Hulkss, before I put my battery tray back in, I'm considering drilling a hole in the top of the tray so that ill always have access to the positive terminal, just in case I need to check voltage, jumpstart the bike, etc... Any thoughts? Sent you a PM but couldn't attach a pic. Drill through the red circle to have access?
I don't see a problem with it.
Those little lithium jump start packs really do work. Instead of the hole, replace the factory charging leads with one pair of heavy-duty leads to use for jump start, charging, & electric gear.
Almost everybody changes the exhaust. Me too. I had the stock mufflers modified by: American Custom Exhaust
I sent them my mufflers in packaging they provided.
The bike now sounds perfect to me, not too loud - not too quiet. A bit quieter than the S&S slip-ons I was using.
The bike runs great and I like the stock look.
Looking up the tail end on the bench after modification, they are a lot more open than stock. The inside diameter is the same as stock.
Question for you Hulkss - I also like the stock look of the Softail exhaust, and was glad to see this great option. I went to the website and listened to the different sound clips and wondered which one you went with? This is a very informative thread BTW, and I have already added the stronger magnetized drain plugs and speed bleeders to my bike after seeing them here...
Question for you Hulkss - I also like the stock look of the Softail exhaust, and was glad to see this great option. I went to the website and listened to the different sound clips and wondered which one you went with? This is a very informative thread BTW, and I have already added the stronger magnetized drain plugs and speed bleeders to my bike after seeing them here...
I have quick question here. I am about to do install of this Hella horn recommended in this treat. I have engine guard and It looks like this bigger horn wont fit due to engine guard being on the way up front. I am sure this wont be an issue without engine guard.
My question is foes anyone with englishine guard tried this upgrade and can confirm if it worked? Maybe some pictures?
The Ohlins shock I posted about earlier in this thread just has not been working out for me. I ride a lot on rough uneven back roads and it just does not have enough travel on the really rough stuff I've encountered lately (yes, I could slow down). I should have looked closer at the specs. All the Ohlins shocks for 2018+ Softails have 43mm of stroke (this number includes the bumper thickness). This stroke is typical of the lower height models. It works great within its travel limits.
I purchased a new 13.5" Fox Shock p/n 897-27-213. It was not on the market when I selected the Ohlins.
Here's a pic of the three shocks I've now tried: Stock - Ohlins - Fox
The stroke on the shocks measures:
Ohlins: 33 mm plus 10 mm bumper thickness.
Stock: 35 mm plus 25 mm bumper thickness.
Fox: 43 mm plus 21 mm bumper thickness.
You can easily see the larger Fox shock body. This allows the internal floating piston design enough volume to not need a remote reservoir. It will also stay cooler when working hard.
The Fox shock really works great and is a big improvement on rough roads. I have the standard spring (650 lbs/in). To ride two-up properly, a stiffer spring would be needed.
The additional length and stroke of the Fox shock (13.5" vs 13.1" stock) is mostly used for extra sag and rebound travel. The bike sits just a little higher than stock.
The shock has three rebound damping settings. I am using the minimum damping setting.
Installed:
Hulkss, Did you need to extend your jiffy stand length with this 13.5" shock?
Hulkss, so many great modification ideas in this thread. Just wanted to thank you for posting all of this information and keeping is up to date. I appreciate it, but my wallet differs.
I am using a Rekluse Torque Drive clutch with 30% reduced spring pressure. This is possible due to the increased number of plates in the clutch. For maximum torque capacity when engaged and minimum viscous drag when the clutch is released, the oil viscosity should not be too high. Some primary oils are too thick in my opinion. They are sold in an attempt to reduce noise in the primary drive from the compensator and the chain/tensioner system.
I looked at several oils intended for the Harley Primary (not engine oils) and the cold/hot viscosity. The Dirt Bike transmission oil is very similar to other V-Twin primary oils that are at the lower end of available viscosities. Some others are much thicker which I avoided. The thinner oils are essentially 80W gear oils as far as viscosity is concerned. I really like the clutch action (no slip or grab) with the dirt bike oil and the primary is quiet and the clutch does not seem to wear at all.
Many people report good results with Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF) in the primary. It has a typical hot viscosity of 7.5 (maybe a little too low).
Harley tends to recommend a hot (100 C) viscosity of 20 which is based on using 20W50 oil in all three holes (engine, transmission, and primary). In my opinion the engine is fine at 20 (20W50 motor oil), the transmission should be around 27 (75W140 gear oil), and the primary should be around 10 (80W gear oil).
Any new news about primary oils?
In my stock primary I tried the Redline compared to my usual Formula+, thought the Formula+ was smoother shifting.
Now that I have the Rekluse Torque Drive, I changed back to Formula+ at the same time. Neutral is easy to find like on the stock bike but 1-2-3 shifting, even after it warms up is not as smooth as stock.
My clutch is adjusted and I've tried the full upper range of my Rick's levers, so this Formula+ might be too stiff for all those plates.
02-14-2021, 11:51 AM
