Eagle Nation Cycles, Inc 

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Tip#1

Oil pukes all over on the ground after starting your Harley. Don’t panic. If the bike has been sitting awhile this is perfectly normal. Might not be right but it’s the way it is. Most Harleys are gravity fed which means the oil tank is above the oil pump. When the bike sits, a check valve which is a ball bearing sitting in a seat, is supposed to stop the downward flow of oil through the pump into the bottom end. This is not a very efficient system at the best of times but if a piece of dirt or grit lodges between the ball and it’s seat then the dribble has begun. The bottom of the engine cases only have about 6 ounces of oil while operating. The extra quart or two of misplaced oil must go somewhere when the churning engine fires up. Out the vent it goes disgorging itself. Earlier models puke on the ground while later ones disgorge from the carb air breather all over the right side of the engine. Clean the mess. Refill the oil tank. Refire the beast and have a nice day. Once the oil pump is working any excess oil is returned to the tank.

Tip#2

What is any ignition system supposed to do---whether it be the early mechanical points/condenser system, (Big Twin up to 1978 and Sportsters 1970 to 1978), early electronic with centrifugal mechanical advance weights, (all models 1978 and a half to 1979), or the late electronic with transistorized ignition control module, more familiarly known as the black box or the brain, (all models 1980 to present). I almost forgot the magneto ignition system used on 1958 to 1969 Sportsters.

Tip#3 

Octane. Most people think that the air/gas explodes as opposed to burning in a controlled manner. This would destroy the engine in short order. When internal combustion engines were first invented the gas did explode and this was a big problem to overcome since it reduced engine life to virtually zilch.

Tip#4 

Installing a solid pushrod/lifter kit in your Shovelhead? The longest pushrod goes in the front exhaust which is at the front of the motor. The second longest, if there is one, goes to the rear exhaust which is the one closest to the rear of the engine. The two left will be of equal length and go in the intakes which, of course, are the two middle ones. Pushrods are always set when the engine is cold. Turn the engine over, with spark plugs removed to make it easier, to find when each individual lifter is at it’s lowest point. This is where you adjust each lifter so that you can barely turn the pushrod with your bare fingers…no rag allowed to assist the turning grip. Repeat for each one. The engine can be rotated via a kick start. No kick start? Put the bike on a block with the rear wheel in the air. Put the trannie in 3^rd or 4^thand rotate the rear wheel to find the lifter’s lowest position. Feel nervous about trying this for the first time? Get a friend who is proficient to teach you and check your work.

Tip#5 

Your Harley won’t turn over? Upon pushing the electric start button there is no response at all or a series of rapid fire clicks coming from the battery? Don’t jump to conclusions. Try the easiest and cheapest fixes first and gradually go up the scale to the expensive and complicated.

Tip#6 

Manifold air leaks act like a blowtorch steadily and insidiously burning away material from the valves and the piston tops. This is particularly true of Ironheads and Shovels. It is still very dangerous for Evos although they suffer less from this than earlier models. The cool air is transformed into a burning, searing heat that left unfixed will burn a hole right through a valve and/or the piston wreaking havoc within the engine. Backfiring through the carb is a telltale symptom. Checking spark plugs will tell the story. White blistery electrodes tell the rider to immediately look for the dreaded leak.

Tip#7 

A faint click is followed by part or all of your electrical conking out? Most Harleys from 1965 on have circuit breakers installed to protect the electrical system. A circuit breaker is a reusable fuse that will cut off the source of the juice if the wires get "hot". Earlier Hogs used a fuse that would have to be replaced if blown. The late Sixties and early Seventies bikes used only 1 circuit breaker attached to and interrupting the main positive feed from the positive terminal on the battery. On these models the whole system shuts down if there is a short in the wiring. Later models utilized 3 breakers, then 4 and even more with the FLT series that use radios and other accessories. These multi circuit breakers protect individual segments of your system such as the lighting, ignition and accessories. A 30 amp breaker protects the whole system while 15 amps do the rest.

