I recently bought a 73 flh and have started to tear in to it as it has a few issues..T he starter drags and sometimes will take 3 - 4 tries before the solenoid will click in,the engine will start but it is hit and miss. The battery is a 300 amp and new .I tried removing the oil tank and had to walk away as it almost pissed me off,but I do know when its time to walk away..Of course I ordered a service manual but it has not arrived yet,and some times I'm an impatient Old Bastard..I had a 73 sporty in the late 70s it reminds me a lot of that bike how it was put together..

 

Great looking motorcycle. Check out my 73 FLH in my garage.

 

If you can get a hand in under feel the starter & cables after you've tried a couple times to turn her over , is the starter warm or hot and which cable feels the warmest including the ground . The hot one has a connection problems and the old bikes tended to grounding issues , a lot of the older cable will corrode up inside the rubber cover you can't see it outright but plays hell with things . That one still had the big relay under the battery box as well as a smaller mechanical relay to activate the big one so lots of places can have bad connections . If you can get one try running a battery cable direct from battery to the solenoid on the primary and try again and I'd also jump the big terminals to see if she will spin direct from the battery if so solenoid contacts are bad or the big relay . You can leave that out . it just keeps the battery cable to the solenoid from being hot without the key on . You can pull just the the starter itself , undo the 2 long studs on the back cover but leave them in and carefully rock it a bit it should come loose from the reduction housing but be aware you've got 3 loose chunks of starter now not one . Probably brushes and the armature getting burnt but sometimes a good cleaning & a bit of grease work fine . Any auto starter & alternator repair place can do that one it's the old US made Prestolite . If the starter is bad I'd change the soleniod too safe bet the contacts are going if not gone already , may be not letting the bendix pull in completely & bad contacts .

Oil bag comes out easier with starter out on shovels and it's a bit of a twister game getting the angle just right . Get all new rubber iso mounts while your that deep they are cheap and she'll need a few .

Here's a 73 I revived for a good friend that had sat for 17 yrs , had the same issues as yours .

 

Nice revival TB.

 

I would have to agree looking very nice..And thanks for all the help guys. Today was a pretty productive day,3 gallons of kerosene and I was able to find a transmission and and lighten up the bike by removing a shitload of grease and funk..May have to adjust the chain oiler ? as it sure was a mess..I am thinking now about pulling the clutch so I can pull the inner primary to clean up things a little more and to give everything the once over..every nut,bolt,and hose clamp seem to be loose.Aint in much of a hurry so we will see what happens..

 

That clutch is ugly they don't like rust and oil grunge together at all at the minimum a tear down soak the plates an break the glaze , the steels a light bead or sand blast or the hard way with wire wheels or I'm a big fan Roloc scotch brite pads get them in 2" or 3 " .

Suggestion I'll make if the hub itself is fubar like heavy indentation on the finger you might like a diagham clutch conversion . Sifton has a nice one and it comes with a new good quality 5 finger hub with all the bearing & extra's , been using them a for while and everyone sing the praise gives you a 2 finger no bullshit clutch for under $150 . I run one in my 93" with a 6 plate kevlar setup . That and one of those nylon RamJett retainers your primary will be bullet proof . Real simple stupid setup that works .

Vtwin sells # VT 18-0540 and I've got a few from this place ,
http://stores.ebay.com/AMERICAN-CLAS...&_sid=35434650

 

I just came up from the shop and saw your post kind of funny as I got to looking at that clutch and pulled it out early this morning..It is rusty and grungy and needs some attention..Thanks for the info on the aftermarket..

 

Great score,sweet looking ride. Ultima makes a starter that puts the factory one to shame. I have had mine for two years and it still puts a smile on my face every time I push the start button. http://www.ebay.com/itm/ULTIMA-HEAVY...260#vi-content

 

What was that primary running for oil? That rust ain't a good sign. Has the primary been isolated? If not, nows a perfect time to do it. Also, the Barnett blue clutch springs are cheap and a worthwhile improvement.

 

The primary was not isolated..But that does look like a very good option to me..And closing off the chain oiler and going with an O ring chain ? Just doing some reading and listening ..