1976 Electra glide
Thread Starter
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Intermediate
Joined: Apr 2020
Posts: 28
Likes: 9
From: Idaho
1976 Electra glide
Hello,
new to harleys and this forum. Recently was willed my fathers 1976 Harley Electra glide. Don’t know much about the bike besides knowing it’s been in storage since 2010. Was told it has a 1982 shovel head in it. Can’t find the keys but it has leaked a large amount of oil from the engine. I want to drain the fuel an try and start it. Few people I’ve talked to mentioned upgrading the electrical system and what not. How would I tell if this bike already been upgraded from points or not, it has a starter but when it was last started I remember having to kickstart it cause the starter wouldn’t turn the engine over. Anything advice on anything would be appreciated.. thank you
new to harleys and this forum. Recently was willed my fathers 1976 Harley Electra glide. Don’t know much about the bike besides knowing it’s been in storage since 2010. Was told it has a 1982 shovel head in it. Can’t find the keys but it has leaked a large amount of oil from the engine. I want to drain the fuel an try and start it. Few people I’ve talked to mentioned upgrading the electrical system and what not. How would I tell if this bike already been upgraded from points or not, it has a starter but when it was last started I remember having to kickstart it cause the starter wouldn’t turn the engine over. Anything advice on anything would be appreciated.. thank you
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 21,173
Likes: 12,740
From: South Carolina
Look inside the fuel tanks, make sure they are not full of rust, if so, stop and fix that before trying to start the engine.
You may need to remove the carburetor and clean it, old gas can really gum up the works...
Don`t get in a hurry to hear the engine run, don`t screw around with jumper cables, if you are going to get this machine back to life you will need a new battery, and make sure it is fully charged.
Clean all battery cable connections, don`t just check that they are tight, remove and clean them.
Remove and clean the connectors on the start solenoid, and the start relay.
Don`t get distracted by upgrading electrical system at this point, worry about that if there are problems.
You may need to remove the carburetor and clean it, old gas can really gum up the works...
Don`t get in a hurry to hear the engine run, don`t screw around with jumper cables, if you are going to get this machine back to life you will need a new battery, and make sure it is fully charged.
Clean all battery cable connections, don`t just check that they are tight, remove and clean them.
Remove and clean the connectors on the start solenoid, and the start relay.
Don`t get distracted by upgrading electrical system at this point, worry about that if there are problems.
Thread Starter
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Intermediate
Joined: Apr 2020
Posts: 28
Likes: 9
From: Idaho
Thank you for the reply, I didn’t even think of rust in the tank, and planned on carb rebuild or cleaning. This bike has been my dads since long before I was born in 1990 after my dad passed away it was stored and my brother passed away making me next in line. We both planned on getting it running together but procrastinated, he was the mechanically inclined and older brother that knew much more about the bike than I did. So kind of at a loss for where to start.
thank you again for the reply!!
thank you again for the reply!!
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 4,752
Likes: 3,272
From: West Central Florida
These guys will get you going. Sorry about your dad and brother, this is very sentimental i am sure. It should be running in no time with a little bit of elbow grease and money.
You might want to post this in the Shovel section of the forum. They will know this bike top to bottom
You might want to post this in the Shovel section of the forum. They will know this bike top to bottom
Last edited by Kawickrice; Apr 18, 2020 at 07:16 PM.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 28,552
Likes: 3,954
From: Vermont
Sweet looking bike! Be sure to post up in the shovelhead subforum in the classic section on here for answers as well.
Last edited by dawg; Apr 18, 2020 at 07:39 PM.
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Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 17,684
Likes: 6,062
From: Niagara, Ontario, Canada
Nice ride, enjoy learning your way thru it. Will pick myself up one of these some day, I;m envious.
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