Hey guys, I haven't posted here in many, many moons. I haven't been able to ride my bike for months on end, it seems. Life became busy and I just didn't have the time.

Well, today I decided it was time to bring the ole girl out and freshen her up. She's a beauty.. 1996 Sportster 883.. A real girls' bike for my manly self.

I bought the CV Performance Deluxe Tuner's kit and installed the parts into the carburetor. Just FYI, it has an open element K&N filter and drag pipes with baffles so I followed the chart and used the 44 idle jet, 175 main jet. Slapped the carb back on and the hit my first snag. The throttle wasn't snapping back. I pulled it all apart and readjusted the cables. Eventually I got it to snap back, but it just doesn't feel right. It snags a little at WOT and has a weird dead spot at closed throttle. I'm not sure if i should just replace the cables, the throttle tube, or what else.

So, the throttle was moving and snapping back FAIRLY well so I decided to move on. I replaced the plugs with NGK Iridium IX plugs from CVP. Then I set about changing the oil. Opened the plug, let it drain then took off the filter and drained that too. The flow stopped so I figured it was good to go. Slapped the filter back on and filled the reservoir (only took 2 qts.. weird..).

Well, I had everything back together and wanted to tune my pretty new carb parts. Turn the key and hit the switch *click* *click* *click*. Well damn.. dead battery. Guess I'll charge that up. Hooked it up to the charger and let it sit.

When I came back out I pulled the choke and cranked her up. I let it warm up then started in on the tuning instructions provided by CVP. That's when I hit my next snag. The idle speed adjustment screw doesn't touch the throttle bracket. So, I can't adjust the idle speed very much. The screw has to be almost completely tightened down to even touch the throttle bracket.

So I have that fancy EZ-Just air/fuel mixture screw set 1 3/4 turns out from seated. I idle the bike and start turning it in... and turning.. and turning.. but I never seem to get it to stumble and find that "sweet spot." So.. I guess maybe the jets are too big? Should I have gone with the 42/170 instead?

I give up on fine tuning it and get it to idle and make the throttle seem to respond pretty quickly. It's been months since I rode so I had to just take it out for a spin. Man, does that bike seem to fly when you really get on it. I was whippin' around like mad and making noise. Of course I hit another problem.. When I slowed to a stoplight and let off the throttle, the engine almost instantly wants to die. There is a dead spot in the throttle when it was closed. If I twisted it ever so slightly, it would idle just fine. So, not sure if that is a throttle cable issue or a carb issue.

During the ride I was having just a great time being an idiot. However, once again, I hit another obstacle. The transmission is sloppy. Lots of false neutrals throughout the gear range. Not sure if it is a gear issue, clutch issue, or I'm just a terrible motorcycle rider, but it really made me frustrated.

Oh, and to top it all off, I get home and open the oil reservoir to check the level.. It's almost filled to the top, practically overflowing. WTF?!? Where did all this oil come from? Alright it's pitch black and still looks old. I pulled the oil drain hose again and set it in the oil catch pan for the night to drain as much as possible before tomorrow.

So, she is parked in the garage with the battery tender whirring away and her guts spewing into a plastic bin.

I'm stumped on this one. I don't know where to start, and I don't know what I should do anymore. There seems to be so many problems that I can't decide which to address and I don't know how to address any of them anyway.

Sorry for the long post. I'm just really frustrated. If I could, I'd just sell her off to some poor chump and buy me a new bike.. One that starts on the first go and just takes off whenever I twist the throttle. However, my wife is finding trouble with me dropping a few thousand on another bike.

Please help me..

 

Maybe you should bring the bike in to a shop and they can pin point the actual problems and repairs that are needed.

 

Post up some pictures, something is wrong, especially the throttle speed screw not touching. Did you reassemble the carb correctly? Also, the idle cable is a POS, and if not adjusted correct, will feel like cables hung up. I'm gonna ditch my idle cable next time I take off the carb.

Also, change out your manifold seals to the head and the seal to the carb. It's really easy to do.

You should only change the oil after the engine is entirely warmed up, so as much oil as possible has been pumped to the tank. Otherwise, oil that drains into the engine when shut off will still be inside the engine.

John

 

As far as the oil change goes, you should always start and run the bike for a short time before dumping the oil. You didn't do this, so you didn't drain all the oil in the bike. When you added oil, there was still a significant amount of oil still in the bike, hence the full tank. Check your throttle cables and readjust them. Up near the switch/throttle housing are two rubber boots; they cover the throttle cable adjustments. pull back the boots, loosen the lock nuts and back off both adjustments. Adjust the front cable first(back off that idle screw you ran in all the way) until you get full range of throttle and full return. Reset lock nut. Then adjust the rear cable. This adjusts the play in the throttle; you should have about 1/8" or less of play.Reset lock nut. Readjust idle screw. Someone else will be along shortly to help out.

 

If you don't have one buy yourself the correct factory service manual for your bike. Your local friendly dealer should have one or can get you one. Work your way through the problems you mention, but solve one at a time. As xray points out there was nothing wrong with your engine oil, you simply did things wrong and over-filled the tank. Your throttle cables can also be adjusted easily, following the correct routine, otherwise leave them as they are. As you work your way through each job come back and ask questions if you need to, but deal with one issue at a time!

 

Honestly, I think I might just take the chicken way out and do this. I just want it to run well enough to be sold and I can get something else. I'm tired of all the issues.


The idle speed screw didn't touch last time I took the carb off either, and I just cleaned it. I never took it all apart last time, I just cleaned it as much as I could a couple years ago. Also, the cables are all aftermarket braided cables. I'm not sure what kind, but most of the bike is aftermarket it looks like. The seals all looked good, but I guess it could be a vacuum leak causing some issues. And yeah, I was an idiot when I decided to drain the oil without warming it up, that was a rookie mistake I just didn't even think about.


The throttle on the carb doesn't touch the idle speed screw even without any cables connected to it, so the cable isn't causing the problem there.


I believe I have the service manual on my computer. The problem is, the bike is almost completely custom work. I got it from a family member and none of the parts look like original except the engine itself. However, I guess the engine stuff will all be the same as the manual. I'll look through it.


I appreciate the quick responses from you guys.

 

H-D doesn't sell digital manuals, so check what you have. If you decide to tackle these various problems, as suggested do one at a time. Post photos, so we can size up what you're dealing with and we can either confirm it's stock or something custom. Together we can do this!

 

Well, this is what I have:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B7...UdHTXhvY2plWWM

It is in 6 parts and that is just part 1. They may not SELL digital manuals.. but I definitely didn't BUY this either

I'm gonna save it for next week. I get 4 days off each week so I have plenty of time now to just dig into it. I will post photos when I get the chance.

 

That isn't a genuine factory manual, which I think you will find only covers 1995/6 models. You can see some real ones on Ebay, however don't buy any of them as they cost more than a brand new one from a dealer!

 

Okay! So a dealer should have it. I'll go try to track one down. This is turning into a project when all I want to do is ride