Well, it looks like I will be ordering a carb kit and some jets - after hearing about 10 second use of the choke, I for sure have issues. This AM it was in the low 40s for temp, and I ran the engine on choke for about 7-8 minutes before I could take off. I can take off sooner, but I have to leave the choke on until I get up to speed or it sputters, coughs, and sneezes at me along the way.

 

racdtrev, it sounds like your pretty mechanically inclined. I went through some of this when I first got my bike. Someone jetted it super lean before me and had a needle in that was way off. This chart from Jockeyjournal may help with the jetting.

http://www.jockeyjournal.com/forum/s...1422&showall=1

Google "plug chop tuning harley" and use this method to do some tuning. Once you get the carb pulled apart it really makes sense. The idle mixture screw is a big help for warm up. Hope this helps.

Brad

 

I had the same problem with my fl. I rejetted the (i think), low speed jet. i think they have 3 diffrent jets in them. now it sputters, but for only 3 minutes. Before it was maybe up to 20 minutes, lurchin and coughin the whole time, kinda embaressing.

 

I have a 94 Evo, with 10.1 wiseco pistion, Andrews EV27 cam, Vance and Hines 2 inch longshots, and my CV carb was rebuilt by Killer Motorcycle. Dale upped the main to a 190 and the idle to a 48, with a different needle and one shim. The bike runs GREAT now, and I had the EXACT same issue you had with the stock bike before mods, and the stock CV settings.

 

Thanks all for the help - I tore into the carb this weekend. Found I was only getting about 3/4 throttle because of cable adjustments (fixed the cruise indirectly because of this), increased slow jet from a 45 to a 48, increased main from a 175 to a 190, took the mixture screw to 3 turns, and cut two coils from the CV spring. The bike is a whole different animal, runs real nice and requires very little choke use now. Having full throttle is good as well, especially when riding with my buddies who are running 103s.

 

Food for thought:

I had a similar problem, difficulty starting, sputtering for some time after starting, etc. It turned out to be the vacuum petcock (part of that EPA crap). I replaced it with a "regular" petcock (oh dang, now I have to remember to turn off the fuel), which solved the problem.