Tip# 8 

Slip Grips. In the old days before technology rescued Harley from the inferior tires of the Sixties and the Seventies we used to slip & slide around. It didn’t bother us because it is all that we knew. Our bikes were limited by what the tires would permit which wasn’t much. Goodyear tires of the era were very hard which made handling suffer especially in the wet across train tracks or even across the white highway median lines. Crossing an iron grate bridge in the wet was a terrifying experience but the tires lasted forever. It was not unusual for one of these to last 40 or 50,000 miles. Harley riders of the day nicknamed them "slipgrips" where I came from and I’ve heard them referred to as "deathgrips" in other parts of the country In fairness, it should be noted that these tires were designed for a different type of roadway than we have today. Modern tires are nothing like these but the Harley people still complain. This time it is about tire longevity which can be as little as 8000 miles on the rear and even less if you "hotdog" around. This is due to softer rubber compounds that are eminently safer as they stick to the road surface making your Harley go where you want it to.

Tip#9 

Use your senses for diagnosing a problem. Too often, the rider doesn't observe, feel, hear or smell all of the symptoms to feed to the wrench for a direct quick diagnosis. In mechanics, there is always a cause for an effect and vice versa and it applies to just about all troubleshooting. You can see exhaust smoke, you can feel a coil that is shorting out and subsequently heating up or an exhaust pipe that is cold indicating a cylinder is not firing. You can smell an electrical short or a burned-out clutch. And you can hear a series of clicks when attempting to start your bike if it has a weak battery - a single click from a problem starter relay, two clicks from a circuit breaker or a high-pitched whine from a gone south Bendix (starter clutch) drive.

Tip# 10 

Your Hog is hard starting and runs rough and you have a points ignition system. Always, always, always check point gap and contact point condition first. Ninety per cent of the time this will be the problem. Oil or water will contaminate the point faces and cause them to corrode. They cannot pass the juice through efficiently when this occurs. Also the points might not be adjusted to the correct gap since the fiber that follows the cam lobe wears down which causes the point gap to decrease. Backfiring through the carb is a symptom of this.

Tip#11 

Worn Tires. When is it time to replace a worn tire? One easy way is if a tire gauge is available. This is an inexpensive tool that measures the thickness of the thread left on a tire. A depth of a sixteenth of an inch, (1/16"), means it is past due to replace the rubber although tire manufacturers put tire bars into the tires to let the consumer know when 1/32 of an inch is reached. These tire bars are at right angles to the treads and are not readily noticeable when the tire is new. As wear continues the tire bars will eventually be the same height as the treads. Technically this is the time to replace the tire but as far as I’m concerned on my own ride it is long past due. These tires will not be able to hold the road as well as a new one especially in the rain on a corner.

Tip#12 

Bottom end knock! Over the years, We can’t think of a noise that’s raised more blood pressure than the dreaded bottom end knock, but the long and short of it is that in most cases, the culprit is something else entirely.

Tip#13 

Jewelry. More specifically, rings, should not be worn while working on your scoot. It is normal practice to disconnect the battery before repairs but even if this is done a ring can short to ground causing all kinds of horror. Don’t learn the hard way. That piece of metal on your finger is a great conduit for electricity right through you.

Tip# 14 

Maladjusted primary chains. Too tight a chain will cause a whine and might cause the clutch to drag. This condition lessens the life of all components parts, including bearings. A loose or stretched chain can be whipsawing on and off the front sprocket, which also would make lots of noise and a jerking sensation, especially in high gear. This may simply be a loose chain but more likely it would be an unevenly worn one with tight and loose spots and/or worn out hooked sprocket.

Tip#15 

Problem? Look at the last thing you’ve done to your bike. Our advice is to thoroughly check every part of the bike that has been worked on by you or others since the problem arose. Sometimes you can replace a battery and accidentally pinch a wire hidden between it and the battery tray. Or how about two wires or cables situated a little too closely to each other after replacing say, a solenoid, dash cover or a coil cover. The list of possibilities goes on. We are confident you will find it if you follow through systematically.

2002 Eagle Nation Cycles, Inc.

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