I recently inherited my fathers 2001 FXDWG with about 5000 miles on it. Due to unfortunate circumstances the motorcycle has not been started in about 1 1/2 years. Is there any precautions I should take before trying to start it, Battery has been replaced.

 

Change the oil, and spray some oil in the cylinders. Turn her over with the plugs out. New gas is a must.

Run it and change the oil again, and the other fluids.
If in doubt, get it to the dealer.

MikeM

 

Thanks, I appreciate the help.

 

Sorry to hear about your Dad. You didn't post it, but I will assume it was IN the grudge or shed and stored with gas in the tank. Do the things deadman suggested for sure.I would change ALL the fluids, including brake. Also, when you put fresh gas in, get yourself a can of Seafoam. Add about 1/4 of a can to a full tank of gas. Do this for the first 2 or 3 tanks. It will clean the residue from the old gas out of the fuel system. The bike may run like crap the first tank or so, but try the Seafoam B4 you trundle to the dealer. If the storage area was damp, be watching for electrical issues, but they will be because of corrosion on the plug ins, if any problems at all. DO NOT panic if this happens. Just track them down, pull the connectors apart, clean them, and put a li'l dielectric grease on the terminals and put it back together. If you have friends that ride, or you know an indy in your area, hopefully they will help you.Hope it works out for you. God speed.
Gumby

 

Sorry about your lose. On your gain, you could not get better advise than the mentioned above

Do you ride? A riders course might be part of the plan.

Big Lou

 

If your Dads bike has a carb.....well its your bike now.....and if it has a carb, and if you have the mechanical skills (it aint that hard believe me) you should pull the carb off and clean out all the jets and float valve. I would also service the air cleaner or just replace it, change or just clean and file back to square the plugs, change the oil and filter, change the primary oil....and change the trans lube.
Then start it up, and see how it runs. If you have any service records for it....go through them and see when it last had a service. If it has 5000 miles on it, then it should have had the 5000 mile service....not all that hard for a guy to do himself. I think it would be best for you to get yourself Harley Davidson Factory service manual for that model....do not get a Clymer or Haynes manual...they suck in comparison the the factory one. Go to your local HD dealer and buy it, or order it....or look on eBay for one....whatever, but if you are going to do even just the basic maintenance, it will be your best friend....well the manual and this place.
Good luck with the bike.....hang around here a while....you will learn quite a bit, and I am sure if you do get stuck with something, you will get plenty of help here!

 

As csmlopez said, a rider's course is a good idea if you haven't ridden before, or if you haven't ridden a big bike before. A WG is a lot to handle for a beginner. Sorry for your loss, and welcome to HDForums.

 

Stay connnected to this site too. These guys have good advice.

 

Welcome to the family Jim. Lot of good info on this forum.

 

Welcome from Nawlins!!!