sit back and relax, it's a long story...but hopefully my trials and tribulations will help others in the future with newer model conversions. i really don't expect anyone to actually read the whole thing, but typing it is therapeutic. :laugh

THE BACKGROUND:
i am 34yrs old from Reno, NV. grew up riding off-road bikes at my dad's house in MO but my experience on bikes was still limited in my opinion as i was very young and hadn't ridden in many many years. last year i passed the MSC with some friends and ended up buying a brand new 2013 XL883N with 8 miles on it. it took 2 weeks before i realized i needed more power. i have ZERO wrenching experience, i've literally never even changed my oil in a car. i owned no tools other than the little household box sets you get at Walmart. why i decided i can do a full 1250 conversion on my own, i'll never know...but if you read on, you'll see it all worked out in the end.

THE PARTS:
i did some research and some calling around but finally settled on Hammer for the conversion parts. all of the other companies i looked at seemed great as well so my choice was really just gut feeling i guess. i called Dan at Hammer and let him know what i was working with and what i wanted. i didn't want the upgraded heads and cams at this point, just the basic 1250 conversion. i also ordered a heavy-duty diaphragm spring too to help with clutch slippage with the added torque. finally, i settled on the Power Vision for tuning. I went with the basic at first, but upgraded to the Pro down the road...probably didn't need to as i will detail later.

THE CONVERSION PREP:
the parts arrived safe and sound from Hammer, and i had them pre-install and gap the rings which i HIGHLY recommend. while i was waiting for the parts to arrive, i started gathering tools that i would need. most of these tools i would assume the average person has at home already, but not me. i probably spent $500+ on new tools including sockets, allens, torx, wrenches, pliers, and then the "specialty" tools like: wrist pin puller, diaphragm spring tool, torque wrenches, etc. i just didn't have ANY of this but i felt it was time to grow up a little and learn. i had this brand new bike, and i wanted to learn about it...not just rely on shops.

luckily, i found several incredibly detailed conversion threads by others who have already completed the challenge i was facing. one in particular was basically my "bible" when it came to my conversion. it was a gentlemen from Canada who had just converted his 2012 XL883N to a 1250 using virtually the same parts as me. he detailed step-by-step with HD pics so it made life MUCH easier. THANKS MITCH! (https://www.hdforums.com/forum/sport...i-version.html) there are other threads i used to help as well, but unfortunately they are on a different forum so i do not want to disrespect the rules of this forum and post the link. i used all of these threads to help me in addition to MANY other forum members here that helped by answering my numerous and annoying questions

tear down was easy, just followed the Service Manual (which is ESSENTIAL by the way). hardest part was probably dealing with the bulky wiring harness that comes equipped on the newer 883's. it HAS to be removed in order to get to the rocker covers and essentially the entire cylinder/head assembly. it was a pain in the *** but i managed to zip tie it out of the way rather than go through the painstaking chore of removing the entire thing and thus disconnecting most of the wiring. if you do have a newer model that you need to do cylinder/head work on, there IS a way to do it without completely removing the harness. just cut some of the ties already in place and zip tie it up and out of the way, i believe i tied the left side to the handlebar and the right side to the ignition and it removed enough of the harness to be able to effectively get to the rocker covers, etc. i wish i had pics of all the processes but i fail so i apologize.

THE CLUTCH:
the clutch caused me some distress. i did this ALL on my own so it was my first real foray into wrenching without any help. in the end, i was very proud of myself for completing the job, regardless of the headaches along the way. i followed an amazingly detailed walk-through on how to do this job from another forum post (again, i won't link it here as it is a different forum site). when i first finished the job (swapping the stock plate with the heavy duty diaphragm spring), i noticed immediately that something wasn't right. the clutch lever was pulling WAY too tight and seemed to tighten up immensely about half to 3/4 way through the pull. when i rode the bike, the clutch was extremely finicky and jerky but it worked...somewhat. i called and spoke with Dan at Hammer about this problem and he couldn't quite place the issue since he can't look at the bike obviously. i decided to order an Extra Plate Clutch Kit (Energy One) from Dan while i had him on the phone. i had read that the added torque post-conversion could burn out the stock clutch EVEN WITH the heavy duty plate. i had obviously done something wrong when i installed it so i needed to take it apart anyways, might as well upgrade then. so i get the new kit, i take the clutch apart again. this time i had to run to harley to pick up some new parts. as i began putting the new kit in, i quickly realized my issue. i had put the spring seat BEHIND the diaphragm spring notches when the Service Manual (albeit pretty vaguely) shows it going on top. BAM! problem solved. i put in the new extra plate kit and reassembled CORRECTLY and the clutch pulled smooth as butter.

