My GF recently acquired a 2004 883 Custom. Since I am maintaining it I have a couple of questions.

• Is dieseling on shut off common? Is there a way to easily fix? What octane gas should I use? Currently using 87 essence sans plomb
• I can't seem to fully twist the spring loaded oil cover. It seems to close OK but does not line up with the bike. Is there a special technique to this?
• What should I use to remove corrosion from unchromed metal parts?
• The shifter is reluctant to return to the center position after up shifting or down shifting, especially when the engine is cold. Do I need to replace a return spring in the transmission?
• What are the recommended tire pressures?

 

2004 should be using premium. This will likely fix your dieseling.

Dunno, someone with a newer bike will have to answer that.

Steel wool or scotch bright. The finer the better, tough pitting will need coarser grits. Then finish with a metal polish.

Spring is easy to replace, but it could also just be sticky linkages on the forward controls. Start simple and move on from there. You only need to remove the primary cover, not go in to the transmission, to replace that spring.

30 front and 36 rear solo, 30/40 2-up or heavy loaded. If you have different tires than OEM you need to check with the manufacturer.

 

The oil cap is spring loaded pop-up. If you press it down after twisting it closed it should be flush with the tank. And yes they are a pain to take off if it hasn't been off for a while.

 

Lean mixture can cause dieseling, too. If the bike has aftermarket low restriction pipes (very common) and the carb hasn't been tweaked for it, it will be running very lean, and probably not real smooth.

What kind of mileage on it? I replaced the clutch plates in my 1200 a little over 30,000 miles, and the rivets were loose in the riveted plate. I used an aftermarket plate set that doesn't use the riveted plate so I wouldn't have to worry about it grenading in there later on. If it's low mileage, you might have original tires on it, and I'd consider '04 tires way too old to be safe. The tire date is in an oval on the sidewall: 2504 would be the 25th week of 2004.

 

Good tip Imold, thats something I will keep in mind when looking at low milage older bikes.