Evo motors
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 23,003
Likes: 11,441
You have a 1990. You did not buy it new. You have no idea what was done to it or by whom over the years. Even now Many claim to be experts on EVO and screw them up. You really need to find some one that does know them to help figure out what is wrong.
The EVO unmolested by bubba while not the fastest on the block was pretty much bullet proof .
Good luck and get it right it will likely serve you well.
The EVO unmolested by bubba while not the fastest on the block was pretty much bullet proof .
Good luck and get it right it will likely serve you well.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 9,332
Likes: 3,873
From: Upstate New York
The Evo, in my opinion, hit the sweet spot between durability and ease of repair. I still wish I had mine. I managed to put 223,000 miles on mine before it was wrecked. That said, it was not 223,000 trouble free miles by any stretch of the imagination. Looking back without the filter of nostalgia, Ill freely admit that it seems I was always working on the bike. Yes, it was reliable, in the sense that it never left me stranded and always got me home, but it took a lot of work to keep it that way.
My current M8 Softail has been reliable to the point of being boring. Good thing, too, because the bike clearly wasnt designed to be worked on by the owner in the same way that the Evo was.
My current M8 Softail has been reliable to the point of being boring. Good thing, too, because the bike clearly wasnt designed to be worked on by the owner in the same way that the Evo was.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 21,737
Likes: 17,577
From: Driftless Area
Find a good Indy. They are about the only ones left any with decent knowledge of those engines. It sounds like yours has been played with incorrectly. You might flatten those heads by milling them. .050" is safe. Torquing the base cylinders and the heads properly is the key to everything.
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 2,817
Likes: 1,212
From: SW Michigan
If you are near South Bend contact Jeff at Flora Racing. He builds Harley racing motors.
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 3,877
Likes: 3,487
From: Arizona
The Evo, in my opinion, hit the sweet spot between durability and ease of repair. I still wish I had mine. I managed to put 223,000 miles on mine before it was wrecked. That said, it was not 223,000 trouble free miles by any stretch of the imagination. Looking back without the filter of nostalgia, Ill freely admit that it seems I was always working on the bike. Yes, it was reliable, in the sense that it never left me stranded and always got me home, but it took a lot of work to keep it that way.
My current M8 Softail has been reliable to the point of being boring. Good thing, too, because the bike clearly wasnt designed to be worked on by the owner in the same way that the Evo was.
My current M8 Softail has been reliable to the point of being boring. Good thing, too, because the bike clearly wasnt designed to be worked on by the owner in the same way that the Evo was.
The Evos are the sweet spot of reliability and simplicity. Even I can keep my Evos running. The forum is a great resource for information from guys who are real mechanics.
The M8 Softail seems like a step in the right direction, I just can't get past being locked into a dealership.
Road Warrior
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 1,529
Likes: 933
From: Long Island
I updated the cylinder studs when I freshened up the top end. The Indy shop recommended it.Maybe your year had that issue also.Torque the heads by the book is also a must.
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