I'm at the opposite end, near the casinos. The easiest way to check for leaks is with the bike idling. Spray carb cleaner on the joint and see if the idle speed changes. Some people use an unlit propane torch for the same effect. Another way is to blank off the manifold and pressurize (needs intake valves closed). Soap bubbles will highlight leaks.

 

that is one clean looking bike ya got there and welcome to the fourm from south louisiana

 

Welcome to the hood and shovel ownership. Nice score on that one, relatively stock.

A number of the issues are from sitting like the neutral issue, these are no oil bath systems so the clutch plates will gum up and stick , will shift hard and the neutral games you are playing. Manual will guide you through the take down and reassembly to cure those issues.

Those brakes were alway rattlers, the foam or rubber strip is the garage fix, new bushing will be making noise inside one riding season so no need when that gets suggested.

Stock carb was famous for being what we called the Casneeze carb, the were bad from the factory. Before you do anything, get it running and warmed up and while at an idle take a can of brake clean, use the little tube and give a few shots around the intake clamps, she stumbles or stalls the intake seals need replacing. They go bad from sitting.

As mentioned get a manual and just spend time going over the bike lubing and adjusting the little stuff to get back to normal then go from there with any issues that come up.

Good long time old school shovel guys in here to brain pick.

 

gotta be happy with that inheritance. she's a keeper

 

What I would do (just fixed up a shovel that had been sitting for 8 years)

download the workshop manual and parts manual from https://www.carlsalter.com/harley-service-manuals.asp
another good source of information are the youtube videos on the channel “Pacific Mike’.

change motor oil and filter (rinse out oil tank with kerosine)
clean out the wire mesh particle trap by the oil pump
change transmission oil
swap out ignition for a dynatec electronic ignition. Or take apart and oil/grease points and advance unit.
new plugs
since you have problems getting it into neutral: new clutch plates
change brake fluid front and back
new air filter
make sure tires are OK after sitting for 8 years
do a carb rebuild

go riding and fix all the oil leaks that pop up … (3 so far for me)

and whatever you do: DO NOT chop it into a hardtail. The whole world is doing that, those hardtails are a dime a dozen. Keeping it stock makes it easy to get parts. I expect the value of stock bikes to rise more than that of choppers.

 

Awesome points of advice guys, thanks! I have no plans to modify the bike other than a lower profile single seat and possibly removing the sissy bar.
Other than that I want to get this bike back into really nice mechanical shape. I'm going to take everyone's points and make a list and just start checking things off.

Any advice on the keihn carb rebuild? We must have screwed something up if its just flooding with gas, like wrong float needle size or something

 

Check the carb float level is set correctly. Also check that there is no debris stuck in the needle / seat that would cause the gas leaking problem. Which would also cause some running problems as well. And I'd fix that first because excessive (unburned) fuel will end up in the oil which you don't want. If necessary, get a new needle and seat to ensure you have the correct parts. Everything must be very clean as the carb has small passages that must be open for it to work properly.

I'd also look inside the gas tanks and see if there is a lot of rust. Drain all the old fuel so yo can see the bottom of the tank as much as possible. There will be some surface rust, but it should be minimal. If they look good refill with fresh premium fuel.

When flushing the brakes, keep in mind that DOT3 and 4 etc brake fluid will damage painted surfaces. And after flushing, keep an eye on the master cylinders to be sure they do not develop leaks. If it were mine, I'd likely rebuild the brake systems with new seals in the master cylinders and calipers. Check the hydraulic lines closely for signs of cracking etc.

Paul

 

If this works, here's like a 5 sec video of it when we first got it running

 

If you got a new needle valve with the spring loaded tip, you have to adjust the float level with the carb at a certain angle, 15-20 degrees if my memory serves. Did you do that? The later CV 4-sided needle valves work best.

 

I'm not sure honestly, I bought the rebuild kit from a local harley dealer, if I have time today I'm going to rip at all apart and go through it again, I'll take pictures along the way and post em.