changes but basically the removal of the battery is pretty much the same as it has been for a long time.

Remove the seat first, one bolt at the rear, lift and pull to the rear. Next, there's a strap that holds the battery top cover on. Take the strap loose and remove the top and side covers. Now, on some later models, there is another strap that holds the battery in. Remove it as well. Disconnect the cables from the terminals. The negative should be disconnected first. Sometimes it's not the easiest to get to but with the proper tools it can be done. Remove the positive cable last when taking the battery out. When reinstalling the battery, always connect the postive first, negative last. Safety first. Good Luck.