1989 FLHS up keep
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Cruiser
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 193
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From: Sandusky, OH
Good posts here.
ALWAYS check your tire pressure before you ride - esp after it's been sitting for two months! If mine's been sitting for a week or more I will check the tire pressure. Takes only a couple of minutes and can save your life - you don't want to be riding on low tires! And keep an eye on your remaining tire tread - Dunlops can get pretty squirrely when your tread is worn, but they last longer than Metzelers or Avons because the rubber is harder. I run Metzeler ME880s and I really like them. Don't ever skimp on tires, and don't let them run till there's hardly any tread left - they are the only contact point between your 800 lb bike and you, and the road - and you need the best contact you can get!
My bike has the newer style oil pan under the engine, and the dipstick has cold and hot levels on it - so I check it cold... but follow the others' advice here for your bike, since you have an oil tank. Never hurts to check your tranny and primary fluids too - but frankly I don't check it them very often - it doesn't get used up like engine oil does. Unless you have leaks, there really isn't anywhere for the tranny and primary fluids to go. I check the tranny fluid every 1000 miles or so, and the primary far less often - maybe once every 2500 miles or so, if that. I've never had to top either one off between the normal 5000 mile fluid changes.
I used to run AMSoil MCV 20W-50 in all three holes, but I have recently switched to Mobil 1 syn 75W-140 gear lube in the tranny - makes it quieter and smoother - and Mobil 1 syn ATF in the primary because I was having trouble finding neutral with the bike running. The 20W-50 seems to be too thick for the wet clutch to deal with. Primary fluid is mostly for cooling the wet clutch and just keeping the primary chain from rusting anyway - not "lubrication" per se - and if it's too thick, the clutch will tend to try to spin a little even when it's disengaged. The much thinner syn ATF seems to make the clutch free up better.
Good advice from Jim about how to warm it up properly. I let mine run with the enrichener out until it can run without it. I usually set the throttle lock at about 1500-1700 RPM and back out the enrichener slowly until the bike keeps running without it... my bike usually takes a good 3-5 minutes when it's cold. Don't be tempted blip the throttle at all until the heads are warm to the touch. Then she'll be ready to ride.
Also, once a month or so, and after long rides, you should go over all bolts and snug them up if needed. Rubber-mount Hogs tend to loosen them up! Check air in your air shocks and in your air forks occasionally to make sure the pressure in them is correct. I usually keep 15-20 lbs in the shocks and about that in the forks too - it makes the ride better on my bike and removes sloppiness and bottoming out. I like a firm ride, and my cushy Mustang seat makes it comfortable!
Check the grease fitting on the fork bearings every 5000 miles or so, and keep them full of grease, if you have one - your year may not have one... I don't remember when they started putting them on. I agree about using the H-D E fork oil and changing it once a year - but once you have it in, it's there. I've never had any fork oil leak out... if you do, you will need to replace your fork seals, which is a real PITA because you have to take off the front wheel and the fork lowers to change out the seal. That's just pure drudgery!
Good luck with your FLHS. I have a soft spot for those because Big Bertha, my 1995 FLHTP Police E-Glide, was the very last year with that big "toaster dash" up front. Some say it's ugly but I say it's cool looking - look like a locomotive to me! The FLHS was discontinued in '93 but they kept using it on the Police E-glides with windshields through '95. In '96, the FLHRP Road King Police replaced it for the Police bikes with a windshield, and it was gone forever...
BTW, if you ever need a replacement FLHS windshield, Cee Bailey makes custom, aircraft-quality, thicker Lucite ones for like $120. I have a 2" over-stock width one on Bertha in my sig pic. I got it because my old stock Lexan windshield was so stratched and pitted, I could barely see through it when the sun was in front of me, and you can't polish scratches out of Lexan like you can Lucite. The new Cee Bailey one is a light smoke color as well, which I really like.
Sorry for this dissertation, but it's a cold and rainy Sunday morning here in north Georgia, and I'm out of new stuff to install on Bertha! Nothing to do but type!
