When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Repeated detonation can do that, the oil getting into the combustion chamber can make it want to detonate more.
Hrmmm, now I'm wondering if I needed to use octane booster and had no idea. The indie dealership I got this from in 2019 couldn't tell me anything about it. I used 90 octane non-ethanol in this bike. The new Ultima requires 92 octane minimum (10.2:1 comp ratio) so I'm adding Lucas octane booster.
I don't worry about the ethanol in the gas, I go for the highest octane, 93 around here.
Not that it matters at this point, but it looks like that motor had oil control problems, I can't tell from the pictures, but if those Wiseco's happened to have the 2mm oil rings, there was known issue with oil control, Wiseco changed to a 3mm oil ring set up a while back.
I don't worry about the ethanol in the gas, I go for the highest octane, 93 around here.
I made the mistake of running some 93 octane E-10 ONCE, misfires & sputtering all the way home from that short trip.
Also, there's a lot of schmutz on the back (manifold side) of both intake valves, big chunks of soot & filth, burnt oil residue. But I'm not seeing a bent valve like I thought, they're all seated just fine.
It's apparent that with that nasty ding in the combustion chamber the heads are history. And upon closer inspection of the crankcase, it looks like someone took a grinder to where the primary mates to it, one of the stator plug retainer screws is snapped off in the threads, and the case leaks a lot. The cam has some small chips in one of the lobes.
I made the mistake of running some 93 octane E-10 ONCE, misfires & sputtering all the way home from that short trip.
Also, there's a lot of schmutz on the back (manifold side) of both intake valves, big chunks of soot & filth, burnt oil residue. But I'm not seeing a bent valve like I thought, they're all seated just fine.
It's apparent that with that nasty ding in the combustion chamber the heads are history.
A good welder can fill in the dings in the combustion chamber with a tig welder.
A good welder can fill in the dings in the combustion chamber with a tig welder.
I've been asking around my locale, nobody seems to know anyone willing/able to do that. Probably send the heads out to get worked on in the future. Or buy some aftermarket ones. We'll see.
I've been asking around my locale, nobody seems to know anyone willing/able to do that. Probably send the heads out to get worked on in the future. Or buy some aftermarket ones. We'll see.
Someone welded up those heads to get the bath tub combustion chamber.They could be Branch Heads. Jerry favored that configuration.
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.
Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.
Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's challenges aren't abstract; they show up in dropping shipments, shrinking dealer traffic, and strategic decisions that aren't yet translating into growth.