Great looking bike. We will help you getting running right in a jiffy. Before spending too much, I think it is best to asses what you have and what needs work. After all, it is 32 years old.

I would start with a compression test and if you can, a leak down test.

How do the fluids look? Save them when you drain them. They can often tell you a lot, especially if you let them settle. Also not a bad idea to slice the oil filter in half when you change it to see what if anything it might be holding.

I remember the compliance fittings being sometimes problematic on early Evo's, so you are going to want to upgrade to the newer style when you change the carb. The three carbs that Tom mentioned are all great choices, with everybody claiming their personal favorite is best. The CV is common and can be had for cheap. The S&S is very simple to setup. The Mikuni is harder and takes a bit more time and patience to get it just right, but after you do, not only does it make slightly more power, the throttle response is very crisp and the biggest advantage of it is is a smoother transition between various rpm ranges. I am running the stock cv with a dynojet and thunderslide

As for as controls, I would stick with the forwards, but that is a personal preference. Mids hurt my hips.

 

Thank you. Speaking of fluids, does anyone know why my new bike seems to be puking oil out of a breather tube under the motor? It has one of those small round filters on it, which is loaded with oil. My old 1972 FLH used to do that if it sat for a while, but this bike is doing it and I have not even started it!

 

The crank vent is probably not routed properly causing it to not let any oil drain back to the case, instead it's being drained out the filter. Mine was low when I bought my bike years ago and always made a hell of a mess. Then I smartened and discovered keeping the oil level about a half quart lower than the service manual kept the oil where it belongs.... and routed the vent back to my breather where it should be (pcv) system. Haven't seen a drop of oil in years, believe me you....

 

Remove the filter. All it does is catch oil. Run a draft tube to the underside of the bike & leave it at that. You won't suck dirt into the engine as it will stick to the inside of the hose before it makes it to the engine. Cars built before 1960 used road draft tubes without any filter & they did just fine.

 

Also, the oil may drain past the check ball and over fill the case, this happens to some people when the bike sits too long, and will puke next time it is started. I have yet to experience this and hopefully never will. Hope this is helpful...

 

--Glidein wide...I just today got my manual for the bike. It shows (what I think you are talking about) a hose that goes from the crankcase to the air cleaner. Is that it?

--Tommy C--- yeah my old Shovel FLH just had line that was attached to the fender. Never noticed it until the first time it sat for a while then puked at start-up...yikes.

 

If that was my bike, I'd find a correct keihin and put it all back to stock. It's a special edition bike, and will be worth the most in stock form. The butterfly carb is a fine unit, if you put in the Andrews pump and jet/adjust it correctly.

I have a couple bikes with SU's, and I think they are a great carb, but not for the novice tuner. It's better suited for a chopper style bike, not your disc glide.

 

Actually, they were hard pressed to make it past a hundred thousand miles before needing a rebuild. There are other factors but, the closed crankcase (PVC) system is one of them. Engines routinely go way past the 100K mark today.
Keep the filter and service it periodically.