1995 wide glide SS SUPER E . getting black smoke out of pipes on deceleration. inside of pipes soot saturated. has trouble a low rpm idle and is really LOPEY! ive adjusted the idle air mixture screw for smoothest idle. still doing it. this bike sat for a good while without being ridden. ive ran mayby 1 full tank of good gas through since. shot it with carb cleaner. sped the idle up a little but still not 100 %.Changed pugs and plug wires. are these things a bitch to rebuild? a saw a kit for bot $50.00 bucks.Im also thinking this thing has a pretty big cam in it. maybe to big. it pops and bounces around at idle like crazy the front tire and forks even rock and roll.a LOT of compression too. doesnt idle like any other bike ive owned. it runs like a striped *** ape at full thottle but idle is terrible. i was thinking that with a big cam like that it would be really rough like that. for anybody that was following my previous thread im still tackling the vibe issue. i have about 1/2 freeplay travel in my primary chain at cold.a guy was telling me thats way to much. said about 3/8 is where it should be.he said i was experiencing "chain slap" so that explains some of the vibes. thanks.

 

Sure sounds to me like the carb is jetted way to rich with the popping and black soot. S&S supers are easy to jet. Pull the float bowl and see whats in there. If the low speed jets bigger than a .295 then that may be the problem. You say its running good under hard acceleration so the main jet is probably close.

 

Get yourself 3 or 4 sets of new spark plugs, two sizes smaller intermediate jets and main jets above and below whatever main you now have in the carb. Take a day off to spend doing this test. Install the next smaller intermediate jet. Go for a ride long enough to get to operating temp. Intsall a new set of plugs and go for maybe 10 miles or more. For the intermediate jet you will need to keep your speed to around 30 m/h. When you have decided to stop, pull in the clutch and kill the engine at the same time and stop by brakes only. Let cool for a bit to keep fingers from needing stake sauce. Pull spark plugs and see their color. Compare that with chart from service manual. See that both plugs are the same or at least close to same. Still sooty? Try smaller intermed. jet. Install new plugs so you will have clean one to start with for the next jet. When you get the right results you might need to change the main jet also. Do it the same way at highway speeds. This may take you several tries and all day to get to the right combo for your bike. When you do you will be happier. You should shut off the accelerator pump to do this testing as it can give you a false read. After you are satisfied readjust the acc. pump and you are good to go.
Now, I did not address your cam here. Not knowing what is in there, I can't give you an idea of your idle complaint. Could be the carb, could be a 'hot' cam. Maybe even the timing setting.
The SS is a great carb when 'set' for the bike it is on!! Good luck.

 

bike sat for a while & now won't idle - sounds like a plugged pilot jet to me.
how did it run before it was left to sit?

 

i just bought the bike. he said the bike sat and he hadnt rode it for a couple of years. the plug wires were in terrible shape as were the plugs.

 

pull the carb off & clean it is where i would start. remove the main & pilot jets, inspect & clean as needed. if any jets are plugged, it's a good idea to replace as opposed to cleaning.
note the jet sizes for future ref..

 

Yeah, but what kind of shape were the plugs?

I'm sorry, I tried, but couldn't help myself.

So, it smokes only on decel. Rough idle. Runs great when you're on it.

It does sound like you're running a hot cam. That explains the strength and at least part, if not all of the loping idle.

Pull the plugs and do a compression check. Higher compression needs higher octane fuel. Compare pressure between cylinders. Check bleed down to verify rings and valves are sealing. (Smoking, popping, rough idle)

Check exhaust system for leaks. Popping exhaust, back firing. (Hold a rag on exhaust pipe/muffler and listen)

Check intake for leaks. (Spray WD-40 or similar around carb etc. and listen for rpm changes)

That should begin to narrow down what's normal and where you need to focus repairs if needed.

 

Way too much fuel. As stated above check jet sizes, adjust by reading your plugs.

 

thats funny clicker...i forgot the word wires..lol...the plugs just looked corroded and black. like somebody dipped the fire end into gunpowder. or chimney soot. the plug wires were some junk thin cord braided type wire and the umbrellas were actually seized to the top of the plugs. i had to cut them off. just terrible. i replaced with screaming eagle 10 mm wires and recomended spark plugs. im going to dig into it in the morning.pull the carb off etc. thank you for all the advice. ill post findings tomorow.