does anyone have a Harley or has anyone worked on one?

[TheTramp]

I've just gotten my hands on a 1970 Harley-Davidson Sportster that is in fair shape. It's been sitting in a basement for almost 20 years and I'd like to return it to the world of the living.

As far as I know, it ran before it went into hybernation (the coil was bad but it was replaced). Now I know the cables are in bad shape but that's about it. The first thing I want to do is get it running. Looks can come later.

Where should I start? I've got two of those big maintence/repair books on the way and there is someone who knows what they are doing to help me but any help I can get here would be....very helpful.

I would take it in to be repaired but I don't have a lot of cash. I'd rather try and do as much as I can myself (with a lot of help from my friend).

Thanks

[virus]

wow thats and oldie.....

i'm lookin for my first bike right now... so i guess i'll be watchin this so i kinda know what to look for and stuff =)

anyway enjoy the bike... once its runnin that is =)

[lopxtc]

Not sure about bikes, but I know with cars it isnt good to let the vehicle sit too long with the fluids in it still ... was the engine drained before it was stored?
When we worked on a buddies car, we had to rebuild the engine and replace all the seals and what due to the fluids sitting in it for so long ...

Aaron

[sk8dood]

My dad has a silver '02 soft tail and after market exost(sp?) and i think a differnt air intake to make it louder. it is bas arse.

[TheTramp]

Virus, thanks! I got it for nothing so even if it costs me some cash to finaly get it going I doing ok. If I do reserect it I'll let you take it for a spin when we get together for some paintball.

lopxtc, I guess it's been drained because the guy I got it from said he thinks the seals should be ok. I would have thought the seals would dry out if it was left dry. This just shows how advanced I am with automotive stuff.

[obsolete898]

Personally I would just replace all the seals and gaskets. Who knows what it went through. An added bonus is that you get to clean it all out and put any performance parts you want to in it.

[CameraGuy]

I spent a summer working in a small shop that did Harley and Indian restoration/customization (not that I'm by any means an expert).

You will almost certainly have to replace every fluid in the bike (oil, brake fluid, fork oil, transmission fluid, oiling the chain, etc.). For your sake, I hope the carbs were drained, or there will most likely be a build up of "varnish" on the internals, requiring a rebuild. A couple of the bikes I worked on had very nasty black deposits in the crankcase, where residue suspended in the oil had settled out and jelled/hardened. Make sure that you inspect the tires (and potentially replace them) before putting the bike on the road, as they may have hardened and cracked (especially a problem if they went flat and the rubber was folded between the rim and the floor). Budgeting for a new battery is also advisable. Having a friendly chat with your neighbourhood mechanic should provide a number of other potential problems.

Just for personal interest, my bike is a '73 Honda that sat in storage almost as long as I've been alive

[TheTramp]

Thanks for the info. I'll make sure to check for those deposits.

As far as the tires go, I'm pretty sure that I'm going to have to replace them. They are flat and have probably been sitting there like that for years. The battery is long gone so I'll have to replace that.

[MagDog68]

You are definately going to have to change the fluids and cables, battery and any other consumables (tires are probably rotting away.) If there was any gas in it that hasn't evaoprated, drain it and replace all the seals. The spark plugs will need to be changed, oil and air filters if it has been sitting in a dank basement they will have mildew in them.

This is your best case scenario. If the bike ran before it went into storage, you should be good to go as soon as you take care of these areas.

~Fred

[TheTramp]

Originally posted by CameraGuy
For your sake, I hope the carbs were drained, or there will most likely be a build up of "varnish" on the internals, requiring a rebuild.

What did you have to do to get the "varnish" off?

[virus]

[CameraGuy]

We soaked all of the parts from the carbs in a can full of some kind of solvent (I can't recall what it was, probably a carb cleaner), and then replaced all of the seals with new ones from a carb kit. A few areas were touched very lightly with steel wool or cleaned out with a pick. Generlly a good idea to make sure all of the ports/holes in the carb are unplugged before reassembly, as having to disassemble everything again is awfully annoying.

[cris8762]

my dad owned a sportster, then he bought a Fatboy!! that was the best looking motorcycle i've ever seen!

[FrAuStY]

Originally posted by CameraGuy
We soaked all of the parts from the carbs in a can full of some kind of solvent (I can't recall what it was, probably a carb cleaner), and then replaced all of the seals with new ones from a carb kit. A few areas were touched very lightly with steel wool or cleaned out with a pick. Generlly a good idea to make sure all of the ports/holes in the carb are unplugged before reassembly, as having to disassemble everything again is awfully annoying.

www.repairmanual.com/index.html

[TheTramp]

Originally posted by FrAuStY
www.repairmanual.com/index.html

Taking things apart is alway the easy part.

Thanks for the link. I have a few manuels on the way and I think they should be very helpful.