Hi,

I'm a newbie here from Sweden...
I just bought an old Electra and first thing I want to do is change handlebars on my Electra Glide Sport FLHS -90 and I have some questions about the front air ride system. Stock bars works as a air reservoir and its not working, is it just to remove it with all components and plug the forks?
How is stock spring on this model you think?
Are they good enough or should I mount Progressive directly?
How much oil should it be in each leg.

Mattias

 

Yes, you can remove the system and plug the forks, I did for my 89. I went with progressive springs in the front and the stock amount of fork oil. It was a good upgrade. I do remember having to deal with some wiring when removing the system and had to make sure I grounded it all out.

Also, it's worth going to the Evolution sub-forum on this site do so some searching and reading of the threads. Good guys there too that can help with questions.

 

Hi Mattias, from the UK and welcome to HDF. What do you mean 'old'?! I bought my 1990 FLHS new!

The air system is very simple and can probably be restored very easily. You can indeed remove the air system and plug the holes in the fork caps. However the air supplemented the springs and unless you are very light you may find the forks do not ride very well.

As for springs, I recommend you use Race Tech single rate springs, matched to your weight, which is what I use. You can expect better results that way. They have a guide to getting the correct rate on their website.

I strongly recommend you buy a copy of the factory service manual, which will answer all your questions about servicing and repairing your bike. Your local Harley dealer can supply one.

 

Thanks for the info boys!
Lots of more questions coming soon and I will also check out the 1340 page.
I have a Tsukayu batwing and also a DNA 21" front wheel mounted. I have to remove the air ride system in front to make room for the new batwing, new instrument and headlight. New paint, Mustang seat and some other parts coming soon...

 

I think earlier models used the engine guard (crash bar) as the air tank. You might be able to preserve the functionality by adding the plumbing yourself. I had that same model year bike and liked it a lot. I rode back & forth across the US in 13 days and 6,400 miles on mine in 1991.

Now I have a 2010 Road King Classic and I wish it still used the air fork like my old FLHS. The new bikes have a big front end dive when you come to a stop. I felt more in control on the 1990 bike under slow speed braking. It's worth keeping the air fork system alive if you can figure out a way.