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I just bought a '96 FLSTC. It's a basically stock 80" with a Stage 1 kit.
I noticed yesterday that when riding into a strong headwind or up a hill that it bogs quite a bit when rolling on the throttle in 5th gear. I can also smell a bit of raw gas when this happens.
The only other Harley I've owned was a '98 Sportster 1200 that I had six years ago and I don't recall it ever having this problem.
Could it be a jetting issue or am I simply expecting too much from a heavier bike that has a barn-door for a windshield?
Not a dumb question at all. You have a 17 year old bike that could easily be running rich. My first place to look would be the air filter, get a new one if you didn't replace it already.
1st step would be to check the plugs and jetting. My next guess on the gas smell would be fuel reversion. Holding the throttle open against a headwind, the air filter could be getting filled with enough gas mist that the fumes can be strong. My bike at high speeds would have fuel all over the oil tank from the wind blowing thru the AC. I went with a forward facing AC and fixed that issue.
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