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10:1 would be good. Stock is 9:1, with the .015 head gasket.
Jim
Jim
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Dropped of the cylinders at the only shop I trust with hotrodding Harleys. I'll have them back in October, these guys had a really long machining queue. The owner of the shop said he would do some research on what the best 10:1 pistons would be and would have a couple of options for me to choose from.
Now I'm patiently (not) waiting for FedEx to get their heads out their asses and getting my wheels out for delivery. They still don't have any info they can share with me about what is taking so long.Last edited by Down; 08-11-2021, 8:36 AM.Comment
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After many fuck ups and screw overs at FedEx's end, they finally got their heads out their asses and delivered my wheels and tank. It's a roller!
19" rear, 21" front. Dirtbike tires are temporary.
I like the stance a lot.Comment
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More funny stuff I found. Someone had just put in a set of Andrews PB+ cams before the motor gave up. They look brand spanking new. Can I run these with stock valve springs. I'll be getting new springs anyway, so might as well go with whatever is best with these cams.
Pistons are scored on front and back sides, both cylinders pretty much the same and really badly. What would cause this? Low oil pressure? Bad oil pump?Comment
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This story ends here, for now at least. The frame is tweaked and I really don't have a clue how to straighten it out without a jig. I found this out while I was trying to make steering stops. Turn to the left and it hits the stop, center the stop and swing the front the other way. Hits almost 1/2" later. What the hell. I start measuring point to point on both sides, multiple points and it's always way off.. The frame is a corkscrew. The motor is fucked. Guess I just paid money for a literal pile of garbage?Comment
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Sounds like a pretty normal ironhead project. They can be money pits but they are all quite old at this point, and were never meant to last this long.
Stock springs with the PB+ cams are fine, but where are you going to find stock springs at this late date? (Beware of any of the aftermarket "stock" spring sets.) Kibblewhite/Precision Machining offers a good set of ironhead springs, part # 20-2215.
JimComment
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I'm ordering those springs, thanks JB.
I posted in a local group about the frame and one eager guy wanted to try to straighten it out, for a case of beer. He buys totaled bikes with twisted frames and gets them titled and sells them off, so I'm hopeful here.
I got the frame sandblasted yesterday, going to drop it off to the frame guy today. He said it would be ready next week, he's got no other projects going now.Comment
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Sometimes you get a bunch of good news! Got the frame home today, the guy was able to straighten it out a lot. I told him it doesn't need to be perfect, so he didn't go all crazy with cutting it up.
I was on my way to buy primer to paint the frame when I got a phone call saying my cylinders are done and he has Wiseco forged pistons to go with them. Damn, here I thought I'd really get them back in October.
The guy was just laughing about it raining for 2 weeks straight, so he had to do some machining to pass the time.Comment
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Assembled a roller with the new bars and new 1.6 gal tank. Waiting for ignition and rear axle to be delivered.
Need to start thinking about a rear brake setup. Could I run a Motoiron springer brake system on the back? The axle I'm getting is the same as the springer axle. It would bolt right on, but is there a reason why people don't do this? At least I've never seen it done.Comment
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Brake calipers are pretty universal and don't know which end of the bike they are on.
Knock yourself out.
JimComment
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New woes, not really sure what's up. Let me try to explain.
I assembled the motor. Everything went together pain free and I took my time and made sure to triple check everything.
The weird thing is I can't turn the motor over with transmission in gear. I can crank the kickstarter and turn the motor in neutral. Plugs are off, so it turns just as easy as it should.
Can not for the life of me get it to turn by turning the rear wheel. Not in any gear. I won't even attempt to turn it with the electric starter. Something tells me this professionally rebuilt gearbox is fucked. I have the receipt for it, but I can't say if it's this bike that has been rebuilt..
Seems like a transmission problem, no?Comment
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Check the end play of both transmission shafts by the manual before you take the transmission out. That REQUIRES a dial indicator and stand for it. You can't guess about this on an XL 4-speed.
JimComment
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Okay, figured it out. I'm not even that amazed, to be honest. Guys said they had the bike running and riding before they took the motor out. I do doubt that, because this was the culprit. These 2 bolts are way too long and poke into the transmission. Stupid thing, but this had me scratching my head all night.
At work I had time to think and the only things I could think of were these 2 bolts, or the starter interfering. I ruled the starter out, because I made sure it fits nicely when I installed it.Comment
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