i am a newbie as this is my first bike.i have an 81 ironhead sporty that i bought a few months ago,basically in time for winter.i am replacing the oil lines as they are in bad shape and i discovered that the previous owner had run the vent line from the end of the generator to underneath the starter.i thought i might have a leak on the trans but could this be where the oil is coming from?i did notice oil spots on the rear rim and i thought maybe the chain was overlubed.any info would be great.thanks

 

Most all of 'em will blow a little oil mist out of the breather from time to time. Usually after sitting for a few days/weeks or while you're running high rpm's down the highway. The factory EPA vent hose to the air cleaner eventually results in an air cleaner saturated with oil, and that oil drips/blows all over the right side of the bike. A lot of people reroute the breather hose to a spot under the engine and just let it blow out on the road. If you run it to the front sprocket area, you get "free" chain lube but it will make a mess of your rear wheel. I have mine run under the motor, about on the bike's centerline.

 

on a 81 the vent line goes to your air cleaner.another way to run vent line is to t into the trans vent line on top of trans under starter,but its better to run it to the air cleaner period.

 

What I actually did was to leave the hose to the air cleaner intact, and removed the plug on the lower part of the generator drive housing. I put in a hose barb and ran that hose under the motor. The oil mist goes out that hose (since it's lower). Both hoses come from the reed-valved chamber, so there are no suction problems on the piston upstroke. The extra vent also lets the motor spin a little more freely.

 

OH yes that could be the source .You could also be correct on the chain being overlubed too. I wish you many happy miles on it (weather permiting)!

 

thanks guys.the help is much appreciated.i found an air cleaner that i can run this vent line to.

 

sorry to thread jack, but that's an exceptionally clean bike. you should get some kind of award for that. also, did you make that coil mount or did you buy ti somewhere, and if so , where and for how much? thanks. nice ride btw.

 

Thanks, man. It looks better in the pictures than it does in person...

Looks like you have a very cool build going - good luck with it.

The coil mount is the stocker for the 1980's Ironheads - it mounts to the front tank bolt.

 

+1 on 83XLX's vent system. I did the same thing on my 1980. Really noticed that the engine ran more freely with the extra venting. My air filter never got messed up with oil.