Hello,

I have a 1990 FLHTC. It used to have a chair (sidecar) on it, but I removed it. It was a Harley sidecar, but I do not know if the chair was added later or it came from the factory like that. Although it might not make any difference regarding my question.

The primary chain was really loose and I could not tighten it up anymore. It was banging the inside of the primary at times and just making a racket. According to my parts manual, it takes a 76 link chain, which I went out and bought brand new. I think it was a Diamond brand primary chain. When I compared it with the old chain, it was definitely shorter, although it did have the same number of links, so, I guess the old chain was worn out.

When I put the new chain on, I had to nearly adjust the tensioner up as far as it would go and the chain still has about 1" or more of play in it when it is cold. It does not bang the inside of the primary nearly as much as it did before, but occasionally it does.

I should have checked the number of teeth on the engine sprocket and clutch basket just to make sure what I have is stock, but I did not and I am wondering if when the chair as put on, a smaller engine sprocket was put on to compensate for the extra load.

So, my questions are:

How many teeth should be on the engine sprocket and clutch basket? I think the engine sprocket should be 24T, but I saw some aftermarket suppliers were offering sprockets with less and more teeth. And how many teeth on the clutch basket and number of links in the primary chain? And, I guess if the number of teeth is not stock, then my speedo will be off?

And, finally, with a brand new primary chain, how much upward adjustment on the tensioner should be required to get the chain up to spec as far as slack?

I am going to pull the primary cover off again this weekend and count the teeth on the sprockets, but I would like to know what the counts should be.

Thanks,

CJ
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what you have is side car gearing and the incorect chain for it

the front sprocket for any evo with out a car is 24 teeth and the clutch has 37 than the chain you have will work just fine - the later evo has a 25 tooth front sprocket BUT the lower the number on the clutch so the same chain works for both

count the teeth on the front sprocket if you need a used one i have a few 24s in stock -- johnjzjz

 

What did you do with the sidecar?

 

Thanks. I will check my sprockets and get back to you if I need a different one.

 

I sold the chair on ebay years back. I have a California brand sidecar that I had mounted on a 1988 FLHTC if you are interested in that style.

 

I had engine work on my solo Glide (owned from new in 1990) and at around 40k miles the front teeth were already sharp through wear, so we installed a fresh one (and chain). If your bike has done any mileage with a chair that sprocket may well be seriously worn. So as well as ensuring you have the correct size I recommend installing a new one. Correct size for our year is indeed 24T.

 

On the other hand, if you like the way your bike rides, simply replace with a suitable new chain and the same size sprocket! I replaced the 25T on my Dyna with a 21T which gave it a serious injection of performance!

 

Just an update. I pulled the primary today. The front sprocket teeth are definitely worn. Kind of surprised I did not notice it when I put the new chain on. The front sprocket has 24T and the clutch basket has 37 which is what they are supposed to have. The teeth on the clutch basket look OK, although they are worn a bit. The bike is pushing 50K miles, but they have been hard miles, plus the bike has a turbo on it and sometimes I twist the wick a bit more than I should.

But, I decided to bite the bullet and put on an open belt primary. I got that on my 61 FLH and 47 UL and they are virtually maintenance free, bullet proof and quiet. Plus, they look cool.

Thanks for the tips.

CJ
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Actually, I do have another question.

My bagger has a turbo on it (Aerocharger). It spools up quickly and typically has about 2-3 pounds of boost at 50-60MPH, but when I twist the wick, it gets up to about 9 PSI. It has a waste gate on it, so, the boost is limited to that. The last time I had it dynoed, it was pumping out about 115HP and about 105 pounds of torque. It feels a little bit weaker now, but I have put on some pounds and have also gotten used to the bikes extra umph.

I was thinking of putting in a 6 speed OD tranny, but they are a bit pricey for the rubber mounted. I see where I can go from 32T tranny pulley to a 34T tranny pulley which will give me about a 6% overdrive. Anyone know if someone makes a bigger tranny pulley or maybe a smaller rear pulley? My bike has plenty of power now and it just feels like it is winding out too much at freeway cruising speeds.

 

I believe your bike has a 70 tooth rear pully you could drop down to a 65 tooth from a 86 - 99 Softail it will bolt on no problem . I think you will need to drop to a 130 or 128 tooth belt with this setup though .