shovelhead starting problem
#1
shovelhead starting problem
Hi everyone, I have a 1976 FLH rigid ,has 575 sifton cam,dual plugged heads , 100 inch I am told ,It is a bitch to start. The starter seems too weak to turn it over .New battery ,after a short ride the battery needs to be charged again. How do Imake it more friendly ?
compression release ?new starter ? The whole set up is new, an old show bike, was hardly ridden. I cant get it to kick over. Any ideas would be great.
compression release ?new starter ? The whole set up is new, an old show bike, was hardly ridden. I cant get it to kick over. Any ideas would be great.
#2
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Santa Klaus County, Cali
Posts: 7,274
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#3
get rid of that drag race cam and use a sifton 468+ the 575 is not a wise choice for the street.. i built many,many 100" shovels i dont know how you came to 100" but i used the TROCK 3 13/16th cylinders and a 4 3/8ths stroke... if ya wanna good starter at a decent price (not like the spyke ones for $500) i use the ALL *****.. the starter can be removed from the bike without removing the primary.... it spins the engine over like an air starter.. they cost $200 you can find them on ebay -- new -- the 575 developes wayyyyyyy to much cranking pressure... the 468+ spins easy and with open/close events like 30/60 and 270 degrees of duration it never runs out of power.. its also only a .445 lift unlike the one you have or the junk cams that use extream high lifts... high lift cams only wear out your valve train... the 468+ is a soild cam but you cant hear the tick-tick as its designed for solids...
if you must have a hot rod type cam i would use the leinweber J4 its a tick-tick solid but if you run the jims kit its quiet --- myself i run a leinweber L3S in a 80"...
whats the boreXstroke of your engine?? carb?? pipes?? ign.?? compression???
other things to look at -- weak battery -- bad solenoid -- bad connections and or wires -- timing way to advanced --
if you must have a hot rod type cam i would use the leinweber J4 its a tick-tick solid but if you run the jims kit its quiet --- myself i run a leinweber L3S in a 80"...
whats the boreXstroke of your engine?? carb?? pipes?? ign.?? compression???
other things to look at -- weak battery -- bad solenoid -- bad connections and or wires -- timing way to advanced --
#5
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Santa Klaus County, Cali
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And if you do I highly recommentrhe Cyclelctric system. American made product so a bit more cost but I updated my 84 from the 22 to the 32 amp system and never looked back.
#6
thanks everyone,
I also agree that the cam is a poor choice, I am a rider not racer , I stumbled into this bike, had it at a shop , $ 1000 later its basically the same . I am a rookie , at 43. I will look at the starter, charging system and cam change. You guys are a good help . I cant even get a shop to give me a real answer , the dealer would kill my funds. I can let you know where to find a video if that doesn't break the rules.
#7
I would love to answer all your questions . Truth is I don't know alot about it . Bought it November and got a promotion at work and now have less time.I most definitely will get the cam change. Thank you for your help. The carb an S&S G, the pipes are custom shotgun ,ignion is crane cams I believe. Starter looks to me to be stock. Battery is 330 cranking amps. The bike is awesome to look at, but if I cant ride it semi reliable then the fun is gone for me .I dont know mechanics all that much but I can learn. You are correct when saying hot rod . Alot of money and time went into this bike, not street friendly.
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#8
I HAVE A SIFTON 468S -- its a wayyy better choice than that .575 -- the 468+ is hard to find -- the 468S will run that 100" bike more to your street riding uses.. it doesnt have the high cranking pressures of some cams.. even a andrews "C" would be better but thats still a high lift cam.. the battery is the right amps -- the ALL ***** starter once installed you will love it.. and the price isnt like some other ones at $500... a bike like that should have 24 motor gear -- 22 tranny and 48 on the rear -- the "G" will work on 100" engine but if you NOT planing on running 100+ mph i would go back to a "E" it throttles better even though its smaller -- i ran 100" bikes with the old S&S MGL"s they are the same as a "B" but have a side bowl.. again what is the BORE X STROKE of that set up???? with the gas out there i wouldnt go higher than 8:1 on a big bore shovel..
theres actually 2 .575 sifton cams
111 Intake: 40/66 271 0.575 Exhaust: 66/39 274 0.575 -- "outlaw"
118 Intake: 35/54 269 0.575 Exhaust: 62/32 274 0.575 "bandit"
theres actually 2 .575 sifton cams
111 Intake: 40/66 271 0.575 Exhaust: 66/39 274 0.575 -- "outlaw"
118 Intake: 35/54 269 0.575 Exhaust: 62/32 274 0.575 "bandit"
#9
Thank's again for taking time to help . I have found a 468s from black widow cams.The guy is on vacation until Tuesday .This is the company that bought the rights to sifton . The tooling and blueprints etc. I am buying the 32 amp cycle electric charging system on Saturday. Hopefully the all ***** starter as well. I have to figure out if its a prestolite or hitachi starter. I cant tell you bore and stroke, I dont know. This is my first summer with this bike. I can also buy an S&S E ,I hear good things about them everywhere .I will let you know progress. Thank's again , cheers to all who sent me a welcome message .