When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Pulled the primary cover and found the primary full of oil. Sucked most of it out. I'm not a 65pan/shovel primary expert but understand that the early aluminum primary circulated motor oil to primary for lube. I understand why the primary is full from sitting.. Motor probably is too. I spend some time kicking over the motor and running electric starter to get the rest out out of the motor.. I'll leave a drain pan under the breather to catch whatever blows out of there..
I seem to remember that a popular thing to do is it disconnect the primary from the oil circulation and run separate oil. I guess this helps with keeping the primary too full with oil . Is this still a preferred method or is the original setup not that bad once things are back to running?
Yes isolating the primary is a good idea. There is a tube on the back of the inner primary that normally feeds oil to the primary chain, that becomes your vent hose.
You can now appreciate how much joy dual exhaust brings when you want to adjust the clutch with an early outer primary that lacks a derby cover.
I have the original non "T"ed rear head pipe. I'm thinking about putting it back on.. I'd like to go back to running the mousetrap. Not sure what the issues are with the later oil tank. Looks like the front rubber mount might get in the way of a longer arm..
Not sure.. Nothing marked neutral. It has 2 red and a blue. Reds are Gen and Oil. I assume the blue is high beam. There is a green light on the headlight panel. This bike does have emergency flashers that work with the ignition off. It a switch on the back right side of the headlight cowl. It does have what looks like to be a neutral switch on the tranny.
Hand shift bikes dont have a neutral light or a switch on the trans cover. Your dash would have two lights if it was hand shift, the middle light is neutral. My 62 had been converted to foot shift but was a hand shift police special originally so I converted it back.
Dash from `65 handshift police bike
It is a neutral indicator lamp
I had to look in Palmers book. Up to 64 there was no neutral light on hand shift bikes but 65 they had them regardless. So its possible the HD museum has the build docket on this bike, they had the one for my 62 and confirmed it was an FL not an FLF (The last F for foot shift).
Last edited by hellonewman; Jun 12, 2023 at 04:27 PM.
Ain't nothing wrong with keeping the original oiling system on the 65 Pans. The only issue with the 65 models was that the inner primary was non-vented. Pressure build-up from heat would cause the seal on the solenoid to leak. HD solved that with the type 2 inner primary starting in early 66 models. They also offered a retro fit for the early inner primaries. Did that to mine as I was rebuilding it.
Lotsa times folks convert to a sealed primary under the guise of "...well all that dirty oil being sucked back into the oil bag just can't be a good thing..." My only response is that I took my '65 FLH to 113K before shutting her down. And that is why you have an oil filter in the tank and change oil according to schedule, or sooner if you run it in really nasty conditions.
If you decide to seal the primary, let me know. I have a couple of pics from a guy on another forum who shows exactly how to do it right.
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.
Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.
Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's challenges aren't abstract; they show up in dropping shipments, shrinking dealer traffic, and strategic decisions that aren't yet translating into growth.
Primary Oiling System
I'd like to go back to running the mousetrap. Not sure what the issues are with the later oil tank. Looks like the front rubber mount might get in the way of a longer arm..
