What have I gotten myself into??? I picked up a 1986 FLHT a few weeks ago, my first Harley... Boy, was I excited! The excitement has pretty turned into dread. The previous owner had replaced the engine with one out of a 1996 Tour Glide (but the serial number comes up as Softail). I bought the bike (traded, actually) as he touted it as being a roadworthy, ready to ride bike. The primary was supposedly rebuilt when they swapped the engine over three years ago, and the bike hadn't been ridden much since. He rode the bike half way to meet me, so obviously it was running. Which leads to the first issue I found... The battery wasn't charging. Faulty RR, no biggie. This easy to fix problem was just the start of the adventure. I ended up having to replace the entire ignition system.

Since then, I had discovered:
- There was no oil in the forks whatsoever, so I did a full rebuild (seals, bushings, etc..)
- The ape hangers were too tall, so they pulled on the throttle cables whenever turning the bars left, even though they put new cables on (too short, obviously). I took 1-1/2" out of the bars until I can get new ones, too tall anyway.
- Front brake line is seeping at the rubber connection to the steel line (upper line) - needs replacing
- Brake pad retaining plate missing from one of the front calipers - need to source one
- The adjuster bolt threads in the clutch activator plate were completely stripped - replaced with new
- The clutch diaphragm spring has close to .25" of clearance instead of the 0.010" allowable tolerance - needs new clutch pack and spring
- No main circuit breaker on the bike (discovered when connecting the new RR) - purchased, yet to install
- Primary drain bolt hole is stripped - will address when I install the new clutch pack
- Carb needs replacing... Couldn't figure out why I couldn't get the bike to lean out, so I pulled the carb last night. One of the float masts was completely busted off and they tried to JB weld it back together...Gee, I wonder where all the excess fuel was coming from!

It's quite obvious the previous owner was either a lying hack or was completely oblivious as to what a good running motorcycle should be and didn't do any basic maintenance at all. He still insists he didn't have any issues with it. At least the rest of the bike seems to be in decent shape, 152psi compression (on both), progressive rear shocks, new tires, decent exhaust, etc.

Sorry, not really any questions to ask, just needed to vent I guess... I've repaired many bikes over the past few years and I am pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to work on these older Harleys. The poor old girl just needs some TLC, and that's what she's going to get. Not sure how many times I've said it, but... Some people just shouldn't own motorcycles.

 

Caper,
I feel your pain.
I bought an '84 FXRT (less fairing) and this poor bike has had issue and issue. My fault for buying it, I didn't check it out well enough. I should have known better.
Just some of my issues:
1. A primary case I just cant get to seal up.
2. Base gaskets and lifter housing gaskets leak a lot.
3. I had to replace the after market ignition because it kept getting hot and the engine would shut down. I replace that with all stock HD ign part... problem solved.
4. Rear rim was not shimmed and spaced properly. I found that out by getting a highway wobble that almost threw me off the bike.
5. Brake fluid had probably not been changed since the bike was new. When I replaced it, it came out like mud.
6. PO said he put on new brake pads, actually they were pads off a different bike. I noticed because the wear marks were different than what the rotors were.
That's just a few of the issues, I could go on for days.
Why don't I sell it??? I don't know. I'm a glutton for punishment, I guess.

 

That's not a basket case. It just needs to be sorted out. The clutch could just have been put together wrong, for example. Get a factory shop manual and take it one problem at a time.

 

Sounds like me and my ex-wife. Unlike your bike though, she finally threw me off.

Greg

 

You know what they say.... If it has **** or wheels, you're gonna have problems with it.

 

Unlike a woman, a bike is able to be fixed.......

 

Yeah, but in both cases you're gonna wind up pumping a lot of money down a dry hole before things get better.

Greg

 

Did you get a good deal on it or did he take you to the cleaners? If you got it cheap, fix it and ride it. If you paid too much consider it a lesson learned, then fix it and ride it or sell it and cut your losses.

 

I traded a Buell XB12XT that I had for sale for the Harley. The Buell had a bit more value, but is a hard sell around here. Pre-88' Harleys are a hard find as well, as guys don't get rid of them due to the ridiculous plate/insurance costs for newer bikes. The Buell was $165 a month to plate where anything 1987 and older is $128 for the entire year, as it can be plated as an antique. Even with a package policy on it, it's still less than $350 for the year. This morning I ordered a Barnett clutch pack and clutch spring, braided front brake lines, throw out bearing and a Jim's primary gasket kit. I'm still looking for a CV carb or body. I hope by the time spring rolls around, she'll be back in tip-top shape.

 

unbelievable ! Ouch !