THE CONVERSION:
so i enlist a couple buddies of mine who also own harleys and know their way around a shop MUCH better than i do...although they are not experts or mechanics by any means either. just average or amateur wrenchers.
i won't go into too much detail on the conversion process itself, but will highlight some "issues" we ran into along the way in order to help others down the road maybe. first pain in the *** that we ran into was regarding the pre-installed pistons that Hammer set up for me. Since I'm a Class A moron, first thing i did was push one of the pistons too hard when preparing to install them. This caused the piston, pre-installed rings and all, to push right out of the bottom of the cylinder. So much for having Hammer save me time on that part. :doh It took me about 30 mins but after some interwebz research, i managed to find a trick to get the pistons back into the cylinders with the rings still on. i used the flat backside of a pen to work the rings past the cylinder opening. took time and patience but i finally got it back in. my only concern, and if any of you actually read this far down maybe you can answer, is that is it possible i messed up the ring gapping, etc. by doing this? if so, what would the outcome be if the rings were messed up somehow, ie. what symptoms/damage would it cause?

second issue was our own damn fault yet again. who forgets to put rags in the holes where the cylinders sit? WE DO! :doh while installing one of the cylinders into the piston rods, we of course dropped a circlip for the wrist pin into the dark abyss. so we stare down into the hole of oil and machinery trying to figure out the next move. i call Hammer Dan and reluctantly explain our foolish mistake, he chuckles...as one should, and reaffirms what we had been thinking...MAGNETS. i thought the oil would be too thick to pull up the metal but i'm not so good at science apparently. we run to the store and grab an extendable magnet. i hold my breath as we stick it down into the abyss...BAM! pulls it right up! success is a beautiful thing. we move past that mishap and onto the next one...

from then on, everything else went fairly smoothly in regards to putting the cylinders and heads back together. finding TDC was a fun project. i read a million forum posts about how to find it accurately but Hammer Dan again came through in the clutch. what we ended up doing is this: i put my finger over one of the spark plug holes while my other buddy spun the rear wheel. i waited until i felt the puff of air on my finger which indicated compression stroke. he then slowly rotated the wheel until i barely felt the puff stop and the stroke move down again. we then rotated the wheel again backwards to get back to the TDC. i believe this method worked well but i have no way of knowing of we have true TDC or not i guess. others recommended watching the push rods to find TDC but it seemed too confusing to us...we are not smart people. another incredibly irritating issue we ran into was another dropped item..this time a bolt down into one of the valve springs. we tried magnets, pliers, knives...just about everything to get it out. we had to end up taking the damn rocker box off and wasting 30-45 minutes of time getting it out. mission finally accomplished but tempers were high at this point. the only other minor issue i think we ran into was forgetting to but the breather bolt back on the front head. nothing is more frustrating than that...you are almost done buttoning up the rockers covers and then...DAMNIT! need to pull it all off, :frownone so after all of our mishaps and shenanigans, we finally get the bolt on 1250 kit installed.

THE REASSEMBLY and INITIAL TUNING/BREAK-IN:
next day rolls around and we finish the bike by reinstalling the pipes, A/C, gas tank, seat, and buttoning up the wiring harness. i plug in the Power Vision. the initial tune i went with was one i received from DynoJet directly. they provided me a map based off of a 2012 Sporty 1200 with upgraded pipes and A/C. i put the key in, turn on the switch, and hit the start button...nothing. not a sound. i scramble trying to think if i forgot to put the main fuse back in or just forgot to plug something back in...everything looked legit though. at this point, my heart sank...i had no idea what the issue could be. maybe it was a bad map? i started to run upstairs to scavange the internet for answers...halfway up the stairs it hit me. NEUTRAL MORON! i ran back downstairs and stare my buddy in the face in disgust..."dude, neutral." he just burst out laughing. we completely forgot the bike was in 5th gear from our TDC escapade. needless to say, :doh so i shift it into neutral and try again...fires right up and purrs like a very LOUD kitten. i run through my heat cycles as instructed on Hammer's site. i notice a LOT of decel popping and some hesitation at idle while running through the cycles. not too worried at that point as i know i need to actually run the Auto Tune to fix that. i noticed while watching the ET gauge on the PV that my temps were climbing fairly high after short, controlled rides during break-in. i was seeing 340-360 after just 10-15 mins in cold weather and riding very calmly. this is where my biggest overall headache started and finished with this conversion...