ALWAYS check your tire pressure before you ride - esp after it's been sitting for two months! If mine's been sitting for a week or more I will check the tire pressure. Takes only a couple of minutes and can save your life - you don't want to be riding on low tires! And keep an eye on your remaining tire tread - Dunlops can get pretty squirrely when your tread is worn, but they last longer than Metzelers or Avons because the rubber is harder. I run Metzeler ME880s and I really like them. Don't ever skimp on tires, and don't let them run till there's hardly any tread left - they are the only contact point between your 800 lb bike and you, and the road - and you need the best contact you can get!
My bike has the newer style oil pan under the engine, and the dipstick has cold and hot levels on it - so I check it cold... but follow the others' advice here for your bike, since you have an oil tank. Never hurts to check your tranny and primary fluids too - but frankly I don't check it them very often - it doesn't get used up like engine oil does. Unless you have leaks, there really isn't anywhere for the tranny and primary fluids to go. I check the tranny fluid every 1000 miles or so, and the primary far less often - maybe once every 2500 miles or so, if that. I've never had to top either one off between the normal 5000 mile fluid changes.
I used to run AMSoil MCV 20W-50 in all three holes, but I have recently switched to Mobil 1 syn 75W-140 gear lube in the tranny - makes it quieter and smoother - and Mobil 1 syn ATF in the primary because I was having trouble finding neutral with the bike running. The 20W-50 seems to be too thick for the wet clutch to deal with. Primary fluid is mostly for cooling the wet clutch and just keeping the primary chain from rusting anyway - not "lubrication" per se - and if it's too thick, the clutch will tend to try to spin a little even when it's disengaged. The much thinner syn ATF seems to make the clutch free up better.
Good advice from Jim about how to warm it up properly. I let mine run with the enrichener out until it can run without it. I usually set the throttle lock at about 1500-1700 RPM and back out the enrichener slowly until the bike keeps running without it... my bike usually takes a good 3-5 minutes when it's cold. Don't be tempted blip the throttle at all until the heads are warm to the touch. Then she'll be ready to ride.
Also, once a month or so, and after long rides, you should go over all bolts and snug them up if needed. Rubber-mount Hogs tend to loosen them up! Check air in your air shocks and in your air forks occasionally to make sure the pressure in them is correct. I usually keep 15-20 lbs in the shocks and about that in the forks too - it makes the ride better on my bike and removes sloppiness and bottoming out. I like a firm ride, and my cushy Mustang seat makes it comfortable!
Check the grease fitting on the fork bearings every 5000 miles or so, and keep them full of grease, if you have one - your year may not have one... I don't remember when they started putting them on. I agree about using the H-D E fork oil and changing it once a year - but once you have it in, it's there. I've never had any fork oil leak out... if you do, you will need to replace your fork seals, which is a real PITA because you have to take off the front wheel and the fork lowers to change out the seal. That's just pure drudgery!
Good luck with your FLHS. I have a soft spot for those because Big Bertha, my 1995 FLHTP Police E-Glide, was the very last year with that big "toaster dash" up front. Some say it's ugly but I say it's cool looking - look like a locomotive to me! The FLHS was discontinued in '93 but they kept using it on the Police E-glides with windshields through '95. In '96, the FLHRP Road King Police replaced it for the Police bikes with a windshield, and it was gone forever...
BTW, if you ever need a replacement FLHS windshield, Cee Bailey makes custom, aircraft-quality, thicker Lucite ones for like $120. I have a 2" over-stock width one on Bertha in my sig pic. I got it because my old stock Lexan windshield was so stratched and pitted, I could barely see through it when the sun was in front of me, and you can't polish scratches out of Lexan like you can Lucite. The new Cee Bailey one is a light smoke color as well, which I really like.
Sorry for this dissertation, but it's a cold and rainy Sunday morning here in north Georgia, and I'm out of new stuff to install on Bertha! Nothing to do but type!
Also wanted to give you a personal thank you for all the depth you went into & the rant about your opinions on FLHS'. I love my Harley, I had a XL1200 1975 sporster first for 6 months & my FLHS has such a better ride, I love this bike on curves. I'm kind of a tall skinny guy so I like all the gauges on the front instead of the tank makes my bike look bigger & stronger.
