I am helping a friend with a 2005 -1200c - It has some cheap after market pipes - High flow air system - A dealership changed out carb, tried all kinds of jet variations, even said they tried a whole other electrical system off another bike. It runs rich... Blows black. It rides fairly good. Seems to throtle up well. Just idles terrible. Harley tested compression - OK and preformed a leak down test - It has a slight leak down on front cylinder. I believe most will leak down a bit because the valves don't seal perfectly - The bike has 10,000 miles on it. HArley says it may have a broke ring. Suggested top end tear down. I can't believe that low of milage and it doesn't look abused? Pipes arnt very blue. 175 - 45 jets - Any ideas?

 

What are the pipes? If they are drag pipes with slash-cut ends junk them. Or cut them to length and fit proper mufflers.

 

The stock head gaskets on a 2005 1200 are fiber. The o-rings don't fit in the holes, on the gasket over the dowels. Fit the dowels fine. The book says they go under the head gasket. That raises the head gasket off the cylinder deck? Starnge. I thought Ok that's what the book says. Put it together, fired it up and the gasket blew out on that side of the head. Any ideas? When I took the heads off the olk gasket were all but fused into the metal. The o-ring were in tact.