New (to me) RK owner, few questions
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Cruiser
Joined: Aug 2012
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From: Keno
New (to me) RK owner, few questions
Hey guys. Been building, racing, riding Japanese bikes for 20+ years. This is only my second HD, owned a Super Glide years ago but never really wrenched on it, I only owned it for a few months.
So, I bought an '01 RK (CV carb model) with 18k on it. It had been rarely ridden for the last 2 years. Picked it up, cleaned it, changed all the fluids, put a new battery in and it started right up. Also checked primary chain tension and drive belt tension. Brake pads are good. Put some sea foam in the tank and hit the road. It ran okay, but would buck a little bit at very small throttle openings. Okay, pilot's dirty, no big deal. I continued to ride as it steadily got better, to the point it rarely does it now. I may still pull the pilot though, as it seems like it takes forever to warm up. 30 seconds of idle with full choke, then about a minute or two or full choke riding and then it's pretty much good to go. I was going to ask if this is normal, but the service manual pretty much confirms this. Are these bikes lean from the factory? (Bike is stock). I am toying with the idea of going up a size on the pilot. Yes/no?
I also noticed that the shifter seems like it wiggles quite a bit before it moves the shaft. Normal? I have tried both aftermarket and stock shifters, they both do it. Heel shift has been removed and HD factory shaft cover installed.
Only other issue so far is that the check engine light came on a few times yesterday for about 3 seconds each time. I think every time I was in 4th gear. Checked service manual, it says to see the dealer.
also noticed after my ride yesterday that I had neglected to change the plugs, they looked to be factory original, so today I changed those.
Any ideas on the issues I mentioned, and is the anything else I should be checking? (I know about the cam chain follower issue, that's getting dealt with this year when the riding season ends.)
So, I bought an '01 RK (CV carb model) with 18k on it. It had been rarely ridden for the last 2 years. Picked it up, cleaned it, changed all the fluids, put a new battery in and it started right up. Also checked primary chain tension and drive belt tension. Brake pads are good. Put some sea foam in the tank and hit the road. It ran okay, but would buck a little bit at very small throttle openings. Okay, pilot's dirty, no big deal. I continued to ride as it steadily got better, to the point it rarely does it now. I may still pull the pilot though, as it seems like it takes forever to warm up. 30 seconds of idle with full choke, then about a minute or two or full choke riding and then it's pretty much good to go. I was going to ask if this is normal, but the service manual pretty much confirms this. Are these bikes lean from the factory? (Bike is stock). I am toying with the idea of going up a size on the pilot. Yes/no?
I also noticed that the shifter seems like it wiggles quite a bit before it moves the shaft. Normal? I have tried both aftermarket and stock shifters, they both do it. Heel shift has been removed and HD factory shaft cover installed.
Only other issue so far is that the check engine light came on a few times yesterday for about 3 seconds each time. I think every time I was in 4th gear. Checked service manual, it says to see the dealer.
also noticed after my ride yesterday that I had neglected to change the plugs, they looked to be factory original, so today I changed those.Any ideas on the issues I mentioned, and is the anything else I should be checking? (I know about the cam chain follower issue, that's getting dealt with this year when the riding season ends.)
Last edited by Nilla; Jun 14, 2013 at 04:28 PM.
Novice
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 20
Likes: 0
From: Austin, Texas
Welcome to the King of the Road! Yea, the stock bikes run real lean from the factory, but there are threads here in the DYI section for cheap fixes to your CV carb. Plugs are usually shot by 10K miles and a misfire may have shown up as a check engine light. On the bright side, you have a really well built engine that can take a lot of build up and stay together as the crank in running in a Timken tapered bearing that will hold the load and stay together. The 03 twin cams cam out with a cheaper roller bearing and the problems began. Congratulations on the King and enjoy the Road. Dot 5 is used in your brake sustem and probably needs to be replaced as well as your fork oil. I recommend 10wt as it tracks better and has less nose dive. A Shop manual and a parts manual will be invaluable when you tinker with it. It really is a very uncomplicated engine and with your background it will a piece of cake. Ride Safe, but no rules just ride
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Cruiser
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 172
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From: Keno
Thanks for the tips RayBob. Is there a link to the carb mods for stock intake/exhaust bikes? That DIY thread is huuuge and most of what google brings up is for people trying to jet correctly for aftermarket exhausts and intakes.
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