well, im nearing the finish line on getting the bike back to full functionality. it runs, it goes, it stops, and it stays upright. however, the idle is still rough and the starting does not go as easy as id like. once its running it seems to flood itself at idle. so im thinking id like to get a full carb rebuild for it. also i was thinking i might as well rebuild/tune up as much else as i can. so what else can i do/get? id like the thing to be able to kick on the second or third try as im not to confident on the electrical system and the starter.
here are my issues though.
i cant seem to find a rebuild kit at jpcycles????
link
they have rebuilds for 72 up, but i have a 69? and all they have is a gasket kit [:@] which doesnt include an accelerator pump?

next i saw this page:
Tune-Up Kits, Points & Condensers
tune up kit sounds up my alley. is it necesary? i have no idea what the points and condensers do, but im sure its important.

finally, is there any other things youd reccomend replacing, rebuilding/ tuning up? besides for plugs, and filters?

thanks a million. and thanks piniongear as you seem to be the big helper in these parts.

 

69Sport......What brand of carb is on your machine? You need to get the rebuild kit for your particular brand of carburator. The original carb may have been a Tillotson or perhaps a Bendix. Then there is a good chance someone has swapped this out over the years. That is why you need to determine what the carb is before you begin the hunt for a parts supplier.
If you cannot determine this, perhaps you can post a good photo of it here on the forum and I will attempt to ID it for you.

 

im 90% sure its a tillotson carb as i saw some pictures online and it looks like them. the carb is at home and ill take a look at it when i get home, but like i said im almost sure it is. my dad has had the bike since 72 and hasnt changed anything with the carb. would it be in my best interest to upgrade rather than rebuild?

 

69sport.....Yes, if you have a Tillotson carb the best choice will be an upgrade. My 1971 CH came with a Tillotson when new. If I did not get the thing fired off with the first kick it would flood. I can remember spending many mornings kicking from 8am to noon before it would go. As long as the engine stayed warm after that it would fire up OK. There was some kind of problem with the Tillotson, and I remember reading somewhere long ago that there was a fix for them and they were OK after the fix was done. I do not recall what that was. Parts are a problem though, so I would upgrade.

Now here you are going to have to make a choice.
1) What are you running for a throttle cable set up? The original enclosed cable running inside the handlebar? I like that set up the best myself. But that presents some things you have to look out for.
2) Going from a Tillotson to a Bendix (aka Zenith), using the enclosed hard wire cable will require you to buy a 'reverse' throttle sleeve. The reason is that the cable approach on a Tillotson butterfly requires a 'push to open' action. The Bendix (Zenith) butterfly action requires a pull to open. Both carbs are butterfly type.
3) If you choose to go with a Mikuni instead, this throttle set up will require you to get a drum type throttle housing with a cable that is 'out in the wind'. I think you can get a kit that has everything in it that you need. The only modification you have to do to your handlebars is to put a sleeve on the rightside end. Here I am assuming you have the original two piece bars.
4) Pay attention to how the new carb attaches to your intake manifold. Does it bolt right up (Bendix)? Does it require a rubber connecting sleeve with a new manifold (Mikuni)? I am reffering to an old slide Mikuni here. Newer models may be different.

Whatever you go with, make sure the size is 38mm. Do not buy a 40mm. If you go Bendix (Zenith) you will have a choice of fixed main jet or adjustable main.
If you go with a Mikuni I can guarantee a one, at most 2 kick start. I dumped my Tillotson for a slide type Mikuni back in 1973 and that carb started my Sporty like an old BSA twin. I never had a problem with it since the 1973 purchase. That Mikuni is no longer made and I cannot get parts or gaskets for it but it still works. I have always liked the original cable set up and swapped the Mikuni for a Bendix when I did my last restoration on my bike.
The Bendix had an 'O' ring go bad a few months ago and I put the Mikuni back on it until I could find what the problem was. That Mikuni had sat up in the hot attic for over 10 years. I took it out of the paper sack and installed it. The bike started with the first kick! I think, That is some carburator!

So, go with what you like best. These are some of the considerations I have come across with my carburator experience.
I have no experience with Keiln, S&S or CV. They are good carbs I am sure, but since I have no experience with them I cannot comment. Whatever you get, be sure to pay close attention to what that carb requires in the way of a throttle drum and cable and how the carb can attach to your manifold. Doing this can save you fabrication headaches down the road.

 

wow, many thanks for that reply. to address the handlebar situation first, i have the stock handlebar, internal throttle. which i like for the clean look. i do however wish to get aftermarket handlebars, but would like to keep the internal cable, so i guess that should be my next question. is that possible? if not, then i would either a stick with stock bars, or b go with aftermarkets with external throttle cables in order to make carb throttle linkage easier?
i guess i just need to figure out if apehangers/drag bars are made which accept stock internal cables and weigh my options after that..

it seems that the bendix carbs sold at jpcycles here may come with the special linkage on the carb? because jp is usually pretty good at telling you when you need additional parts..
thanks again pinion

edit: by the way, im not sure what you mean by 2 piece bars. its one continuous bar that goes from hand to hand through the risers. not sure where there could be a 2nd piece. what do you mean by put a sleeve on the end of the bar? ohh and the carb does bolt up to the intake, no rubber sleeve that i can see.

 

69sport......If you go with aftermarket bars you will have to give up the internal cable.
The factory bars are two piece. There is a left hand bar and a right hand bar. Both bars go into the riser(?) clamp. To check yours, loosen the 4 clamp bolts holding the bars. Rotate one side of the bars up and down. Does the other side rotate? If no, then you have two bars. If yes, then you have a one piece bar and I can tell you for sure that never came on an ironhead machine of the old vintage.

