​​​​​​In 2012 I was in an accident. After broken back broken neck crushed legs and brain surgery I am done with all of my surgeries and will be back on IRON full time this season coming up.

I have a 1998 Fatboy with S&S E carb and last summer while practicing how to ride again it ran out of gas with only 118 on the trip. Gas tank was completely empty.



I want hard bags not the soft bags I have on it now but I would have to shorten my exhaust to put hard bags on. If I just shortened the current exhaust would that hurt the gas MPG or should I replace it completely?


After reading this post any other suggestions would be awesome. It Build is going to start in Feb and living in wisconsin I wont be on the road until may. When everything is completely done the plan is to start from the Harley Museum and ride to Sturgis.

 

Glad to hear you're on the mend.

There's a lot of good help in the Evo section. Was the gas tank full when you started out and only 118 miles? We both tanks empty or possibly one not crossing over? If both tanks were empty and you only got 118 miles it could be an intake leak.

 

The harley is apart. Yes the tank was empty and didnt think about the fuel leak.

Was at a swap met and guy has 5 gallon tank that will work, He says its been pressure tested. I am looking at the 6 gallon new tank. I would have to pressure test and have it sealed. Buying used I would lose 1 gallon and probably save $250 when you look at price difference and pressure test and sealing.

Question save the money and take the chance or just spend the money and have a extra gallon?

 

Good luck with it and enjoy riding again. I have a 1996 Fb that looks just like that one. Great bike. As always your ride your cash but I never understood the SS carb thing HD one is better 22 years never a problem . That is a sharp bike keeping it as it looks in the picture would be great. The exhaust on the bike sounds great and is a sound many chase but never find. I changed my pipes once and put the stock ones back on the pipes I tried are sill sitting in a box. You have an amazing bike that is timeless.

 

If you want hard bags you are going to have to get different pipes that run below the axle. I put hard bags on my 2006 Fat Boy and I used stock Harley bags and the Baggertail kit from CycleVision. It is a very nice kit and everything looks good when finished. Get the filler panels too.

https://www.cyclevisions.com/product...l-for-softails

https://www.cyclevisions.com/collect...rd-bags-cv7220

 

I was thinking of different bags just to have some larger ones on. But I like my exhaust so I really don't want to change it.

The main reason for the rebuild is at 118 miles I completely ran out of gas even the reserve was out. Doing the math 118 miles and 4.2 gallons of gas used that means I was getting 28.095 miles to the gallon. With that a 6 gallon tank using 5.5 gallons would get me 154 miles using the same MPG and there would still be gas. So my normal stop every 120 miles I would be in no danger of running out of gas.

Get the 6 gallon tank from JP cycles
master rebuild the S&S E carb
completely replace the fuel lines
the injectors
and while its apart replace to plugs and wires.

Since is apart and going to replace pads and rotors going to put new break cables and calipers.

My plan is to keep it running and able to run nation wide for the next 15 years at least as its cheaper to maintain then to buy new.

 

If you are worried about mpg get rid of that S&S and get a stock CV, should get at least 40 mpg.

Also you can get a charger that plugs into the pigtail on a battery tender for charging stuff.

Good looking scooter, lots of friendly folks with lots of knowledge over in the EVO section. Drop in and say hi!

 

Ok here is what I am going to order today. Only part that is not getting ordered today is the speedometer. The reason I have not found an OEM replacement. When I get to the Harley later this weekend I will take pictures of the speedometer I want to replace and see if yall can help. I am making the purchase from JP Cycles.

JP Cycles Replacement petcock #7200035

ACCEL 300+ Spark Plug wire set #380-922

JP Cycles 6 gallon Gas tank #520-820 (make sure it has OEM connection)

Motion Pro Black Out Throttle Cable #520-819

Motion Pro Black Out Idle Cable #520-820

Standard Clutch Cable #5200185

Dunlop D402 MT90B16 Front tire #214-000

Dunlop D402 MT90B16 Rear tire #214-002

JP Cycles Zinc Disc Brake Rotor #2400210

JP Cycles Stainless Disc Brake Rotor #2400190

Drag Specialties Maintenance Free Battery #200-5545

Bike Master USB Charger Kit #166-0039

S&S Super E Body Rebuild Kit #400-880

 

You shouldn't have to swap out that S&S carburetor, a .0295 intermediate jet and a .068 or .070 main jet would be perfect for you. Maybe somebody's got it jetted wrong, you should still get 40 miles to the gallon with an S&S carburetor on it. The other thing with your intermittent turn signal problem is most likely it's your turn signal module in between the tanks. They do that, probably going to need a new one you can find them on eBay 50 60 bucks it ain't a wiring issue I'm pretty sure..

 

The build is still going strong will post some pictures in a few days.

Here is a question. I am thinking of a 2 into 1 exhaust for bigger bags but what if I just took the baffles off and went in that direction?