Spring break. Time to get caught up on projects.
Project 1: Install the new handlebars on the 2015 Road Glide CVO. I bought 14" Wild 1 bars because I like them on my Road King and because the stock bars on the RG make my shoulders hurt. Picked up hydraulic cable extensions for the brake and clutch, but everyone says that you don't need wire extensions. Picked up an LA Choppers handlebar clamp and risers since the stock CVO bars don't neck down at the clamp.
Issue 1: Pull the bars, pull the wiring, wire the new bars, replace the clamp and "well that's weird". It doesn't fit unless I turn it around backwards. The fork lock assembly is in the way. Well, I'll just turn it around. Not the end of the world.
Issue 2: The wires don't reach so I'll need extensions. Which "everyone" said I wouldn't need. Local indei shop has a set though so I'll run down and grab them. Crap, RK grinds when I try to start it. Bendix going out? Well, project for another time.
Issue 3: The clamp doesn't fit the bars cause it's wider than the necked down area on the handlebars. Check the catalog, catalog says "Fits bars with 1" clamp area". Doesn't say a damn thing about "but not if they are chubby bars that neck down". Pull clamp back off, reinstall stock clamp, put stock handlebars back on (without wiring cause I'm not redoing that), and call a friend to help me push it up the little hill in the alley back to the garage. Order Wild 1 clamp on ebay cause my indie shop says it's backordered til April 10 and that could mean "forever".
Project 2: Swap out the engine in my 1992 Fatboy. I picked up a 1991 FXR motor, allegedly with about 30k miles on it. I don't know about the miles but it seems in good condition and the price was right. I trust the guy selling it to me to tell me what he believes, so there's that.
Since I've done a fair amount of upgrades to the Fatboy engine, I'll be switching those over to the new engine prior to install, including:
- Crane Fireball came and lifters
- NIB chrome cam cover
- NIB chrome pushrod covers
- S&S high volume billet oil pump
- Manley valve springs
- Screaming Eagle roller rockers
So first order of business is to strip the old engine, which is still in the Fatboy. I don't have an extra bench right now, so the Fatboy goes into the trailer and onto the lift. Rear rocker boxes off to free up the cam and lifters. Lifters out, cam out, oil pump off. Digging through my stuff to see if I can find oil pump gaskets and what should I discover?
Issue 1: The instructions for the oil pump letting me know that it will only fit 1992 and later engines as Harley changed the mounting area for oil pumps between 1991 and 1992. Well that's crummy. This was a NIB oil pump, retails for about $400, that was given to me in a box of stuff. And now I can't use it. Sad.
Oh well, moving on. Install cam. Measured pinion gear and cam and determined that pinion in old engine was a closer fit than pinion in new engine so swapped those out. Had a Torrington cam bearing in my stuff but the packing grease was all dried out. I lubed it and spent several minutes working it with my fingers til it rotated freely. A bit nerve wracking but I want to get this job done so ... I think it'll be fine.
Lifter blocks installed (and I now have a good set of lifter blocks that I should be able to sell. They aren't generally available and aren't cheap, so that's nice. (Or more parts to put in boxes and stack around my garage, if we are being realistic.)
Last chore of the day to move the oil filter mount over to the new engine. I customized my oil filter feed lines to add an oil cooler., specifically having the return line bent by a pipe shop to go to the cooler before returning to the tank.
Issue 2: There are no holes on the engine case for the filter mount. Oh yeah, it's been a while, but now I remember that the FXR had the oil filter mount up under the transmission. The good news, the bosses are there, (see image 1), the bad news, there are no holes as there are in the 1992 Fatboy cases (see image 2). So I guess I'm drilling holes in my new engine. That'll be fun.
Today my plan is to install the heads (Not sure if I have a good set of base or head gaskets so might have to hold off on that, but that's the plan).
I'm already tired and spring break has now been going on for two days. I also have three phone calls from people with problems. Not "can you service my bike" but "it just quits running at idle", and "it wouldn't start then it started and ran funny", and "I installed a clutch cable but it won't adjust properly". Sigh. I want to start saying "no".
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