First off my sons bike is a 03 v-rod ann edition, vance & hines slip on & K&N high flow.Bike was running like a top for 1000 miles or more till we pulled in for some gas in Ticonderoga NY, he put in super unleaded to get the extra octane thinking he was doing a good thing..Soon thereafter it started hestitating, stumbling & idling poorly to say the least. First thought was bad gas.We put in a little dry gas burned thru that same....then lucas injector cleaner same! Higher octane additive SAME!! We pulled the plugs both looked ok, no signs of fouling,(replaced anyway) though the rear cylinder had some oil in the area of the plug wire just under the coil pak.Thought for sure this would have caused the problem but NoPE! We were going to replace the fuel filter but wasnt sure if there could be something else we could do or check first.ANY input & advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

Are the battery cables tight? I hear a loose battery cable can make all sorts of weird things happen to Harleys. It'd take a minute to do and it's worth a shot. I wonder if you pull out the power commander if it'd run right? Maybe it went bad.

 

It could be an issue with the fuel flange. There was a recall on this. Check out www.1130cc.com and look around or just post your question there.

 

Hey Giz! What you brings you over? Finally get bored with the forum?

 

Battery is the first place to check then connections. Fuel flange did have some problems also, if mem serves they were cracking and losing pressure and had recall. Fuel pressure of 55-62 PSI may be tested as outlined in service manual. How does it run at various RPM ranges? You just mention idling, stumbling problems. Do you have any DTC codes? Erratic idle may be caused by a manifold or injector air leak. Hard to armchair without hooking it up to a DT-II!

 

The Battery cables are def tight as we took the battery out to install new plugs. There is no power commander as of yet, just the stage 1 download.Thanks for the input though.

 

I had seen the thread for a recall on the fuel flange, I called my local dealer & they said they saw no info of a recall on my bike...not sure if they are blowin smoke or not.

I'll double check the battery connections just to be sure.I'm picking up a manual so I can do some more diagnostics on my own. I'll ask another dealer about the fuel flange recall just to be sure I didnt get bad info.

The bike runs ok if you feather the throttle thru the first three gears then as you get to about 3000rpms its starts stumbling as if its starving for fuel, then yo uhear a noise sort of like a spark knock..or ping if you will.At 4000 rpms it smooths out a bit but vibrates more than the norm.If you accelerate hard it hesitates a lil then goes like all hell!

I did pull one code p1351-front ignition coil open/low I believe its an old code as I reset it & it hasnt come back on.I believe that is a historical code.

 

Does sound like a fuel problem but you should perform the fuel presure test to verify. The fuel pressure test kit is P/N HD-41182 My bad: it was not a recall but a "service bulletin", #M-1141A, FUEL MODULE FLANGE REPLACEMENT PRODUCT REPLACEMENT UPDATE No. PP8, to replace the fuel module flange; this is an update for a notice sent on October 10, 2003, and is applicable to "some 2003 and early 2004 models verified by the VIN list sent with the original notice {I do not have this}. Apparently, the old one can come loose/leak causing poor performance [sounds familiar, doesn't it?]. The replacement P/N is 75173-01A if you want to DIY but be gentle with taking on & off the fuel line connectors [can break male fuel pump pins]; use a service manual! The service manual is not a waste of money but for the problems you indicate, a service manual MAY NOT be of help as it MAY BE electronic in nature; the electrical diagnostics manual is best for this as it outlines electrical testing. However, most electrical tests use special test equipment proprietary to HD, so forewarned!

 

Thanks robzuc97, We actually dropped the bike off at the dealer tonight, they ran the VIN# & said it didnt appear to be in need of the recall or service bulletin rather. I'm hoping it is the fuel module flange as my son just spent every dime he had to get the bike, rode it for two weeks & know this. It def looks like somethings not right in the fuel tank, ,when we did the check it def appears to be spraying & misting inside.
I'm def buying a service manual as well, is the actual HD manual better than the clymers & others?

 

A good news, bad news, situation, eh? Good being I rarely hear of trouble with the V-Rods on this forum and bad news, it has to be YOURS! Hopefully, they'll fix it with minimal cost. Tore the Revolution engine apart in school and they are something! PITA to change s-plugs and adjust valve lash, though, but what can you do? I PREFER the HD manual since it is from them; opinions vary which is best. My own experience with a Clymers in the '84 working on my Pontiac T/A, they told me to pull the cam but didn't say to pull the distributor which is on a gear on the cam so you can't without pulling the distrib first... Haven't ran into anything like this with HD manuals [although some info DOES and can change with newer bikes] but you should be okay with the 2003 manual. Good luck!