One last question(for now haha) where do you guys usually pick up all your supplies like if I was to get 20W50 & the Mobil1 syn for my tranny & primary. I have 20W50 in my primary now & i've never had an issue with my clutch slipping or finding neutral. I found early one with the Evo's you can give the engine a little per while looking for neutral & she'll drop right down into it. Anyways I was wondering if there is a good online retailer I could get all this for one low shipping cost(being from the same site instead of 2 or 3) or a store like walmart. I'm not cheap when it comes to my Harley but I am currently unemployed & on top of that last year after OBH both of our H-D dealers closed. My S-10 with half an exhaust isn't too fond of long trips.lol. So any suggestions would be nice guys if not I'll browse the web.
Club Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 3,193
Likes: 7
From: North Atlanta Area, GA
Also wanted to give you a personal thank you for all the depth you went into & the rant about your opinions on FLHS'. I love my Harley, I had a XL1200 1975 sporster first for 6 months & my FLHS has such a better ride, I love this bike on curves. I'm kind of a tall skinny guy so I like all the gauges on the front instead of the tank makes my bike look bigger & stronger.
One last question(for now haha) where do you guys usually pick up all your supplies like if I was to get 20W50 & the Mobil1 syn for my tranny & primary. I have 20W50 in my primary now & i've never had an issue with my clutch slipping or finding neutral. I found early one with the Evo's you can give the engine a little per while looking for neutral & she'll drop right down into it. Anyways I was wondering if there is a good online retailer I could get all this for one low shipping cost(being from the same site instead of 2 or 3) or a store like walmart. I'm not cheap when it comes to my Harley but I am currently unemployed & on top of that last year after OBH both of our H-D dealers closed. My S-10 with half an exhaust isn't too fond of long trips.lol. So any suggestions would be nice guys if not I'll browse the web.
One last question(for now haha) where do you guys usually pick up all your supplies like if I was to get 20W50 & the Mobil1 syn for my tranny & primary. I have 20W50 in my primary now & i've never had an issue with my clutch slipping or finding neutral. I found early one with the Evo's you can give the engine a little per while looking for neutral & she'll drop right down into it. Anyways I was wondering if there is a good online retailer I could get all this for one low shipping cost(being from the same site instead of 2 or 3) or a store like walmart. I'm not cheap when it comes to my Harley but I am currently unemployed & on top of that last year after OBH both of our H-D dealers closed. My S-10 with half an exhaust isn't too fond of long trips.lol. So any suggestions would be nice guys if not I'll browse the web.
I bought the Mobil 1 syn ATF and syn gear lube at Autozone. I think I paid maybe $6/qt for the ATF, and maybe $7-8 for a qt of the gear lube. I don't remember exactly, but it's not very expensive for the performance you get.
You can read lots of oil threads here and see lots of opinions - but I think that AMSoil is the absolute best engine oil on the market, period. And I'm not even a dealer - I just use their outstanding product. Mobil 1 Syn is also outstanding - a close second in my opinion.
The best place to get AMSoil is directly from one of the online dealers - just google AMSoil dealer and plenty of them will come up. You can sign up for the preferred customer program for $10 for six months and get discounts... I would do that and buy like 4-5 gallons at a time, so you have enough for the next 25,000 miles. The discount will essentially pay for the shipping, and you shouldn't have to pay any sales tax either - that's another 6-8%. It's less expensive to buy it in the gallon jugs than in the quart containers, and a gallon is perfect for a single oil change. There are also some dealers here on the forum, and AMSoil is a sponsor.
It's less expensive to buy AMSoil on the net... there is a multi-metric dealer north of me, but they charge like $18/quart or more for premium syn oils like Belray V-Twin and AMSoil, and I've vowed never to shop there again. I guess they think it's made of gold or something, or their customers are sufficiently uninformed as to pay that price for any oil, when you can get AMSoil for about $10/qt in the gallon size with the discount.