HEAT ISSUES AND TUNING TROUBLES:
so right about here in the story is where i'm sure i became Aaron at Hammer's worst nightmare. imagine a noobie wrencher who just spent numerous thousands of $'s on a BRAND NEW bike only to tear it apart by himself so he can make it stronger. i was SURE i messed something up along the way and i made Aarons email blow up every 10 mins because of it. :banana Aaron sent me a map he had come up with based on his dealings with conversions, etc. it was a map closely related to Andy (Whittlebeast) timing and AFR widely available on this forum. i load it up and move on with my break-in rides. the bike would get to 400F after about 20-30 minute rides around town, no freeways at all. Aaron and i went back and forth and brainstormed for WEEKS trying different things. he was nothing short of AMAZING in the whole process but there is only so much he can do from 1000 miles away. i tried different maps found all over the internet world, including Andy's timing, Aarons timing, a hybrid of the 2, etc. etc. NOTHING calmed the heat down. at one point i saw 417F..again ALL during the 500 mile break-in rides...so i hadn't even opened this baby up yet. i talked to different mechanics and you wouldn't believe how many DIFFERENT answers i received to solve my "problem". some say you need to retard the timing to solve high ET's, some say you need to advance timing to solve high ET's...so many different schools of thought. being so new to momo's, i had no idea who to believe. i tired them all but pretty much saw the same high temps all-around.

at this point, you can imagine my frustration. what did i do wrong? did i put something back together wrong? do i have an exhaust leak? a manifold leak? what the HELL!?!? the bike sounded fine and the decel popping went away for the most part after a couple of AT sessions on any map...but the heat? i didn't want to ruin my brand new bike of course. i figured if i put something together wrong or did something incorrectly while installing then i would HEAR the issue, it wouldn't JUST cause heat. at this point, i started asking around about "normal" sporty temps, i also scoured the internet for forums discussing the same. what i found was interesting: Sportys, especially the newer models apparently have the ET sensor at the rear cylinder...pretty much the hottest part of the bike. they just run HOT, that's the story. others reported the same temps i was getting, 360-400 and even up to 420F. so was all this worrying for not? Aaron suggested this to me before...he advised maybe there was NOTHING wrong at all with the bike and we were chasing ghosts. he rarely saw temps over 320 on his 2007 1250 conversion bike but that model is 6 years older than mine...things were different.

i decided, largely based off of some suggestions on these forums...including one from NRHS Dan, to purchase the Pro version of the PV Auto Tune. i know the basic is largely fine for tuning a bike post-conversion, but i just wanted the "perfect" tune and was hoping the Pro version would also help take away some heat. i wired it all up, pretty easy actually even for me, and began the journey of learning how the hell this thing works. again, tried a million maps with no real differences other than some were mildly hotter than others. all the while, the bike itself was running fine as far as performance. some decel popping as detailed before but no throttle or power issues that i could tell. after all of the time i spent trying to correct the heat, i almost forgot my 500 mile break-in was about to be up...

THE HAMMER POWER:
let me preface this section by stating that the first time i twisted that throttle open after the break-in was done...it was well worth the stress i had been having over the other issues. MY GOODNESS! so much different. i could easily power past those cars on the freeway, etc. where before it was a struggle. not only did i feel like this was a new bike, i felt SAFER knowing i had the added power to get out of hairy situations if need be. i'm not a fast rider, never have been and never will be...i just like cruising. i didn't get the conversion to go faster, i got it to be able to power up hills and past lingering cars, etc. i was NOT disappointed.

