What did you do to Your Sportster Today?
#8851
04-08-2019, 11:55 AM
#8852
04-08-2019, 12:00 PM
Maiden Voyage Take 2 went way WAY better. What a difference a smooth running engine and proper tire pressure makes! :P Lessen on always checking tire pressure first definitely learned. With 10lbs under the HD-recommended pressure level on both tires, no wonder she steered like a pig. With 30lb front/40lb back, she handled turns quite nicely. And this with original 16-year-old Dunlop 401s. Plenty of tread left (bike only has 5300 miles or so), but they have to go ASAP due to sidewall cracking. Got me around the parking lot a few times, though, so should be good enough for more practice riding.
One thing I found surprising was how difficult I found it to get moving in first. I only stalled out the MSF bikes a handful of times, and I'd never ridden before. The occasional stall when learning a new bike is to be expected, but this is kind of nuts. I have a suspicion that the previous owner may have altered the gearing. To get moving I have to roll the throttle wide open, and it still lugs until I get a little momentum. I'm certainly not the lightest dude ever, but a bike with this much torque shouldn't struggle to move a single 200lb rider. The puny little Kawasaki Eliminator 125 didn't have this much trouble getting me moving, nor the more powerful but more crappy GZ250.
Also, before even trying to ride, I tried to pull off the sissy bar. No joy there. Two bolts off, and one left on to keep things even, but the last one is held in by a nut that was placed between the fender and the bracket. WTF? I can't tell the size of the nut, but I'm not sure how to get to it anyway, since the gap is half or less the size of a wrench head's thickness. Might have to have a shop take care of that, if they have better tools. Super annoying.
But anyway, much better. Didn't stay out long due to other things needing to get done, but nice to end the weekend with a bit of a high note. Noob progress.
One thing I found surprising was how difficult I found it to get moving in first. I only stalled out the MSF bikes a handful of times, and I'd never ridden before. The occasional stall when learning a new bike is to be expected, but this is kind of nuts. I have a suspicion that the previous owner may have altered the gearing. To get moving I have to roll the throttle wide open, and it still lugs until I get a little momentum. I'm certainly not the lightest dude ever, but a bike with this much torque shouldn't struggle to move a single 200lb rider. The puny little Kawasaki Eliminator 125 didn't have this much trouble getting me moving, nor the more powerful but more crappy GZ250.
Also, before even trying to ride, I tried to pull off the sissy bar. No joy there. Two bolts off, and one left on to keep things even, but the last one is held in by a nut that was placed between the fender and the bracket. WTF? I can't tell the size of the nut, but I'm not sure how to get to it anyway, since the gap is half or less the size of a wrench head's thickness. Might have to have a shop take care of that, if they have better tools. Super annoying.
But anyway, much better. Didn't stay out long due to other things needing to get done, but nice to end the weekend with a bit of a high note. Noob progress.
Last edited by LocoLocal; 04-08-2019 at 12:28 PM.
#8853
04-08-2019, 12:11 PM
Road Captain
It was warmed up enough that the choke was off. Probably 15-20 minutes total idle time by the time I actually started trying to ride.
#8854
04-08-2019, 12:29 PM
#8856
04-08-2019, 03:56 PM
Seasoned HDF Member
Decided I'm going to have a set of sidecovers painted Superior Blue to match the tank and fenders. I'm not going to ride around without the covers on the bike so I'm going to buy a new set to send to the painter, and keep the black one's that came on the bike.
I found the deal of the century at Surdykes, a new OEM left sidecover for... wait for it... $3.53. I triple checked the part number inline, emailed Surdykes, and they responded that it was the correct number, part and price. Couldn't hit the buy button fast enough...
Now to find a deal on a new right sidecover.
I found the deal of the century at Surdykes, a new OEM left sidecover for... wait for it... $3.53. I triple checked the part number inline, emailed Surdykes, and they responded that it was the correct number, part and price. Couldn't hit the buy button fast enough...
Now to find a deal on a new right sidecover.
#8857
04-08-2019, 08:58 PM
#8858
04-08-2019, 09:10 PM
Yeah, was watching YouTube videos last night about taking apart the carb for cleaning. Doesn't seem terribly complicated, as long as I keep track of the proper parts. Probably better to just go through that process slowly and carefully to make sure the jets really are open enough for Sea Foam to KEEP them clean. I'll give that a go as time allows. I'll check with the local Pep Boys to see if they take old gas once I drain it, in case there's rust or other sediment that won't soften up with Sea Foam.
