The
Bike Shop's Advice On Getting It Right.s
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| Tech # 1 10/10/2001 11:55:49 PM |
| The good thing about vacuum petcocks is you can leave the petcock in the on position, and not have to worry about loading your cylinders or your garage floor with gasoline if your float needle hangs up in your carb. The bad things are as follows: Petcock failure from an inverted diaphragm, which could be caused by running the motor with the petcock in the off position. Petcock failure due to a vacuum leak. And of course fuel flow, at high rpm, around 5,000 rpm we have found the vacuum petcock does not pull enough vacuum to supply the fuel the motor needs to operate. Recently we had a 1200 Sportster that would not pull past 4700 rpm, we changed to a non vacuum operated petcock while still using the same 5/16 fuel line, and were able to pull straight to red line, if we wanted to.UPDATE: Pingel now offers a high flow vacuum operated petcock. |
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| Tech # 2 10/11/2001 10:10:19 AM |
| Recently we built a 103" S&S kit motor and installed it in a 96 Softail. We found that the new starter gear i.e. 94 and later, which is a finer tooth gear matched to a finer tooth ring gear, would not hold up to repeated starting of this higher compression 10:1, longer stroke motor. After some machining, and changing the starter and ring gears to PRE 94, this problem is totally eliminated.UPDATE:Riviera enginering and B.D.L.both have kits to update your late model starter pinion and ring gear to the earlier heavy tooth combo. |
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| Tech # 3 10/11/2001 10:14:27 AM |
| One of the most simple things that most riders overlook is tire air pressure. Incorrect air pressure will compromise handling, cornering and braking. It will also lead to premature tire wear. Because of great temperature differences that occur just from riding your bike, not to mention atmospheric changes, the air pressure in your tires will vary. Remember to always check tire air pressure when the tires are cool i.e. not hot from riding. And always follow your manufacturers recommended air pressure specs. |
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| Tech # 4 10/11/2001 10:16:10 AM |
| One of the most common questions that our customers ask us is why do I have leaking cylinder base gaskets on my blockhead (EVO) motor. We have found that the factory head bolt torque specification is not sufficient until the motor is fully warmed up. Blockhead motors grow approximately .060 of an inch, this is due to the expansion of the aluminum components. This growth in turn tightens the area between the gaskets and cylinders creating the proper fit. So until your motor reaches operating temperature, DO NOT BRING THE REVS UP OVER 2,000 RPM'S or there is a good chance you will wind up with leaking base gaskets. A good rule of thumb is when the top of your heads are warm to touch you are good to go. |
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| Tech # 5 10/11/2001 9:00:10 PM |
| To avoid condensation build-up in your engine oil, always bring your motor to full operating temperature whenever you start it. Until the temperature reaches 180 degrees you are building condensation, at 180 degrees you are burning off any condensation. |
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| Tech # 6 10/11/2001 9:11:31 PM |
| To make sure that you get the most out of your new battery, fill your battery w/the supplied acid & let it sit for 1/2 hour. Then charge it at less then 2 amps for 8 hours. When installing your new battery use external tooth lock washers on the battery post hardware so they will stay tight. It is very important to check the water level in your non sealed battery once a month at a minimum. |
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| Tech # 7 10/11/2001 8:41:35 PM |
| Tire size, how to compute it; Example 130/90 130 mm is width - 90 = 90% of 130 mm is height we start by converting 130mm to inches, which is 5.118", multiply this number by .90, = 4.606", this number is the height |
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| Tech # 8 10/15/2001 1:31:11 PM |
| Now that winter is coming there are a couple of things that come to mind concerning your motorcycle. First off you want your bike to start, small motorcycle batteries don’t like the cold weather. They will normally start to lose voltage at the rate of about one volt per month. One volt doesn’t sound like a lot, but it will keep your bike from starting in under 50-degree weather. So you should charge your battery every three weeks w/a 2 amp or less battery charge or to make things simpler, plug in an automatic battery charger. The second thing I would like to talk about is condensation. This is the water vapor that builds up from temp. changes inside your motor. I.E. going from cold to hot water vapor and petroleum base oils = metal corroding acid. When you start your bike in colder weather, take it for a ride and get it good and warmed up to a minimum of 180-degree oil temp. At 180 degrees water vapor will burn off and acid will not build up in your oil to attack your bearings. |
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| Tech # 9 10/15/2001 2:42:37 PM |
| The first thing to remember is that the lube belongs between the roller and pin, not on the outside of the chain. The best time to lube the chain is when you get back from a ride and the chain is still warm. Raise the rear of your bike and wipe any dirt or sand off the chain. Apply lube (the correct chain lube for your type of chain)where the chain comes off the sprocket on the bottom as you rotate the wheel. The reason for this is that is where the chain rollers are being held in an open position as they come off the sprocket,and we want the lube to get into the rollers of the chain. After you have liberally sprayed lube on the chain, wipe off the outside of the chain and any overspray. The best types of chain lube have paraffin or wax in them so that they go on like water but set up into a waxy grease in a couple of minutes. Any chain lube left on the outside of the chain will only attract dirt and accelerate chain and sprocket wear. |
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| Tech # 10 1/21/2002 10:40:59 AM |
| For those that wish to determine their final drive gear ratio the formula is as follows:Engine revolutions per one revolution of rear wheel=[Clutch sprocket teeth]x[Rear wheel sprocket teeth]divided by [Motor sprocket teeth]x[Transmission sprocket teeth]. |
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| Tech # 11 1/21/2002 11:00:31 AM |
| FL/FX 80-84 ENGINE 24 CLUTCH 37 RRWHL 70 BELT 126 / FXR 85-93 ENGINE 24 CLUTCH 36 TRANS 32 RRWHL 70 BELT 136 / FXR 94 ENGINE 25 CLUTCH 36 TRANS 32 RRWHL 70 BELT 136 / FLT 85-93 ENGINE 24 CLUTCH 37 TRANS 32 RRWHL 70 BELT 136 / FLT 94-96 ENGINE 25 CLUTCH 36 TRANS 32 RRWHL 70 BELT 136 / FLT 97-99 ENGINE 25 CLUTCH 36 TRANS 32 RRWHL 70 BELT 139 / FXD 91-93 ENGINE 24 CLUTCH 37 TRANS 32 RRWHL 70 BELT 133 / FXD 94-99 ENGINE 25 CLUTCH 36 TRANS 32 RRWHL 70 BELT 132 / FXST 86-92 ENGINE 24 CLUTCH 37 TRANS 32 RRWHL 70 BELT 132 / FXST 93 ENGINE 24 CLUTCH 37 TRANS 32 RRWHL 61 BELT 128 / FXST 94 ENGINE 25 CLUTCH 36 TRANS 32 RRWHL 70 BELT 128 / FXST 95-99 ENGINE 25 CLUTCH 36 TRANS 32 RRWHL 65 BELT 130 / |
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