On the right hand bar the diameter is reduced drastically under the throttle grip area. This throttle grip is removed by going into the grip hole in the end with an impact screwdriver. You will find a large oval head screw with a slot head. Remove this and the throttle comes off. You can see what I mean about a smaller diameter underneath. Also, this is where you put that tube sleeve I mentioned if you go with external cable set up. To replace this screw, use BLUE Loctite to hold it.

Yes, J&P is good about telling you if you need parts, but trust me, you will require a different throttle sleeve unless you want to ride around pushing the throttle forward to go instead of pulling it to open.

Bottom line is this:
If you want to retain the enclosed throttle, go with a new 38mm Bendix (Zenith) and buy that sleeve. The Bendix will bolt right on to the manifold you have. This would be my choice. In fact it was because the cleaner the better. Tedd Cycle sells this sleeve.
If you want to change the bars I would go with a Mikuni set up and look for a kit that had everything you need to bolt this on.

EDIT NOTE: I attached 2 photos to show what I am referring to here. One shows the handle bars without the throttle grip. The other shows what I had to fabricate at the carb end of things to be able to secure the cable for the Bendix. This is in addition to buying that reverse sleeve on the bar end.

[IMG]local://upfiles/8331/F7A8EA825E9A40F995C4DC6C0860EB22.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]local://upfiles/8331/BFD238EAD2F746BD9B839AEE0BB6EF19.jpg[/IMG]

 

wow, ok, this is a lot to digest. so, im 80% sure im going to go with aftermarket bars at some point. the stock ones just dont suit me. mostly comfort wise. maybe risers would do it, but i cant be sure. if i were to stick with the stock bars for now and plan on getting aftermarket bars with external throttle down the road, what would you suggest? which Mikuni carb would it be? i saw a few different sizes out there. they seem more $ than bendix. man, its really a shame i cant keep internal throttle cables with aftermarket bars.
thanks for your time pinion. im trying to follow as much as i can.

 

sheesh this brings up more questions than it answers...
ok, so are these the sleves you were talking about for the throttle..
here
and i noticed that all handlebars and controls are for 73+ model years. is this because of the carb setup? so once i were to get a mikuni carb i could use these bars?

edithh and will i in any of these processes gain the automatic throttle return.(i like how it doesnt automatically snap back when i let o of the throttle, and wouldnt want to loose this.

 

No, those sleeves are not what I was talking about. The sleeves you refer to at J&P are for converting controls that fit a 1 inch diameter handlebar (Harley) to be used on a 7/8 inch handlebar (Brand X). I would call these shims rather than sleeves.

Go back and look at my photo of my bars. On the right bar see how the bar steps down in size? This part has a long slot cut into it. This slot is the track that the throttle bushing travels in as the throttle is opened and closed. The bushing sits in the throttle cable body that is attached to the solid wire cable. Don't try to picture what this involves, because it sounds complicated. But if you had a good illustration, or took yours apart the mystery would disappear.

When you put a throttle drum/braided cable on the machine to replace the enclosed cable, the throttle drum will be very loose on this reduced section of handlebar that has that slot in it.
The sleeve I talk about is simply this: Take a piece of 1 inch OD tube or pipe and cut off a piece the same length as this reduced section. Then slip it on the handlebar and that makes the handlebar a full 1 inch diameter all the way to the end. Install your new throttle drum and it no longer fits loose because you just finished making the H/B 1 inch diameter.

The best choice is too keep the enclosed throttle cable and buy a Bendix, but that means keeping the handlebars. Since you do not like the bars however, that trumps the choice.
So, get the bars that you like.
Get the proper length throttle cable for those bars. Ape hangers will have to be longer than drag bars.
Get a throttle drum that will fit the bars. (Bars and throttle drum should be 1 inch in size....not 7/8 inch.)
Get the carb of your choice. Here I would go with the Mikuni in a 38mm size. Yes, the Mikuni is going to be more expensive, but in the end you will not regret getting it over the Bendix especially if you want to change bars. What handlebars to keep(?) are actually the answer to what you have to do. Everything else follows that.

Oh, and please don't just throw your old factory bars in the trash. Those bars are almost impossible to find anymore and they are the basic item needed to put an enclosed throttle on a Harley. Look around. How many enclosed throttle cables do you see today?
OK, if there is anything else I can rant on about, just let me know. Let us know how this project goes also because I would like to see how you finish it up.

 

In response to your edit comment:
You will lose the non spring return feature of the throttle if you change it out to an external cable. A carb like a Mikuni has a large spring inside the body that shuts off the throttle when you release the grip.
The enclosed cable remains on and running because it is used with a butterfly carb (Bendix) that has no return spring. That also presents a problem trying to use an external cable on a drum throttle connecting to a Bendix carb.
Another good reason to keep the enclosed cable and buy a Bendix. And, it's cheaper when you look at the whole package. See, you are getting there.
I have turned a PDF file into a JPEG and attached it here. I do not know if it will be readable, but if so you can see what is inside your handlebar on the throttle end.

EDIT NOTE: Item #3 is what you will have to buy. In a reverse pattern it will allow a pull to open on the throttle cable using the Bendix. The only way that you could not have to buy the reverse spiral drum is to route the throttle cable where it approaches the butterfly from BELOW the carb. Then your present push to open will work because it will push the butterfly open. A better set up is to route the cable normally coming down from the top to the butterfly, buy a pull to open spiral, and do the hook up to the butterfly. In either event, some light fabrication is going to be required to secure the cable at the carb end.

[IMG]local://upfiles/8331/DB8AE542DF894788AE8E49AE296EA74D.jpg[/IMG]