And I'm definitely a different kind of "old timer", starting all of this in my 40's. Had my father's family been at all involved in my life, I would have learned as a teenager (all the men on that side of the family rode, apparently until me). My father passing a year ago this past February from leukemia, with his last email to me being about his desire to get healthy enough again to ride, was the first nudge to make me think about it again after 17 years of financial struggles had put it out of my mind. My grandfather's last discussion with my father had been about his own desire to get out and ride the next day (he passed in his sleep back in '97). A couple of months after my father's passing, I started checking out beginner tips videos on YouTube, and lo and behold, the first comment on the video was from my father. That was kind of the last nudge I needed to say "screw it, time to give it a go." The rest, including how I wound up with this Sporty (which I won in a raffle that I discovered thanks to this very forum), is a whole host of other interesting stories and other meaningful coincidences that I'll save for another time... :P
So yeah, I may not have "earned" this bike by having bought it directly, but it looks like I'll earn it by learning how to get it running again.
On that note, any recommendations for inexpensive, transportable lifts, for when I'm ready to pull the wheels off (after I get the engine running better) to get the tires replaced? I came across this, but am not sure if it's adequate or not: https://www.amazon.com/Dilated-Motor.../dp/B01M0AB7MJ
[Dorky side note: I had to chuckle at this being on page 883.]
And I'm definitely a different kind of "old timer", starting all of this in my 40's. Had my father's family been at all involved in my life, I would have learned as a teenager (all the men on that side of the family rode, apparently until me). My father passing a year ago this past February from leukemia, with his last email to me being about his desire to get healthy enough again to ride, was the first nudge to make me think about it again after 17 years of financial struggles had put it out of my mind. My grandfather's last discussion with my father had been about his own desire to get out and ride the next day (he passed in his sleep back in '97). A couple of months after my father's passing, I started checking out beginner tips videos on YouTube, and lo and behold, the first comment on the video was from my father. That was kind of the last nudge I needed to say "screw it, time to give it a go." The rest, including how I wound up with this Sporty (which I won in a raffle that I discovered thanks to this very forum), is a whole host of other interesting stories and other meaningful coincidences that I'll save for another time... :P
So yeah, I may not have "earned" this bike by having bought it directly, but it looks like I'll earn it by learning how to get it running again.
On that note, any recommendations for inexpensive, transportable lifts, for when I'm ready to pull the wheels off (after I get the engine running better) to get the tires replaced? I came across this, but am not sure if it's adequate or not: https://www.amazon.com/Dilated-Motor.../dp/B01M0AB7MJ
[Dorky side note: I had to chuckle at this being on page 883.]
Keep at it.
#8859
04-09-2019, 08:38 AM
Road Captain
When I lived in NC a few years back, I had a house about an hour north of Raleigh. People let their dogs run loose all the time out there (very rural), which kind of pissed me off, as most of them wound up as roadkill. One dog came to visit my wife and I in our neighborhood a few times. Incredibly sweet dog, but no tags. We brought the dog in for the night, and she would just hang out with us. I have a picture of her chilling out in my office. We let her sleep in the living room, and I woke to find her on the couch with one of my slippers next to her for comfort, like a stuffed animal. I wound up taking her to a local shelter up there in case her people came back for her, and in case she was at least chipped (she wasn't), but told them flat out that if no one came back for her, I would adopt her. Sadly for me, her people came by looking for her, we told them where she was, and were told that her name was Maggie. I was bummed that I couldn't adopt her, but thrilled when I saw her again several more times before we left NC, the first of which was on my birthday a month and a half later. I loved that dog.
So why is this relevant, apart from winning the bike from a dog rescue? Well, the former owner of the bike had a custom 4 gallon tank on the bike originally. It was custom painted with a magnolia flower (far too girly for me) but also the name she'd given the bike: Maggie. To add to the awesome coincidences, the day I signed the tax paperwork to claim the bike was 11 years TO THE DAY that the dog Maggie had stayed with us.
I'm not much of a believer in fate or god's will or whatever else you might want to call it, but any one of these coincidences is enough to give this bike extra meaning for me. It's not just a "thing", it's a connection. So while it's definitely got plenty of "old bike quirks" that I have to work out, and I'd probably be better served by a Honda Shadow, I could never trade in this bike. This is the one I have to ride. It never had to be a Harley for me, it just worked out that way. All I wanted to do is ride. And in a way, I finally got to adopt that awesome dog.
#8860
04-09-2019, 10:50 AM