Been looking at a few bikes for my first Harley. '05 Super Glide, 03 Road King....noticed that when started the bike will pop, for lack of a better discription, at startup. I asked a salesman at the dealer yesterday about it and he said it could be tuned out but didn't really say what caused it. Both of these bikes were fuel injection. Also looked at a 2001 RK with FI yesterday and no pop. Did a search but didn't really find any posts that addressed this. Is this normal? Can it be "tuned" out?

Thanks!

 

At least he didn't say its normal.. did it have any kind of F/M system to adjust? or was he talking download...several ways to get it out..

 

Thanks for the reply! He didn't have any specifics...just that his Screaming Eagle Road King was doing this also after some kind of F/M system was installed and the tech told him they could tune it out. On the 03 RK I was looking at I don't know if there is a F/M system on it or not. I did learn that it has a 95 kit in it and salesman said it idled like it had hotter cams in it. Could be that it might have a F/M system as well.

Just not sure this is going to be a bike I'm really interested in unless it were to run out real well....bike looks a little tired, if you know what I mean. Has 35k miles on it. Not sure when the kit was installed. Done by an indy that I have heard good things about (Jim's Cycle Shop in Axtell, Texas) but don't know what his standard recommendation is when he installs a kit. I guess I'm a little leery of the 95 kit without knowing much about that mod.

The 05 Super Glide was almost an identical pop on start up. This bike was pretty much bone stock I believe with the exception that the stock exhaust had been modded from the way it sounded.

 

I've had mine pop maybe a couple time in 3yrs, Seems like it was on a hot restart.
I had the SERT, Stg1 and dyno at 1k. A good tune and dyno makes them run better from starting to WOT.

It someone did a 95, usually they would install some kind of fuel management but cant say everyone does.

If they only did the download, then it possilble to get a pop from either rich/lean issues. With A SERT, PC or several other systems a good tuner should be able to tune the pop out easy... Unless there is motor issue.

 

Standard "They all do that" answer

 

It could just be old gas from sitting. I'll bet it doesen't have a full tank of gas and condensation has formed in the tank. Put some new 93 Octane in it and try it.

 

Get expert advice. A tired engine is detectable through checks usually. Exhaust smoke, compression, and leak down. Don't know if they fixed the cam issue on them yet but that is something that can be checked too. The popping sound may be normal because you may not know what a tuned, cammed, 95" engine is supposed to sound like. Different tunes and exhaust with cam changes have a bark to them. When either one of my bikes lights off it will make you jump if you don't expect it or you have your back to them. Someone with experience can hear the cam bark and the cam lope. Sounds like music to me.

 

my bike has been doing that on and off for the last 2 to 3 years. a loud pop, flame shoots out the pipes, when I rev it sometimes a little bit of black smoke comes out. It's been in for servicing regularly but still does it.....NO IDEA why it would continue to do that.

 

My fuel injected o5 starts with a explosion of sound,it's like as soon as I touch the starter it explodes to life!

 

sounds liek your running a bit rich, sometimes thats a good thing. the treehumpers and epa folks dont liek it but it isnt all bad for the engine to be a little bit rich