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.
Though we’re deep into winter, this month’s Helpline is all warmed up and ready to go. We start with Bill Brunson and his 2001 Ultra Classic, noting that no one can accuse Bill of sitting idly by, as he writes in with a question about his bike’s pesky idling issue. Then Rob Fenyo got himself in gear, and fired off an inquiry about replacing the gearset on his 1988 Heritage. Next, our internet pal, Mark, he of the one name, always wanted to be rich. Good news, Mark! You are rich! That’s why your 2004 Electra Glide is running as you’ve described. Not to be outdone, David Reid Chenault, he of the three names, elaborates on a side-stand dilemma he’s experienced with his brother’s Road King Classic and XL1200R. No worries, David, read and learn!
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 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:I have a 2001 Ultra Classic with (I’m assuming) Magneti problems. The bike is set up with a K&N filter, Screamin’ Eagle pipes, and a Power Commander. All other components are stock. The bike has 60,000 miles, it doesn’t burn any oil, and acceleration is what you would expect. It will cold-start, but idles at 600-800 rpm (coughing) until warm. Usually it runs for five seconds and quits. To restart, I have to sit and hold the throttle at 1500 rpm until the engine warms up. When I blip the throttle on a downshift or at a stoplight, the engine coughs. The Harley dealer has reset the thing, and it runs fine for about a day, then starts acting up again. Can I replace the Magneti system with a Delphi system, and, if so, what’s involved?
Bill Brunson
Via Internet
A:If the ISC has been adjusted properly and the problem keeps recurring, I would install a new ISC. At that mileage, there’s a good chance it’s worn out or sticking. The ECM sends the right data, but the ISC can’t get the throttle to the correct position. Changing to a Delphi system would require you to change everything under the license plate. Just change that ISC, have it set to factory specs, and you should be fine.
Q:I have a 1988 Heritage with the starter solenoid on the top of the primary. Is it possible to take my gearset out of this tranny case and use it in a 1990 or newer case? Would I be able to use the newer starters and be able to run an open primary?
Rob Fenyo
Via Internet
A:Your gearset will go into that case but you’ll need a new clutch basket and ring gear to match the new starter. The correct clutch assembly will have a splined shaft hub, so you’ll also need a new mainshaft. If you want to keep your main drive gear, you’ll need a mainshaft from a 1990 transmission. Check with Rivera Primo for the open primary parts you’ll need.
Q:I recently purchased a 2004 Electra Glide Standard, carbureted with 88" engine and 4,000 miles. The original owner didn’t ride much and mostly kept it in an enclosed garage. Before leaving the dealership with the bike, he had slip-on Screamin’ Eagle mufflers and a Screamin’ Eagle air breather kit installed. It was also rejetted, and a Thunderslide was installed in the carb. I test rode the bike, and after about 15 miles, when I goosed the gas throttle at a stop, it sounded like the carb spit back. It only did it one time, and the engine ran fine the rest of the ride. I talked to a local H-D mechanic, and he said it was normal for a carbureted bike to spit back once in awhile, especially when cold. It now has 6,400 miles, and from Day One, the carb has spit back about every 200 miles. This has occurred both when the engine is cold and hot but mostly when hot. It’s occurred when the engine is idling and when I’m running highway speeds as much as 65 mph. It occurs mostly at slow speeds with the clutch pulled in, or when I’m hitting the throttle while turning. When it occurs, the engine seems like it shuts down as if something has smothered it, but it always recovers in a split second. At times it sounds more like a backfire coming out of the right muffler, but the left muffler is covered with more soot than the right. I’ve taken the bike to an independent H-D mechanic and a Harley dealership, and both said the black soot is normal. The independent mechanic installed a larger jet. This didn’t help. The dealership removed the Thunderslide and rejetted the whole carb. I was told the carb was clean and had no trash or varnish in it. This made it worse, so I took it back, and the dealer enriched the fuel mixture just a little. That helped a lot, but the problem still occurs every 200 miles.
Mark
Via Internet
A:Sounds like you need to go just a little richer, Mark. If you still have the Thunderslide installed, move the clip on the
needle down one groove. If you have a stock slide, install a .030" washer under the needle. Sometimes loose wiring or bad connections can cause the same issues. Make sure all the ignition wiring is good and clean. Check the condition of the plug wires in the boots on both ends. Check your grounds on the battery and frame. Try wiggling wires and harnesses while the engine is running to see if you can reproduce the event yourself and pinpoint the problem.
Q:What is Harley-Davidson doing with its sidestands? My brother recently purchased a new 2008 XL1200R and a 2009 Road King Classic, and I almost had us both in a lurch after thinking his Sportster was a millimeter from falling off its sidestand. I even accused my brother of having improperly deployed it. The darned thing sticks out at a 90-degree angle, perpendicular to the frame. Both my Boulevards extend their sidestands to about 115 degrees, which includes some 25 degrees of forward bias for safety. The issue never progressed much beyond the alarmism/arguing stage until he brought home the Road King. The first time he tried to park it, it almost rolled off the stand and toppled. Even parked on level ground with a Harley puck under it, it wants to go back to the factory the hard way. It extends to a 90-degree maximum, just asking to fold up. Now he only parks it on uphill inclines. The other day he had to try five parking slots before getting the FLHRC to agree to stay where he put it. Is this normal for Harleys? Are we missing something? Or is the stand installed incorrectly?
David Reid Chenault
Via Internet
A:I think what you’re missing, David, is the fact that Harley designed the jiffy stand to lock in place when the weight of the bike is on it. Get your brother to hold his bike upright with the jiffy stand down. Grab ahold of the jiffy stand and lift it straight up against the spring tension. Now with the stand up as far as you can pull it, try to swing it back. You’ll notice it will move a little, but it won’t fold up. It can’t because the tab on top of the stand is locked into the bracket that it’s mounted in. You’re right, the bike can move a little when it’s on the stand, but it can only go so far without falling over. I always tell new customers to hold the stand all the way forward with your foot until the weight of the bike is on the stand.
AIM 
Feb. 2008-HogHelpLine-Stop coughing! Get it in gear! No spitting! Stand up straight! 
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