The 2nd Amendment:
A well-regulated militia as "being necessary
to the security of a free State" and prohibits
infringement of "the right of the people to keep and bear arms.
“Political Correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.”
Nuts & Bolts
Wheel Bearings:
2007 FLST and all 2008 Harley Davidson's were the first of the 25 mm axles. I believe they are bringing in metric technology to improve certain aspects of their vehicles.However, I am seeing a significant amount of wheel bearing failures!The 25mm bearing is a SINGLE ROW ROLLER bearing. Unlike 2000-2007,3/4 & 1" axle bikes, they have double row sealed roller ball bearings. Much stronger!
These failures are somewhat severe. If you have 10,000 or more miles on your bike, have your shop of choice check these for you, especially, on your next tire change.There seem to be a few clues leading to failure. These should be checked to indicate whether or not, you're in trouble.1)Once the grease starts to leak out of the seal, that tells me the bearing is already overheating and liquefying the grease. After popping the seal out, I have seen burnt grease and broken roller cages inside these bearings... there done.... 2)Once the axle is removed, verify the bearings spin freely! If there is any noticeable bumps or binding, that bearing is junk and needs to be replaced.3)If the bearing has been removed, DO NOT RE-INSTALL! I tried it. bearings failed shortly afterwards.4)Chirping or any other noise not related to dragging brake pads, have it checked immediately!Ride safe!
Engine oil:
I highly recommend synthetic oil for twin cams.Especially for 2007 and newer!
The reason:2007 engine is a 96ci stroker motor in which Harley Davidson removed the cam bearings from the cam plate. That's right! The cams are spinning in an aluminum plate. Too much heat (which we already know ) or petroleum oil breakdown can gall the bearing journals & take out a motor real quick.I pretty much refuse to run petro oil in a 2007 and newer, unless for engine break-in( which should only be a couple hundred miles ).
Run a good quality synthetic & be sure to have your bike serviced every 5,000 miles!!
LODI CUSTOM CHOPPERS
1310 Auto Center Dr. Ste A. Lodi, CA. 95240
Telephone: 209-369-7188
Helpfull data about your motorcycles..
You think your starter is going out:
Ok, Your starter cranks and it sounds like you have broken teeth or something, especially when the bike is hot.If your bike is 2007 or newer, It could be your compensator..I have replaced several compensators lately that have failed and mimicked a bad starter.
First, the compensators job is to provide a mechanical link between the sprocket shaft (left side crankshaft) and the main shaft (tranny input shaft). The comp. acts as a shock absorber between these two. Without getting into it to heavily, it helps protect Harley's Achilles heel, the twin cam flywheels.When you hit the start button, the starter drives the clutch basket, then the chain drives the comp and the comp drives the sprocket shaft, cranking the engine.The spring material in the comp is not holding up and the comp is providing a sloppy link between the starter and engine.When you crank the engine, it will fall ahead of the comp as a piston passes over a compression stroke or a partial cylinder fire but, your finger is still on the button. A loose comp beats the hell out of a starter BUT... The starter is the symptom, not the cause..Way to test:1) Drive slowly in 1st gear and lightly blip the throttle, hear a loud clunk in the primary?2) I do this to rule out timing, fuel pressure and tuning, pull the plug wires and crank the engine. Does it clunk and grind.3) Pull the primary cover off, grab the clutch basket with your hands, try to turn it back and fourth. Does the comp turn but not the flywheels?After performing these three tests, I install a SE comp pn #40274-08, and after reassembly, the engine starts great. With that being said,, Yes, that fixed the problem and the "cause". However, that's not to say that that poor starter may or may not fail later, due to the excessive abuse it was subjected to.
