Hello all,ny name is Bruce and im coming to you all the way from South Africa.

I recently inherited a 98 Wide Glide from my father and i would like to get her in tip top condition. Mileage on the bike is 40k km.

I had to drain the tank as all the fuel was off as the bike has been standing for several years.

I also own a 76 honda cb550 which i recently rebuilt so i do have a little tech know how.

I have to also remove the carb and clean her out good and proper. Luckily my father drained the float bowl prior to letting the bike stand. I pulled the plugs and poured a little oil in each cylinder before i attempted to turn the motor over. let the oil sit for a bit, pity it cant be turned over without cranking her, otherwise i would have. Anyway, got everything back together, pulled the plugs leads off, turned the engine over a few times to get oil where it needs to be.

connected everything back to normal and fired her up. she started right up, first time! a little smokey from the oil, but great otherwise!

I want to do a service on her now, before i do any long rides. i went through the gears and they are perfect.

Any tips on what i need to check after standing for so long? what would need replacing? I also checked the manual and there seems to be several different oils required? engine, transmission, primary drive? its all quite complicated for me at this time

Thanks for reading guys!

 

Welcome to the Forum from Colorado!
I'm sure the EVO guys will be chiming in here soon. If not, post your questions in the EVO section of the forum.

 

Thanks Mr! Appreciate it! excuse my ignorance, but what does EVO mean?

 

98 with a fuel bowl tells us you have a carburator which is a good thing as fuel injection was problematic this year. She started so the carb must be working, If it were mine I would perdorm the following

1 - Check tires for dry rot cracks and replace as necessary
2 - Add fuel injector/carb cleaner to tank fuel, my preference is Seafoam and 2-3 times the recommended amount
3 - Drain oil, remove filter and replace with 20W50, my preference is HD premium Oil
4 - Drain primary and replace with 1 Qt Primary Chaincase Lube, my preference is HD Formula + Primary Chaincase & Transmission Oil
5 - Drain transmission and replac with 1 Qt Transmission Oil. my preference is HD Formula + Primary Chaincase & Transmission Oil
6 - Inspect brake linings for pad thickness, replace if worn. Replace Rotors if pads worn into rotors leaving gooves.
7 - Ride the tank of gas and cleaner out
8 - Replace the spark plugs as they will have contaminants stuck on electrodes from fuel treatment
9 - Replace Fuel Filter
10 - Watch front fork seals for leaks

 

Thank you Sir,

i will do those checks this weekend.

I have done a ton of reading and understand all you have mentioned hahaha.

thanks for your help

 

EVO is evolution engine.. The current engine name/type is twincam. Evo was the generation before twincam.. Before Evo was the shovelhead and so on..

 

Looks like you have all the advice you need. I would have left the plugs out while cranking it over so it would turn over faster and circulate things better

Welcome to the forum and enjoy the ride!

 

thanks guys! cant wait to go cruising!

i read that the evo was the motor that saved harley when the going was bad, very strong and reliable motors compared to their predecessors.

iirc i did just that with the plugs out, the battery i had with me on day1, wasnt really all the strong so it was better with less load.

I would like to convert the rear to the round fender instead of the...well, like yours YNOTS. want to get rid of the molded one if you know what i mean. like this rear fender:



Also do a tank lift at the front. Im sure i can fabricate something to do that once i take a closer look.

Here is my 1976 Honda cb550 build for anyone interested. it got me started in the motorcycle scene. http://www.wilddog.za.net/forum/inde...topic=113724.0

 

Welcome Bruce! I'm from Joburg originally but spent many years visiting relatives in East London circa early eighties (Orient Beach, caravanning in Gonubie etc).

It's a fine bike you inherited there. I don't know much about EVO motors but I can tell you from doing the same thing on an old XS Eleven years ago is to also change the brake fluid and check the master and slave cylinders. Coastal weather is brutal on these components and thats one thing I could never sort out on the Yammie after standing so long.

The fender you wanna change isn't molded by the way, it's all sheet metal rolled like that but I get what you mean. If you are restoring it I would personally try keep it stock-ish, but totally up to you brah! If you find you'd rather change it to the 2010 onwards chopped fenders like Ynots (and mine) then I'd pass by your local Harley shop in town and measure the distance between the rear struts of the newer bikes. (That's the two bars running on either side of the fender and actually part of the frame.) I wont be surprised if a few things changed since 1997 and it may not be a direct fit. Also, if you look at the SA Wideglides you'll see the taillight is different, and the fender is also slightly different where the numberplate mounts. What I'm saying is if you want Ynots smooth rear fender it will have to be imported from the States.

Looking forward to seeing you give her another lease of life, whatever you decide..