Something doesn't quite feel right here. A top end at 50k seems a little unusual. Maybe it was necessary, maybe you ride really hard. Stators can go bad. Unless your front end was leaking I don't know why you would have to rebuild it. But the carb thing is a little scary. Carbs can be rebuilt on the cheap. There should be no reason to need to replace a carb because something bad is wrong on the inside, like your mechanic said.

Are you telling them what you want done or are they telling you it needs to be done?

If you have a short in a wire, fix that but don't replace the whole wiring harness. I have two antique Harleys with mostly original wiring, no problems. It looks to me like you are spending a lot of money on repairs that don't really need to be made. I could be wrong but I wanted to bring it up anyway.

carl

 

There is absolutely no reason to re wire the entire bike unless the thing caught on fire.
If you have an issue with the turn signals, describe it and we can help you get it sorted out.

Unless the turn signals are blowing a fuse, you don`t have a short...

I haven`t had to replace any wiring or even a single connector on my `89 FLSTC.

The electrical wiring on that bike is very basic and easy to troubleshoot.

 

On this I will have to disagree with you.

Every time I made a change to my harness which required stripping back the jacket so that I could solder on a new connector I found that no matter which wire I stripped back there was corrosion that had worked its way up the wire under the jacket.

After I got tired of fixing each wire and just put on a new harness all the problems I was having just went away.

Wires don't last forever, they do wear out over time.
The time it takes them to go bad varys on many things but in the end they all go bad.

 

Me too...I have several Harley's that the wiring was "rotton" for lack of a better term. Not sure what causes it...ozone, pollution, global warming...bend a wire and the insulation would break...not fixable...straight to the trash.

 

How big a job is it to replace the entire wiring system?

 

3 cases of beer and a couple 3 or 4 days? I don't drink anymore so it is hard for me to judge time now.

 

If the main wiring harness has the OEM connectors that should take anywhere from 30 min to 1 hour, handlebars probably 1 hour to 1.5 hours, rear fender probably another hour, other bits maybe about an hour.

First time doing it probably around 6 hours if you take your time and make sure you get it right.

It isn't hard just time consuming.

 

Thanks Texashillcountry. Maybe I will try it myself. Do I need a lift? Or can I do it sitting on the stand? Might give me a chance to get the bike taken apart and see how it is put together.

 

My mechanic is not pushing me to do this stuff at all. Quite the reverse. I am a preventative maintenance guy.

For those interested, he is my story. I got the bike "Gus" from an old friend in trade for a truck worth about $4,500.

I intended to do little to the bike and just see what the Harley thing was like. I also have two dual sport bikes and two adventure bikes. Really did not think Harley's were my thing, but my friend was in a bind and I was in a position to help him out.

Took the bike to mechanic for safety check, new tires, fix turn signals (new control modual) and had the rear shocks put back up to factory height (had been lowered). He said it was in safe operating condition, was seeping oil from base gasket and the carbs needed to be re-jetted, but none of that needed to be done immediately. Planned to ride the bike for a year and do that stuff if I decided to keep the bike, which at that point I was think I would not. Just check the Harley thing off my been there done that list.

Bike died while out on a ride. Diagnosed as a bad stator I think. Something wrong with the charging system anyway. Bike had formerly had an accent lighting system on it which had been removed in the past.

So I decided as long as he was at it, may as well fix the base gaskets, rejet carbs and do whatever else was efficient to do while he was in there.

Found that the front shocks were in bad shape. Seals shot an no oil on one side. And a bunch of other little stuff needed replacing. One of the engine mounts was missing. New clutch cable.

Replaced pistons and rings, new cam, cleaned valves, replaced plugs, a bunch of other little stuff. It also had a lot of flashy golf fittings and live to ride, ride to life stuff. I had him replace all the fittings with standard plain fittings. I replaced the live to ride, ride to live stuff with plain stuff. It came to about $2,500 or so for everything.

When I picked it up he said he had a really hard time with the carburetor. Something was pitted or something, floats maybe. Anyway, he said he got it to work, but that it would need a new carburetor in the not too distant future. Everything else was good.

I was amazed at how much better the bike rode. It is much smoother, starts better, rides great. So now I am falling in love with the bike. I ride it almost every day.

The bike will cough occasionally, but usually only when I do not warm it up properly.

The left front turn signal does not work and I think I damaged the wires adjusting the passing lights. I made a socket with a slot to get at the nut and I think I turned it too far. I created a problem with the passing lights. Found I had damaged a wire. Replaced it. Passing lights are fine now. Right turn signal works but left does not. First diagnosed as related to the turn signal bulb socket. Replaced it, still does not work and it is front and rear on left side. Concerned that I may have damaged the turn signal control modual by shorting something.

So while all this is going on, my mechanic says he picked up a carburetor off a twin cam that would work on my bike for $50 and he would let me have it at his cost. I thought he said it was off a 2007 but I learned I must have mis remembered what he said since by 2007 they were all EFI. Anyway, he says it is a really easy job to slip the old one out and a new OEM in. He says bigger job to put an S&S carb in.

So, having fallen in love with Gus, I am thinking why not go all the way. New wiring system, fix anything else that is on the edge and have a bike that is as solid as a 25 year old bike can be on the inside.

So other than the carb, it is not my mechanic pushing me to do any of this. It is me as a preventative maintenance guy wanting to do this stuff.

Bike may have lived outside for a while. But what may have been worse is that it lived in an enclosed trailer for a while. In that small metal trailer in Florida, it could have been exposed to extreme heat and humidity while sitting with ethanol gas for a while. So it is plausible to me that it could have suffered unusual deterioration.

Anyway, I want to do what I can to get the bike in as solid running condition as I can so I can take it on a road trip to Tuscaloosa this spring to see my son. 600 miles each way. I have essentially zero road side repair skills so I want to take all reasonable precautions to minimize the risk of getting stuck with a dead bike in the middle of no where in rural Florida or Alabama.

Going skiing next week, then going to talk to my mechanic when I get back and come up with a plan.

Maybe I will try to replace the wiring with some guidance from my mechanic. He has been very generous with his time giving me advice. I could see myself taking a day, if it really reasonable for a newbie like me to do it in 6 hours.

 

Why not just plan on parking the bike and taking your time with 'Gus'. If it takes a w\e or a week so be it. Relax man, this is all good.