Got a problem with your stock H-D that your local dealer can’t fix? Well, put away that hammer, grab a pen, and let our resident pro get you back on the road! That’s right, frustrated ones. You can now get your perplexing problem answered with a simple snail mail or e-mail to
AIM.
Happy New Year from the Helpline gang! The honor of starting 2009’s first column goes to Steve Kyle, deep in the heart of Texas. It’s no coincidence that Cowboy Steve writes in about an oil spray problem with his 2006 Heritage Classic as the Lone Star State is synonymous with oil. That’s black gold, Stever … Texas tea. Next up is a genuine Fat Boy, Larry Lands and his 2005 ride. A bit ironic that this Fat Boy has a lean condition, eh? Continuing on, Kansas’ own Don Elliot sends us an easy one, simply asking for a recommendation on a new exhaust for his 2008 FLHR. Mich Carriere is feeling low, but obviously not low enough with his 2008 SE Ultra Classic. No worries, Mich, we’ve got the answer for you, and we’ll keep it short. And, finally, Doug McLaughlin is concerned about the chilly oil temp gauge reading on his 2007 Street Glide. Obviously, Doug, you’re just too cool for school.
Anyone wishing to submit a question to our H-D expert should send in as much info about the problem and bike as possible, which definitely includes the bike’s year, model, and mileage, to Hog Helpline, c/o
American Iron Magazine, 1010 Summer Street, Stamford, CT 06905, or e-mail it to
ChrisM@AmericanIronMag.com. Ready for the disclaimer? Unfortunately, we can’t answer all of the questions that we receive or respond directly to the submitter, owing to volume. Select questions will be answered only through this monthly column.
Q:My 2006 Heritage Classic has 10,000 miles on it and uses a Harley oil cooler. I’ve experienced an ongoing problem since about the 3,000-mile mark. When I consistently run speeds above 70 mph, I get a light spray of oil on the right back side of my forks in front of the motor. I tried to find the source of the leak, and never found a drop on the motor or the oil cooler. I remember something about a part in the front of the motor that will discharge oil at the top of the engine, and didn’t know if mine was normal or defective. I’m hoping you can solve the mystery.
Steve Kyle
Dallas, Texas
A:Are you running the windshield on the bike, Steve? If you have a rocker cover leak, or oil mist coming from your air cleaner, the windshield will cause enough turbulence behind it to pull the oil toward the front of the bike. Check the joints between the rocker covers and the cylinder head for seepage. A gasket leak up there can make a big mess, but replacement is a relatively easy job. Also check the bottom of your air cleaner backplate for any oil. Long runs on the highway at steady speed can let oil mist collect in the air box, to the point of running out the bottom and blowing around the bike. Sometimes it blows back across the oil tank and your girl’s new white chaps. In your case, it may be getting drawn forward because of the windshield and collecting on the fork leg. You should also check the fork itself for any leaks. Wipe the leg dry and go for a good ride. Check the bottom of the cowbell for drips after some miles. Do this a few times until you start to see oil collecting. If you look closely, you should be able to tell if the oil is coming from inside the cowbell, indicating a seal leak.
Q:I have a 2005 Fat Boy FI. It’s primarily stock, with Screamin’ Eagle II pipes, no baffles, and a Stage I Harley air filter. My problem is that when I accelerate through all gears, I hear and feel a noticeable “stumble” at one particular spot in the throttle. Also, when running at a slow, steady speed, the bike runs rough and jerks, sometimes backfiring. At high speeds or with hard acceleration I never notice it. I’ve looked at the diagnostic menu on the speedo, and there are no codes set. The other day, the bike died and didn’t refire for 10-15 seconds. I feel the problem is more fuel-related than electrical, but I disassembled the throttle cables on the handlebars, thinking something was grounding out, and all looks good. I looked at all connectors on the throttle body to see if anything was loose and found nothing. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Larry Lands
Via Internet
A:Did you do anything with the ECM mapping to tune for the exhaust and air box changes? It sounds like you have a lean condition. You may need to adjust for those changes with a factory download, Power Commander, or Race Tuner. Before you spend the money on tuning though, I would put the baffles back in the mufflers and put your stock air box back on. See how it runs. If all’s good, you know it’s not an electrical problem, and you can decide how to tune the fuel/air for proper performance.
Q:I have a 2008 FLHR and would like to replace that ugly exhaust. I go to work at 4 every morning, so my neighbors would like it quiet. Do you have any recommendation for a better exhaust that’s as quiet as the stock unit?
Don Elliott
Great Bend, Kansas
A:How much of the exhaust system do you want to replace? My first thought would be a Super Trapp 2-into-1 system. It’s a great looking pipe that performs well, and you could run the minimum amount of disks to keep it quiet. I’m not sure, though, if any exhaust, ugly or pretty, is quiet enough at 4 in the morning!
Q:I just got a Screamin’ Eagle Ultra Classic about two months ago. I had low-profile front springs and Street Glide low-profile shocks put on the back. Being vertically challenged (5'7"), I wanted to lower the bike, and have it handle like the ’06 FLHX I’d just traded in. I just can’t stand how this bike handles. The front end feels extremely soft. It bounces all over the place and wobbles a little. I’ve had the dealer adjust the forks twice, and made sure the air pressure in the tire was okay, but it’s still not acceptable. The dealer suggested a Screamin’ Eagle heavy-duty fork oil. I’ll try that next. Do you have any other suggestions? Are there aftermarket springs that will help?
Mich Carriere
Via Internet
A:Lowering the front end on your model involves more than just a set of springs, Mich. You lead me to believe that you may have the wrong lowering kit installed. The kit for your model should include dampers and lower stop springs, in addition to the shortened upper springs that support the bike. If the wrong kit is installed and the springs are too soft, you’ll have the handling problems you’re describing. Check your receipts to be sure you have what you should. If the kit is correct, you could try the heavier fork oil. This will slow the fork action down a little, and should make it feel better over the bumps. Another way to stiffen it up a bit is to add a spacer on top of the spring to increase the preload. The fork
will feel stiffer and won’t dive as much on the bumps and when braking. A short piece of PVC pipe, about 1" long to start, will do the trick. If that helps, you can fine-tune the forks to your liking by changing the length of the spacers.
Q:When I purchased my 2007 Street Glide, I had the air temperature gauge removed and an oil temperature gauge installed. The oil gauge worked great. It would move around depending on conditions. At times it would get near 260 degrees Fahrenheit in Florida stop-and-go traffic. I had the Harley Premium oil cooler installed by the dealer a few months later. The highest the oil temp gauge goes now is 110 degrees, exactly where it is when the engine is cold. Once in awhile, it will move up if it’s really hot out. The dealer said everything is fine, and the reason it never moves is that it’s on the output of the cooler. I called Harley in Milwaukee and was told the same story. I purchased another set of hoses, moved the sensor to the other hose, and got the same exact readings on that hose, 110 degrees. I’m thinking maybe it wasn’t grounded, but when I ran a ground wire to it, it made no difference. Any ideas?
Doug McLaughlin
Via Internet
A:Sounds to me, Doug, like your cooler is doing exactly what you want it to. The oil gets to a certain temperature and stays there. Whatever side of the cooler the sensor is on, I wouldn’t be as concerned with the actual reading as I would the consistency of the reading. If you know you have good oil pressure and flow back to the tank, use the 110-degree reading as your normal reference. As long as the temperature stays at or close to that reading, everything’s good.
AIM 
Jan. 2008-ELECTRONICS AND MORE 
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