WHERE I'M AT TODAY:
so as of today, the bike is running fantastic. i finally settled on a map i received from the source of the "bible" i spoke of earlier. the gentleman from Canada who did the 2012 conversion sent me his map. although he was using a different tuner, our bikes were extremely closely related and he said his bike was running great. his timing was a little more advanced than Aaron and Andy's maps but overall they were very similar, especially in the "meat" of the map. my AFR table now is mostly 14 in the "meat" and < 13 on decel and high rev, etc. he couldn't give me what his ET's were though because he had no gauge. in any case, i uploaded his map to the ECM and pretty much have used that one ever since. i still get the 400F temps once in awhile but they always smooth out. i took a trip to Yosemite (500 miles round-trip) on the bike and i saw temps climb to 437F at one point but they always lowered and usually hovered around 380-400F...and this is with outside temps up to 95F and hill climbs totaling 1000's of ft. another buddy of mine that came had a 2001 Sporty 1200 and he could NOT keep up with me. i was keeping up with my buddy on his Fat Bob but i was pushing the bike HARD to do it...probably not smart in retrospect. but she made it, she had a couple high temps scares but the bike never struggled and held up great. i did also install a Jagg Oil Cooler and an oil temp gauge prior to this trip. in all honestly, i didn't see the oil cooler helping my engine temps hardly at all. i can;t speak to if it helped the oil temps because i did not know what they were at prior to installing the oil cooler. they seemed to be around 250F when cruising on the highway for awhile and i do not believe they ever topped 260 or 270F at the most. when i'm riding around town nowadays the bike rarely gets over 370F but that is usually shorter 15 mile or less trips.

i forgot to mention the dyno tuner i took it to. other than the printout results (which shows 78HP by the way), it was useless in my opinion. the tuner said he didn't even mess with the timing. THAT WAS THE WHOLE POINT OF ME TAKING IT TO HIM! i wanted a real tune on a dyno so the timing would be right he said since i didn't change cams and heads, the timing would be fine.

all-in-all, i stressed for a VERY long time about the heat and if i did something wrong on the install, but at this point i'm ready to just enjoy what i have. the bike is so much fun and i recommend the conversion to anyone. i'm always here if you want to PM me questions, etc. and i REALLY appreciate all of the help i received here and on other forums.

CONCLUSION:
buy a 1250 kit if you don't have one and have a newer bike...it's still WELL worth it. don't worry about the heat, as long as you are under 400F during normal conditions, you are probably fine. i recommend HAMMER PERF. but please do your own research and check out NRHS also, they are great dudes as well. also, i know there are other conversion options as well out there so just look and research until you are comfortable with one. ANYONE can do this conversion, as proven here i am completely useless...but i got it done.

THANKS ALL and sorry so damn long but hopefully this helps someone who provides insight, etc.

 

Congratulations on your abilty to get things done after jummping in the deep end.

Just really wanted you to know someone read it from beginning to end.

 

+1... Nice job and good write up!

 

Thanks for the great write up!

 

I think I have discussed your heat issues with you at some point in time. A little research revealed the temp sensor was changed in 2010 from the previous 2007 version. This might explain the different readings on the newer models. As to mounting depth I have no clue as I have no newer parts to inspect. I suspect Dan or Aaron could verify any differences between the '07-'10 and up parts as well as temp reading differences on the newer models while on the dyno.

 

Appreciate all that have taken the time to read this. Rickss69: I don't believe Aaron had dyno'd any newer model Sporty's at the time of my issues, he could only speak to his 2007 1250. In any case, I'm "reluctantly confident" the temps are fairly normal at this point. The performance of the bike has not changed at any given temp.

 

Great write up. Thanks for the detail. As a novice mechanic myself I appreciated the full disclosure. I have a 1200 so no 1250 in store for me but possibly a 107 for my Dyna down the road. I'll need a similar dose of courage to tackle that. Enjoy your "new" Iron.

 

I'll ask about for the owners of the newer models and we will get a data base of sorts from the owners of early vs later model average temp readings. Might make a thread somewhere to compile input.

 

A great read and well done, you're excused on it's length! As an alternative to finding top dead centre, after using your finger to identify the compression stroke, simply use a wooden pencil, or piece of dowel, something that won't scratch anything, but long enough to not drop into the cylinder! While your friend is gently rolling the rear wheel, you can feel the piston rise and fall. Sounds as if you had a bit of an ordeal, but a rewarding result.

 

Great write up and an enjoyable read. Having just completed a Hammer 1250 rebuild with headwork and cams, I have to agree with you that Dan and Aaron's customer support is outstanding. Few undertakings like this go without some sort of problems to work out, but having their friendly expertise only a phone call away, made the job go smoothly.