Major running problems

Deanokidd

Deanokidd

Club Member
Evening all!

Took my 1983 Electra glide for a mot today, I’m new to Harley’s and I have only just got this bike it is very much a running project.

Although it is a 1983 it is fitted with a 80ci Evolution engine from a 1987 FXST Softail Custom. Fitted with a S&S short carb and VH long shot pipes.

So I set off today and rode 2 minutes to the garage and filled up on super duper unleaded the tank was empty. I rode for maybe another 10 minutes on route to the test centre, all of a sudden there was a huge back fire through the exhaust it started popping and banging through the exhaust and lost all power it became unrideable.

I recovered it home, it won’t idle but it didn’t like idling before either.

Apart from checking for air leaks I haven’t started any form of diagnostics yet but thought I would start the post.

Thanks I’m advance for any help.
 
Stripped the carb today to check it out all looked good all the jets where clear. Then found this, hopefully it’s the problem
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Get yourself a new set of Leads. Relatively cheap and with new Plugs your Ignition will be top class.
look for Magnecor leads, click HERE for their Catalogue and prices. Ready made up for your bike.
There are of course other makes that are equally as good.
 
If that bike has the original and troublesome Evo compliance rubber mounts, throw them out and get a one-piece solid manifold such as a Ram-Jett or an S&S one. They really are set and forget, as is that S&S carb if correctly adjusted.

Bike would not idle before? Research that you have correct jets. S&S recommends .0295 intermediate jet and .072 main for your engine.

And then.....this is the definitive guide to setting up that S&S carb correctly. It was written by the people who make the carbs. This guide is far more useful than the endless pages of tuning tips for the carb on the S&S website because the sheer number of pages there just overwhelm you.

https://www.bikernet.com/pages/SS_Shorty_Carburetor_Adjustments.aspx

I used these instructions myself on a very worn and misadjusted Super E (the first I had encountered) and I never had to touch it again. The absolute key is point #1. Get bike engine to OPERATING TEMPERATURE. These adjustment tips will not work if you have let the bike idle for 10min in your garage, you must go for a 30-mile ride then when back home start making the adjustments. DO have a poke around with small screwdrivers and a gloved hand before you set off so you have the right tools to make adjustments when the bike is hot. Don't be afraid to bend an old blade screwdriver - I did!

I had a worn-out carb with all sorts of issues, really, it was fucked, but I followed the S&S guide and I never had any more problems whatsoever.

Another good tip is an extra earth wire from the regulator. The reg is just about the most failure-prone part on a Harley, and it can take the battery out too. Regulators are earthed by their mounting bolts ... do make sure the mounting bolts or screws have those spiked washers underneath them and that the spikes dig into bare metal, not paint or powdercoat. Add a short ground wire with a ring connector at each end to one of the mounting bolts/screws and the other end to another nearby bolt such as floorboard mount. Since learning this trick 12-15yrs ago I have actually never had a regulator fail on an Evo or Shovel.

Good luck. You always have to iron out previous owners' idiocy, like not replacing badly crimped/shitty/worn HT leads. It might be wise to iopen the nosecone cover and see what sort of ignition module is in there (if there is not some sort of stock one on a frame downtube)

The things you do now will result in endless happy miles.
 
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