Never thought I'd say this, but I've grown quite fond of "Big Red". So much so that I'm actually thinking I may (eghad!) put my FXR for sale in the spring. Can't believe I'm even thinking that. Still love the FX, but I really don't like having two bikes around (is this guy nuts?!?) and if I'm going to keep one, it's going to be the EG.

Had a nice trip over the weekend. Just about 700 miles over three days. She ran great.

Either I'm getting used to the bike, or the bike is getting used to being run, but it seems like she is running better and better after about 3k miles since I got her. 10k miles in her first 25 years, 3k miles in the next month. I think they just want to get out on the road.

Here's a fresh one: When I arrived at the motel in Iowa, a good friend of mine who had come in from Chicago was right behind me. Next thing I know I look out and he's sitting on the bike. I go out and we start talking and the NEXT thing I know the bike (which he is now off of) falls over. Guess he didn't get the kick stand down all the way. Aargh. Good thing I like him. Got her back up easy enough. No harm done (those crash bars are a blessing), but geeze!

Still trying to decide if I want to replace the radio. I see these speaker pods for sale that mount to the TourPack, but they are all for newer models. Any reasonable chance they would fit on my '90? Another option would be to fab some up. That shouldn't be too difficult....I'm thinking of shaping some styrofoam to fit, then covering it with fiberglass, then hogging out the foam and presto! I still wonder if I even want a radio. I'd hate to go through all the work of making the pods, replacing the fairing speakers, finding a new radio, figuring out how to wire it all together into the handlebar controls, only to realize it was all a waste of time. Oh well. What I need is to figure out a setup that has some kind of remote control so my wife can listen to whatever she wants. That way I'll be running down the road listening to Alabama and John Denver all over the country. ::Sigh::

Disaster struck a few weeks ago. Left the office, got a few blocks away, remembered I had forgotten something, ran back, ran inside for like 10 seconds, and stupidly left the bike running. Go back out and she's rolled down the parking lot and fell over pretty hard. Hard enough that the right hand side of the batwing took a hit. No real harm done. Just scratches. Hate seeing them, though. I have a friend with a body shop. I'm going to have him repaint the wing over the winter. Lesson learned. Anyway, if I go that way, I'll have him shoot my "custom" speaker pods while he's at it. Might turn out pretty nifty.

In that same drop, the right hand grip and lever got all banged up. Didn't like that one bit, so I replaced them with some very nifty Kuryakyn units. Dropped one of the little brass thingies that connect the throttle cables. My grandson and I spent two hours in the garage before finding it. Always in the last place you look. The grips have the little wrist rocker thing that works a dream on the highway, and the levers have the little finger nub which I'm really liking. Better and better.

I remember everyone a few months back raving about Progressive springs on these. Can someone give me some specific part numbers I should look at? Between my wife and I, we probably weigh around 325 or so. I know putting Progressives on my FXR really made a difference. I kind of like the idea of stripping off all that air shock stuff and going with something simpler.

Got into the carb a while back. Installed a "CVP" spring and needle, re-jetted, etc. Might have gone a tad too rich. Not sure yet. Mileage on the highway is right around 40MPG, unless I'm pushing a strong headwind, in which case I drops to low to mid 30's. Dude next door has a dyno. I might see if I can get over there and do a run and see the actual AFR curve. Mileage aside, she runs really, really well. I've thought about digging in and doing all the regular stuff (EV-13, etc), but as long as she stays nice and oil tight, I'm leaving it alone. At only 13k on the clock, I'll wait.

Two times now she has lost power on the Interstate. First time was a month or so ago when my wife and I were coming back from SD. Other time was a few weeks ago when I was on a run in Iowa. First time it seemed like it wasn't getting fuel. Second time it seemed more ignition-ish. Just guessing. Both times were almost exactly after running a continuous 100 miles. Both time the problem went away as fast as it started. I was hoping it would happen again last weekend so maybe I could narrow it down, but it didn't. Someone mentioned a gitchy fuel tank vent valve. Maybe it just needed a few cycles to loosen up? Who knows.

