Hey all I have a 2002 Harley Davidson XL883 custom sportster and I just got it yesterday the gentleman I got it from said it was sitting for awhile about 3-4 years before he rode it to my house he changed out the gas did an oil change and put a new battery on it well I rode it around for about 5 hours on and off seemed to run fine except for it felt like the motor was jerking when it low 1st and 2nd gear now moving on to my question I just took both screws out of the air cleaner cover then I popped the air filter off now when I took the left allen bolt that goes into the left cylinder head out it was covered in a milky like fluid more brown then white and has a lot of chunky crap on it I know some of the fluid is oil but is this normal and if not what is going on also should the inside of my carburetor be this filthy sorry I tried my best to describe whats going on I hope the pictures can tell a better story thank you very much in advance for any help/input http://i1215.photobucket.com/albums/...3/DSC_0132.jpg
http://i1215.photobucket.com/albums/...3/DSC_0134.jpg
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that chunky stuff looks like old thread lock. just clean it up with some brake cleaner and reinstall using "blue" thread lock. blue will become your best friend on your solid mount sporty to keep from loosing bolts. far as the milky stuff...if the oil and filter has recently been changed, i wouldnt worry about it...it needs ridden to burn off the condensation. jerking in 1st and 2nd, not sure...make sure your not lugging the engine. could need a clutch adjustment, could need carb work...make sure you get a factory service manual (fsm) for the bike. how many miles on it? any after market exhaust, air cleaner, etc. have you pulled the plugs and looked at them? bike sitting that long may need the carb rebuilt/cleaned. good luck with it

 

Since it sat for awhile the carb could be gunked up a bit, I'd give it a double dose of Seafoam for a tank or 2 and see if that clears it up prior to tarring things apart.