The most effective way to handle this problem was to install compression relief valves in the heads. This would allow the starter to cycle the engine without it taking a beating from the high compression. Once the engine fires these relief valves will automatically close.

You can also buy high torque starters and ring gears with different gear ratios but compression relief valves have been the most consistent fix for me.

Just about every clutch issue I have found had been super evident. Usually you will find that the metal discs have been severely burned, turning brown, yellow and purple colors throughout the discs.

Most friction plates will have peaks and valleys like tread on a tire. If they are worn out to the point where the “tread” is missing or burned up it is time to replace them.

Early evolution models have a “spring plate” which would be in the center of the clutch pack and have two metal discs riveted together holding sprung pieces of metal in them. The brass rivets were notorious for wearing out, coming apart and blowing out the clutch. Newer versions won’t include this spring plate.

You can also check the metal discs for warpage on a flat plate but if you are encountering driveabiltiy problems the issue will be pretty evident like I mentioned before.

There are a number of adjustments on your bike that can cause handling issues. One of the most common are loose spoke wheels. If you are a hot rodder, it isn’t uncommon to tear apart your back spoke wheel from heavy acceleration which can cause a scary wobble at high speed.

Other common problems that will cause a high speed wobble or handling issues are……..

an incorrect neck bearing adjustment, improper tire pressures, torn rubber engine mounts, a misalligned rear axle or damaged wheel bearings.

While oil coolers help  they usually are not an overheating fix all.  Oil cooler are no different than a car’s radiator in that they take the fluid, run it through a series of fins or a surface area that is exposed to the air to shed heat and send it back into the oiling system. They will get rid of some heat and add a little more oil capacity but here’s the problem.

Harleys are standardly air and oil cooled. When it is 1000 degrees out and you are stuck in stop and go traffic your bike’s engine is cooking with no flowing air to shed it’s heat. An oil cooler also needs flowing air to shed heat so it is just about 0 help in this type of situation.

Unlike most cars, Harley engines use a series of ball bearings, bushings and needle bearings.  Some automotive synthetic oils are actually too slippery  where they will cause these bearings to skate on the surface that they are suppose to be rolling across and create flat spots in the bearing. This can cause severe engine damage. Be sure to use a synthetic  oil from a reputable maker that is made for V-twin engines.

When I was in school there was a 6 week course that specifically dealt with motorcycle electrical systems. I found by week 4 a light bulb magically went off in most of the student’s heads and it began to make sence so don’t feel bad if it doesn’t automatically come to you.

Luckily for Harley owners, the electrical systems aren’t too difficult. One of keys to looking at a wiring diagram in a manual is to break it down circuit by circuit. Looking at the entire diagram looks way too complicated and will typically only cause confusion. I go into some good basic electrical theory in our B.Y.O.B. DVD.

If you are currently trying to diagnose an electrical issue, remember to break it down by circuit, work your way from the problem item  back through the system, and isolate.

Hi Michael,

I’m in the process of servicing the rear wheel bearing on my 96 FLSTN, when I pulled the bearings out I found the spacer washer is on the pulley side and not on the disc side. Does it matter which side this is located as the manual states it should be on the disc side.

Appreciate any help,

Answer:

Garry

Hi Garry,

That’s a great question. It does not matter which side you place the set of spacers on as long as they are configured correctly. You will have your long wheel spacer followed by your shims and then the thick shim with the step down at the bearing. This last shim’s stepped down section is made this way to contact the bearing inner race only leaving the outer cage free from binding.

Hope this helps,

Michael Durham

If you are putting together a big ass motor or if you generally ride “fast”, don’t run spoke wheels.  I will get customers that come to me with handling problems and come to find out all the spokes on their back wheel are loose or they may have broken some. Our technology in engine horsepower has far surpassed the spoke wheel in some cases.

So in short, if you have spoke wheels, remember that they are not bullet proof and check your spoke tension at every service.  I check them by tapping each spoke with a spoke wrench. You will listen for a uniform “twang” sound but a “thud” may indicate a loose one.

If they are consistently loose, it is a good idea to have your wheel trued which will require removing the tire and putting it on a truing stand.

Oil is great at blowing all over the place and covering a lot of territory, especially when you are riding.  If your bike is free of any signs of oil you will have a clean slate to diagnose from. I use to work with a guy that would shoot aerosol deodorant all over the motor after cleaning it. Once the deodorant dried white it made it somewhat evident where the leak was coming from.

If you are having trouble figuring out if your primary or transmission is leaking right where they meet you can add some fluorescent dye to the primary oil. If you run the bike and it is glowing in the dark you know which area it is coming from. You can pick up fluorescent oil dyes at auto part stores.

I can’t get my bike into neutral while it is running and in first gear.  I was thinking about moving the clutch adjustment screw in some more than what it says in your maintenance video. What do you think?

Answer:

Just remember when you are adjusting something out of specification you are trying to compensate for another problem and may be creating another on top of it.  For instance, the free play in the clutch adjuster is to compensate for the clutch components to heat up. I have seen people adjust it out of specification which usually will roast all of you clutch plates at operating temp. Don’t do it.

There are a couple reasons why you might not be able to get into neutral but the most common problem is a bad primary chain adjustment.  If it is set too tight it will be super difficult to get it into neutral while the bike is running. Give that a try and I bet your problem will go away.

Michael Durham