All told, very glad I got this bike. If I end up with a new suspension and a new radio next spring, all the better.

Cheers!

PS: Forgot to mention, I got a new LRS shield. The stocker was a 12". Went with a 9". Like it MUCH better.

 

With the bike running, grab the ignition wire where it comes out the bottom of the cone and runs to the frame and give it a gentle tug. They break inside the insulation from the motor vibrating. If it dies, that's your problem. You may even be able to feel the wire broken when you pull on it. If it stretches as you tug, it's broken.

 

I totally understand about them growing on you, I just can't get over how nice mine runs now too, I've put about 2000 miles on it this summer and wow what a difference. Ours are almost the same.

 

I'll give that a try. Thanks!

Lovely. I always wanted one with that "rag catcher" badge on the tank!

 

Although this is made for newer bikes, it might give you some ideas. Instead of replacing the radio, a good integrated iPad mount might be the way to go since you can store thousands of tunes locally, plus have the additional benefit of GPS etc. The Garmin app does not require cell or wifi signal because the maps are stored locally instead of having to load from towers as you ride down the road.

http://www.1-off-creations.com

Anyway, it might give you some ideas of fabricating something similar.

 

I have a fatboy an v rod now an I'm thinking about going down to one bike. Had an electra glide TC but it was too bulky an heavy for me. So I'm with you on the one bike thing. I only put a few hundred on the V rod this year so it's up for sale. I'm loving the evo fatboy an selling the V rod would fund a cam change (maybe) an some high end shocks.

I was looking at the Jenson Harley replacement radio. It's not cheap but has modern connections for ipod an blue tooth. They offer their own handlebar mounted control too. If you want more speakers you can add some plastic speaker boxes to your crash bar.

 

I remember when you got that bike still looking good!

I also have a 1990 Ultra Electra Glide Classic I could imagine having anything else.

 

Tour pak speaker pods will kit back to the 80's tour paks. I did one last winter for my buddy.

 

I struggle to understand how your bike could roll over when left on the jiffy! I spent ages as a new Harley owner demonstrating how the darned thing couldn't fall over, even when parked facing up or down a steep hill.

As for fork springs, use single-rate ones, matched to your weight. Progressive-rate springs are a compromise and if you are going to strip and rebuild your forks you may as well make them custom instead! I used Race Tech. You could also consider using Intiminators, to improve the fork damping.

However much more important from Mrs 0's point of view is what are you going to do with your shocks? Sort them out before you do the forks, they are the priority! What you achieve there will earn you serious bonus points, many more than the forks.

 

I had a losing power situation that progressively got to, no start. It was the main connector under the cowling. The white wire that runs to the coil connector specifically. It was corroded but, not enough to see. I pulled it apart, used some spray electrical cleaner and some dielectric grease and it hasn't been any trouble since. It took me a long time to find it. I was sure it was a carb issue for a long time. On my bike it's the portion of the harness that runs down the right side of the frame when it leaves the batwing. It's an easy fix.

Getting those forks off is pretty easy, just labor intensive. The rebuild and springs is very simple. You need an impact wrench to get the allen screws out of the bottom of the fork sliders. I recommend using the regular weight fork oil. Most people grow to dislike the heavy weight oil as it rides too stiff. I don't have a part number for the progressive springs. But, they are easy to find and well worth every penny. I love them.

I replaced my radio with a unit from Autozone. It works good, not water proof and no hand controls on the bars. But, I loaded up a 32GB data card in that thing that will play for days with no repeats. Spend your money on the best speakers you can find for the holes in the fairing. The factory speakers are pretty good. To do better than those you'll have to spend some cash. I went middle of the road and ended up no better off than the stock speakers. If you intend to listen out on the interstate you'll be needing a minimum of 3-400 watts and speakers that can handle it. Those 4 inch holes are barely able to do the job. I would love to figure out a way to add a couple more speakers up front and it not look like a hack job.

Glad you're enjoying the EG.