Long story short.. I removed my 2000 Sportster 1200C engine / transmission from the frame with the oil filter still in place to have a hard tail welded on. I reinstalled the engine / transmission. Prior to starting the motor I replaced the old filter with a new one which i partially filled with 1/4 qtr. of oil and filled the oil tank with the remaining 2 3/4 qts. of oil. I had the bike on a stand in 5th gear and rolled the back wheel in the normal direction of rotation to circulate the oil. I fired up the bike today and after idling for about two minutes a puff of smoke emitted from the front head gasket area. I immediately shut off the motor. I felt the oil tank and then filter and both were at ambient temperature. The two cylinders felt pretty warm for only a two minute idle. I've been riding and working on Harley for many years and I'm disappointed I didn't monitor this closer. Do y'all think I fired the motor? What did I miss? Year ago I installed a new 113 S&S engine and primed the oil pump.. I didn't really give it much thought for this bike since it still had oil in the system plus I rotated the rear wheel.

 

You won't get much heat in the oil tank after two minutes. I'd check that it is full of oil, be sure it has oil pressure and if there are any noises coming from the engine when running.

As far as the smoke from the front head area, did you clean everything before starting the engine? It could just be residual oil from working on it or cleaning solution you may have used. If it has oil pressure and is not knocking or making other abnormal noises, it is likely ok. It is very difficult to get the exhaust clean enough that some smoke doesn't come off it when first started. So be sure it is full of oil and that it has pressure and let it run a little longer. But if it is making any abnormal noises, shut it down and investigate the noise etc.

Paul

 

It's basically a stripped down chopper now so I don't have the oil light.. I'm going to hook up an oil gauge to check the pressure on start up next time and if it's good I'll take for a spin.. I think for a cold bike the pressure will be around 30 psi..

 

I started it up yesterday and took it for a short ride. The oil tank was warm to the touch after a few minutes of riding so the oil is definitely circulating but I'll have to replace the front head gasket. While riding every time I opened the throttle a little I noticed and felt with my hand a leak from the left side of the front head gasket area.