Do not overfill
#1
Do not overfill
I am a new Harley owner. I bought a basket case and put it all back together. Having never turned a wrench on a Harley, there was a learning curve that I was forced to follow...I thought I would share.
I got everything put back together and got it started. It all sounded good so I decided to go for a short test drive. I got maybe 1/4 mile from the house and it sputtered and died. After a rew mintes it restarted and I was off only to sputter and die again a few hundred yards later. At this point I see a pattern and decided to turn around. I also decided that if it followed this pattern of sputtering and dying AND if it should not happen to restart, it was a long push home. The solution, get going as fast as possible so I could coast as far as possible before the unavoidable die.
To me this was a good plan. When I hit about 60 MPH I heard this loud POP and something hit my leg. I looked down to see LOTS of oil shooting out the right side along with much smoke...I was thinking "hmmm...thats bad". I looked up in time to make a necessary course correction away from the bridge rail then looked behind me where I noticed something chrome rolling around in the road. I thought "I need that!" The predicted sputter and die came just then so I pulled aside.
Being on the shoulder in a curve I couldnt use the kick stand. Fortunately my bike has floorboards and I can lay it over on them withoutit falling over, which I did. I walked back and retrieved my chrome which turned out to be my oil fill cap.
Lesson learned - Do not over fill the oil tank, kids, it will really get your attention. And the sputtering and dying...when the gas gauge says near empty it really means EMPTY.
I got everything put back together and got it started. It all sounded good so I decided to go for a short test drive. I got maybe 1/4 mile from the house and it sputtered and died. After a rew mintes it restarted and I was off only to sputter and die again a few hundred yards later. At this point I see a pattern and decided to turn around. I also decided that if it followed this pattern of sputtering and dying AND if it should not happen to restart, it was a long push home. The solution, get going as fast as possible so I could coast as far as possible before the unavoidable die.
To me this was a good plan. When I hit about 60 MPH I heard this loud POP and something hit my leg. I looked down to see LOTS of oil shooting out the right side along with much smoke...I was thinking "hmmm...thats bad". I looked up in time to make a necessary course correction away from the bridge rail then looked behind me where I noticed something chrome rolling around in the road. I thought "I need that!" The predicted sputter and die came just then so I pulled aside.
Being on the shoulder in a curve I couldnt use the kick stand. Fortunately my bike has floorboards and I can lay it over on them withoutit falling over, which I did. I walked back and retrieved my chrome which turned out to be my oil fill cap.
Lesson learned - Do not over fill the oil tank, kids, it will really get your attention. And the sputtering and dying...when the gas gauge says near empty it really means EMPTY.
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