Club Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 3,193
Likes: 7
From: North Atlanta Area, GA
wow I'm glad no one treated me like an idiot. haha i have expected to be treated that way for some reason. Anyways thanks a lot guys for all the detailed advice. I just pulled off my saddle bag & oil tank cover to charge my battery(i have 2 just to be safe or if i don't want to wait for one to charge). I just checked my spark plugs & now I'm going to check my fluids after I let her run for 5 mins or so. It is 48 degrees here today so i want to take her out if everything checks out. Oh that is another question I wanted to ask b/c when ever I stop by my dad nags me(i keep my harley in his garage with his 82) about starting her in cold weather. 40-50 degrees, is that safe weather to start my bike? I know my book says my oil is good for riding weather between 20-100 degrees & starts well below 50 so I assumed it's not an issue to run in colder weather. I ask b/c I do this a lot, I always let her warm up first but this is the first year I haven't rode at least once a month. I can't stand being away from my bike but anyways thanks to you guys I have a much better idea of how to take care of her.
Sorry if i rambled guys but I can't tell you how excited I am to even check the fluids let alone take Bonnet out for a ride!
Sorry if i rambled guys but I can't tell you how excited I am to even check the fluids let alone take Bonnet out for a ride!
Oh yeah also try to remember before you response(so it's not too harsh) but I thought I wasn't supposed to use synthetic oil for anything on my year of a bike. I added this b/c I will most likely need to add or change my primary & tranny oil b/c I have a very minor leak I haven't been able to locate yet. I want to make sure I get the best in it. I talked to my uncle about it(he's been building Harley's for years) he said if i'm not losing much oil just check it every time i ride until i got the money to have it fixed or do it myself.
Thanks a lot I appreciate it. I always set my enricher almost all the way up, like a fraction of an inch. Then less than half a twist from my wrist for a tiny bit of gas(scared of fouling out the plugs) finally I start her & set the throttle lock just enough so she doesn't die out. She usually takes 2-6 minutes(depending on the temperature outside) to warm up while i slowly close the enricher...she idles on her own. I throw my gear on & take off!!!! I just wanted to check for responses real quick. I'm gonna check everything then take her for a short ride to get some of the fore-mentioned fork oil, tranny fluid, & I need more 20W50 for my bike only have a quart left.
Well thanks a lot to everyone that posted. I'm taking it one step at a time but I want to be tinkering with my bike, changing all the fluids since I think they might of over looked this stuff at the dealer b/c there are no notes of it on my invoice. I just want to slowly learn to take care of my Harley on my own. Thanks again!!!!!!!
Well thanks a lot to everyone that posted. I'm taking it one step at a time but I want to be tinkering with my bike, changing all the fluids since I think they might of over looked this stuff at the dealer b/c there are no notes of it on my invoice. I just want to slowly learn to take care of my Harley on my own. Thanks again!!!!!!!
I agree that you should not start your engine in cold weather unless you let it come up to full operating temperature before you shut it down. If you run it for only a few minutes when its 45 degrees out, you are going to get condensation in it, which is not good for your engine at all. Letting it come up to full operating temperature before shutting it down will evaporate any moisture as the engine cools down. Bertha takes a good 10 minutes to reach full operating temp... she's really cold-blooded!
You start your bike the same way I start Bertha - I let her warm up slowly at 1500 RPM and back off the enrichener until she can run without it, while I put on my gear. It conveniently takes Bertha and me about the same amount of time to get ready for a ride!
Enjoy your bike!
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 8,202
Likes: 3,089
From: NW AR
My bike doesn't like the full synthetics. It makes more phunny noises when I run that stuff. I stick with Genuine HD regular motor oil. No more HD primary oil, so I run that Mobil 1 synthetic ATF in the primary, and in the trans, I have run nothing but HD trans oil, but last change, I went with Mobil SHC630, available at Grainger's. It lasts 6x longer than conventional oils and Lotus used it as "magic oil" to keep their Renault transmissions together at 50% over the design spec. Oh, Tractor Supply now does catalog orders for Graingers. Go to the desk in the middle of the store and there's a Grangers catalog.
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 2,856
Likes: 127
From: Middle of Kansas
I read on this forum somewhere, that a guy ran his EVO 150,000 miles on Castrol 20-50, without problems. Thats a pretty good recomendation right there. That is what mine had in it when I got it at 17,000. I went to Mobil 1 V Twin 20-50, but am thinking of going back to dino. How often do you change your dino oil?
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 2,856
Likes: 127
From: Middle of Kansas
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