Hey guys, I'm having some issues with my bike.
I started it yesterday and it'll only run with the choke fully up.
I drained the old gas and put fresh 94 octane and the bike seems to be running very hot?
I also installed new plugs.
Also, I'm getting black smoke out of my exhaust (running rich?).
I have an appointment next week with a local bike shop and I'm wondering if there going to overcharge me and or tell me something serious is wrong with my carb?
Should I be worrying about this?
Is it a common problem with these older bikes for them to run so bad? (The seller did not ride the bike for over a year or so).
Thank you,
Spiros
1995 Harley FatBoy

 

[QUOTE=hyprr1;18326538]Hey guys, I'm having some issues with my bike.
I started it yesterday and it'll only run with the choke fully up.
I drained the old gas and put fresh 94 octane and the bike seems to be running very hot?
I also installed new plugs.
Also, I'm getting black smoke out of my exhaust (running rich?).
I have an appointment next week with a local bike shop and I'm wondering if there going to overcharge me and or tell me something serious is wrong with my carb?
Should I be worrying about this?
Is it a common problem with these older bikes for them to run so bad? (The seller did not ride the bike for over a year or so).
Thank you,
Spiros
1995 Harley FatBoy

QUOTE]

Interesting....

It will only run with the choke all the way out.... suggests the engine needs more fuel.

Black smoke... usually mean burning excessive fuel..

Your two symptoms tend to contradict each other....

Reading between the lines in your post, did you just buy the bike and it's not been run in a year or more....???

If so, there is a good chance the fuel system needs to be gone through. There could be dirt/varnish (from old, bad gas) clogging or restricting the jets, the needle, or affecting the float and it's level..

With the OEM CV40 carb, that's not a big job, but could be time consuming. The CV40 is pretty simple, and parts are readily available. You (or the shop) should probably take the carb all apart, clean it, and then reset it when you put it back in. Don't forget to remove/check/clean the tank petcock too.

To answer your question, "Is it a common problem with these older bikes for them to run so bad?"... the answer absolutely not...!! Get it cleaned and dialed in and that carb bike will run excellent!! Any bike, without proper maintenance can run poorly.....

I recently bought an '01 Springer with carb. It hadn't been run, only had 9.7K miles. I cleaned the tank, petcock, and totally disassembled, cleaned, rebuilt, and then reset (tuned) the carb when I put it all back together... This bike runs awesome! The carb is dialed in so that when I hit the starter, it fires up before the engine does two revolutions....cold or hot! If it had a kick start, it would be a one-kick bike...!

Catch up on maintenance, dial in the carb, and that bike will impress you...

 

Thank you so much!
I really appreciate this.
When I went to see/buy the bike it ran ok. When I got it to my house, the plugs were so loose I could remove them with my fingers.
I replaced the plugs and everything seemed to be ok, but it had a hard time idleing when I put the choke in.
Most likely, like you said its a carb issue (I hope...lol).
Thank you once again.
Spiros

Once I get it running, I'll keep you posted!

 

Keep in mind it is not really a choke. It is an enricher. A choke reduce air to enrich fuel , The enricher adds fuel. Likely needs a good cleaning.
Good luck with Evo of that time are great rides

 

I've owned a few bikes in the past (1984 Virago, 1986 GSXR, and a few other sport bikes) but this specific year and model has been in my
dreams for a while now. I had saved up some cash to buy a fatboy and when I saw this one, I had to have it!
My wife loved it once we went to see it and she gave me the rest of the money to buy it.
Happy 50th birthday to me (June 21/1969) I guess....lol

I hope it's just the carb?
Thanks smitty901

 

You have a piece of crap plugging your intermediate jet. Drop the bowl, pull both jets and blow them out.

 

Looks like you may have a S&S Super E. If so, even simpler to work on. I would check intake seals. If it sat for a while, then run for a bit the seals may have cracked alowing air to go into the cylinders without going through the carb. Use wd40 or carb cleaner while running. Spray small amounts around the seals and listen for idle change. Thats where I would begin.

 

yep, most likely pilot or sometimes referred to as slow jet is clogged

 

It's blowing black smoke because you are running it with the enricher out which dumps excessive fuel in, it will eventually foul your plugs and make run even worse. The problem is the slow speed jet is clogged, either with junk or varnish from old fuel sitting in it. If it has varnish chances are the high speed jet is also dirty. If you can drop the bowl and remove the jets and clean them out with some sort of GumOut stuff, the bowl to, Personally, I'd take the carb off and spray out the passages, throat, slide etc. Drain the old gas if it is old, clean the plugs and you should be fine.

D/S

 

I believe "Doug S", and others, have given a sound diagnosis of your problem, but I also agree with what "Doug S" suggests at the end of his post.

FWIW.... If something has clogged/gummed-up the pilot jet, I wouldn't feel good just dropping the bowl and cleaning that jet. Who knows what else is in the carb that could pop up in the near future.... I'd remove, disassemble, clean, inspect, and reassemble the carb... remove/inspect the fuel line (they can deteriorate on the inside), and clean the petcock/tank...

Good luck and enjoy the ride. I had an '89 EVO Heritage that was a great bike!!!