97 sporty chop

[andrewc]

i always said the demons would come out in the end, since the rest of the build went pretty smooth. well, they did. buddy helped me whip up the throttle cable new years day and time the ignition, which let me start and ride the bike. since i hadnt ridden the bike before i tore it apart, i wasnt sure if how it was running was correct, but always felt like it was running too lean. it would start right up, idle fine, and pull through the gears, but didnt seem like it was pulling hard enough, or was putting out its full power. i was right. i chased my tail for a few days, took the carb off multiple times to see if i missed anything, or if something had blocked any airways or jet orifice somehow. carb is immaculate and still couldnt get it to richen up no matter how much i played with the air mixture screw. today i figured id take a look at the intake seals and replace them anyways as i had them from the carb rebuild kit. i found my problem. the ones that were in the bike were real nasty and cracked/dry on the cylinder side. why i neglected to not check/replace these in the beginning is besides me, i suppose i was just dreading replacing them, or telling myself they would be "fine". so... long story short, i burnt up a nice new chrome job on the pipes from running too hot, but luckily no major damage was done besides the pipes turning gold.

[andrewc]

the other issue i had was with the gas tank. i noticed this when i was taking it off to replace the intake seals. the brass plugs for the two bungs in the rear of the tank had leaked and allowed gas to creep out and get under the paint.

luckily i caught this when i did, as the paint only lifted maybe an 1/8 out from the bungs opening and not farther up the tank. nicely, you cant see any of it when the tank is on the bike. since i couldnt get the brass plugs out to put sealant on the threads, i let them be and used Redkote to seal the tank.

all this means is i have to wait till the weekend (to let it cure) before i can put fuel in it and take the bike out for more tuning and plug reads. from running the bike on an iv bottle this morning, with the air mixture screw out about 2 1/2 turns, and the new intake seals on, i am happy to report that the plugs are finally showing color and darkening up. i just hope im close this time and their arent any more damn fuel problems. i just want to ride this bike!

[twitch99xl]

gorgeous build wish i had some funds laying around to do this, best i can do is ride at this time..noticed your in fl where abouts im stuck in davie begining stages of a rough divorce i tend to get lost in the wind

[Tripleduece]

awesome build! glad I scrolled through for sure.

[Saltytonk]

You said you had no change with the air mixture screw. That only affects the idle mixture. If you still have a problem after replacing the intake seals , you may need to go up a size on main jet . Bike looks killer btw.

[andrewc]

gorgeous build wish i had some funds laying around to do this, best i can do is ride at this time..noticed your in fl where abouts im stuck in davie begining stages of a rough divorce i tend to get lost in the wind

sorry to hear about your divorce... im in down town fort lauderdale. maybe ill see you riding around some time.

[andrewc]

awesome build! glad I scrolled through for sure.

thanks man.

[andrewc]

You said you had no change with the air mixture screw. That only affects the idle mixture. If you still have a problem after replacing the intake seals , you may need to go up a size on main jet . Bike looks killer btw.

yes i know that. but if you adjusted it out to the point that the bike should be drowning in fuel, it should read on the plugs during the couple short rides i took, and from idling in my shop with a couple blips of the throttle. (to check revs) i forgot to add in previous post that im running a 45 pilot and a 180 main jet, as well as the CVP needle from their "tuner kit". everything ive read, and a few v-twin engine builders i spoke to down here say that a 48 is way too big, and that i should be more than fine with the 45, so thats what ill stick with for now. (although i have a 48 pilot and 185 main if for some odd reason i need them) im gonna wait till friday to put fuel in the tank and then take her out for some more runs to see where im at now. i dont want to get too confident just yet, but from the little bit of idling off the iv bottle (with the new seals in) it seems to sound healthier, equaled out between cylinders, and is showing some color on the plugs. fingers crossed for this weekend. and thanks!

[BadMonkeyMW]

Your jetting should be right on. You're correct that a 48 would be way too big for a 1200 engine. Bad intake seals are a very common problem on Harleys and I'd wager the bike will run great now that you've replaced them, once you're able to get it out on the road again.

[Danoh]

Damn good looking bike! I had the problem with my pipes turning and I was able to use Blue Job to turn the discoloring out. http://www.blue-job.com/

[goofyfoot2001]

This is my fav so far. Perfect lines, everything works. This is artwork.

[andrewc]

This is my fav so far. Perfect lines, everything works. This is artwork.

thanks!

[andrewc]

was able to go for a quick spin this afternoon and see how she ran. the bike ran great and am finally happy with the color on the plugs. im gonna go out for a longer ride tonight, but so far she seems good.

[BadMonkeyMW]

Those are looking good. Just remember with that 45 idle jet to only use the enrichener just enough to get the bike cranked when it's cold and then get off of it as soon as you can. Have fun!

[andrewc]

Those are looking good. Just remember with that 45 idle jet to only use the enrichener just enough to get the bike cranked when it's cold and then get off of it as soon as you can. Have fun!

thanks for that tip, ill keep it in mind.