Just wondering if anyone else has had this problem: After everything is good and hot and I do a hard accel run (say getting on a highway), my idle is high when I stop (maybe by a few hundred rpms). Blipping the throttle doesn't bring it back down. I can ride for hours at lower speeds without getting on it and it doesn't happen. I checked the troubleshooting section of the service manual and it says that a high idle could be caused by an intake leak. I would think that the problem would be there all the time if there is a leak, and the bike starts and runs fine (it has the occasional carb fart, but that's not new). I'm thinking that maybe because the bike has only around 2,050 miles on it and I only occasionally accelerate hard that possibly something is just sticking. The hand control and cables seem O.K.
Curious to know if this is a common problem; I'm going to try a shot of W-D 40 on the linkage after work tonight and see if that helps before I go to the dealer, unless any HDF members have other suggestions...
Guess I should add that the only mod is the V&H Straightshots HS slip-ons with the 'quiet' baffles, but I did that when the bike had 200mi. on it and the 1,000mi service was done at the dealer at around 750mi., after which the bike was fine until the past week or so

 

My guess would be a possible kink or bend in your throttle cable that does not "hang up" until you have caused enough travel in it by opening it up on the higher end of rpm. I agree that an air leak would be linear in response and should provide a consistently high idle.

Good luck...

 

The thing about troubleshooting is that it is a process of elimination...

Though I would not start at the intake leak... it could be the problem. The hotter the engine, the more it heats up the intake and a hotter intake means a leaner fuel mixture, because the mixture vaporizes more easily. That being established, you add an intake leak which makes the mixture even leaner (if you ever adjusted a carburetor and messing with the air/fuel needle you can hear the rpms go up or down depending which way you turn the screw... you turn it one way and it leans the mixture out and rpms go higher). This could be why it only shows up after running the bike a little harder and the engine getting a little hotter.

You say your cables seem fine... Are they? Have you tried to slack off the tension on the throttle cable and ltighten the idle cable? Have you pulled the air cleaner off and look at the cables where they attach to the carburetor... is the little spring on the idle cable seated properly and has enough tension?

All this being said... my bike idles a little higher after running on the interstate for a while... (Maybe 50 rpms) but when the temps in the motor equalize it has got its normal lope again.

Hope you find your problem.

Charlie D.

 

I had that same problem with my '06 883. Just find the idle adjustment screw, and slow that thing down. I did...perfect solution. And no negative side effects. I have over 4,000 miles since I slowed down the idle...everything is working and looking good. You might experience a longer warmup period. Depending on the outside temp. That hasn't been a problem this summer here in Middle Tenn...YIKES...it's hot.

 

Many times the throttle linkage isn't set correctly.

Try sitting on the bike (after it has warmed to the correct operating temperature) with the front wheel pointed straight ahead.

Without touching the throttle turn the front handle bar all the way to the right, like you are making a sharp right hand turn.

If the throttle speed picks up it's a sure sign that the throttle cable is too tight, and you need to put a little slack in it..

It could also be that your "hot idle speed" is set too high, like someone mentioned earlier in this thread.

Harley recommends a "hot idle speed" of 950 - 1,050 RPM on the EVO Sportster engines. I did some experimenting and found that my 2005 prefers the idle speed to be set at 1.025 RPM.

 

Thanks for your suggestions, everyone. I gave the linkage a few good shots of Wurth HHS 2000 spray lube and worked the throttle a bunch of times through it's full range. So far, the problem seems to be cured. Maybe I was just a little too easy on it for the first couple of thousand miles! Also, switched from premium fuel to 89 octane, and believe it or not, that seems to have almost completely eliminated the occasional carb farts. Guess it's the Harley learning curve...