What did you do with your bike today?

Hmm, never occurred to me to locktite those bolts but I suppose I could, once I find the position I really want to keep.

I did locktite the back of my gascap. The gascap on the V-Stars is kind of odd, and has two screws in the back that hold the parts together. They are prone to back out. Mine had always been kind of "fiddly" and I finally googled it and read about the problem. If one falls out (generally into your tank) the cap becomes like mine, "fiddly" to remove and secure. If both fall out your gas cap falls apart. Sure enough, one of mine was missing, and when I tried out a half helmet (I normally wear a modular but dropped it on the visor and scratched it recently, was able to ride it home and replace the visor but it got me to thinking to get a cheap but approved "get me home if that happens again worse" one, so I got a half helmet) and, sure enough, with my ears uncovered now I can hear the screw rattle in the gas tank under braking. I replaced it, locktited them both, and will fish the old one out with a magnet eventually.

mike721 said:

Good luck with fishing out that screw. my 650 Vstar gas cap did that too ( i think they all do) , I did get it out eventually but it was an 'interesting' exercise in frustration first.

Click to expand...

Well AFAIK it doesn't really hurt anything, just rattles. I'm sure there's a screen or more that prevents it from plugging the fuel flow. So I'll see. If I get it out, fine. If not, I have a rattle I can't even hear in my normal helmet.

BTW I got a nice polite PM suggesting it looks like my bags are on backwards. Maybe they are, but there's more to it than that. When I got them the documentation specifically said they could be mounted either way. I tried them the other way first, not because I was really sure which way was "right" but so I could reach the little side pockets from the seat. Problem was that no matter what I did they didn't sit very level and, worse, the right one tended to get too close or actually on the upper pipe. I know they're a bit large for the bike but I do plan some weekend trips. At any rate, I reversed them and they set better, but I also found a different way to tie them off. I discussed it yesterday with a friend who suggested they looked "odd" to him only because he's used to seeing them the other way "but not bad." Plus one more factor - as evenings get shorter I've put big square patches of black reflective tape, that's gloss black until lights hit it square on and then really lights up with reflections, on what is now the "back." If I reverse them the openings will be in the back and there's no good way to put nearly as much surface area of the stuff on the back, provided I want to keep it, and I do think it's a safety advantage.

So I've decided to just leave them as-is at least until spring. Then I may revisit it.

What I'm doing with it (to get back on topic for the thread) is going to be riding all I can to see if I get used to that seat or need to send it back.

Hello Eye_M_No_Angel
Ray here, Brought wide glide in for tranny /Primary fluids.
asked about new pipes for better sound. Mike Eller a gr8 wrencher
over at ThunderBay who brought the Snortster back to life,
another story. Well he told me about bikes leaving the factory
running quite lean due to our uncle Sam and his buddies at the EPA

Mike told me I'd be better off getting a new engine fuel module
or similar device, he could tune with a puter, told me engine would
run lots better and cooler, better gas mileage and would sound
better, says I could get an air cleaner that would breathe better
but I don't know if he knows I replaced stock cleaner with a K'N
which has a cleaning kit for it.

I change engine oil'n filter at 2500 miles tranny/primary at 5K
and clean air cleaner after oil change. Some change engine oil at 2500
but oil filter at 5,000 like what the hay?

Mike said, "You can get the big radius pipes later but better for the engine
right now if she doesn't run lean anymore, you'll get about ten more hp, she
will sound throatier. So that'll get done by next week-end, looking forward
to that and now its time for a cold beer or 2.

Ray'ssporty1200 said:

Hello Eye_M_No_Angel
Ray here, Brought wide glide in for tranny /Primary fluids.
asked about new pipes for better sound. Mike Eller a gr8 wrencher
over at ThunderBay who brought the Snortster back to life,
another story. Well he told me about bikes leaving the factory
running quite lean due to our uncle Sam and his buddies at the EPA

Mike told me I'd be better off getting a new engine fuel module
or similar device, he could tune with a puter, told me engine would
run lots better and cooler, better gas mileage and would sound
better, says I could get an air cleaner that would breathe better
but I don't know if he knows I replaced stock cleaner with a K'N
which has a cleaning kit for it.

Click to expand...

[/QUOTE]

The bikes leave the factory slightly lean, but not enough for most people to worry about. If you're going to be switching pipes and air cleaner then a fuel controller is something to consider, but again, if all you're doing is switching pipes on a bike with the wide band O2 sensors then you may not need a fuel controller. On slightly older bike with the narrow band O2 sensors it was a little more important to add a fuel controller.

Adding more fuel with the controller will make the bike run cooler, but adding more fuel won't increase your fuel mileage. (You're burning more fuel, right? It will also increase your available power and you will feel an improvement if you choose to feel it. 10 HP more? That's pretty optimistic. 4-6 more HP would be more realistic.

It's all a matter of how you want to spend your coins and what you want the bike to do. For a comparison, on my 2016 Road King bike I switched pipes but did not add any fuel controllers or other engine modifications. I'm using the stock ECM and stock map, and I have had no issues or lack of performance. It rolls on all day, but, it's a touring machine and not a dragster.

Ray'ssporty1200 said:

I change engine oil'n filter at 2500 miles tranny/primary at 5K
and clean air cleaner after oil change. Some change engine oil at 2500
but oil filter at 5,000 like what the hay?

Click to expand...

Did this guy tell you to change it that often? If so he's a better salesman than he is a technician. For your bike the factory calls for changing the engine oil and filter at every 5,000 miles, the primary oil at every 10,000 miles, and the transmission oil at every 20,000 miles. You're wasting a LOT more money on maintenance then you need to, Ray.

Yeap, I'm game for a cold beer myself...:71baldboy:

Hello Eye_M_No_Angel,

I wanted to add more to the wide glide, I rode one that was
'Souped up' and yeah I liked the sound of it. So far all I added
was hi-way bars and a chrome coil cover with fat orange wires.
I thought there were a number of times she was running hotter
than she should but did not have an oil dipstick thermometer,

I thought at first I could change out the pipes for ones I liked the
looks of better but I did mention that I had replaced the stock air
cleaner with a K&N and he told me that it would be better in the
long run to to remap the fuel system first to make the engine run
less lean and it would add some more hp, he did not say how much
more but that I'd notice it. My brother's friend has a wg that got
mapped out, same pipes, I liked it alot and since began to mull
over some changes.

He never pushed changing oil every 2500 miles and H-D said the oil is
good for 5K but to me, they want nothing more than to sell me another
bike or bring'er in for a big-ass bill from the service dept for new rings
valves and who knows what else. I could be very wrong but from this
mechanic I've kept an old Snorty running and running well, and I know
it would have cost me a lot more like 4 grand more at H-D. Other bikers
I spoke to at biker bars told me "Heat breaks down the viscosity or
lubricating qualities of oil, if bikes were liquid cooled, yeah be all right
but it's lots cheaper to change oil an filters than engines. Maybe this is a
southern attitude cuz its hotter here than New England? Either way I feel
good about it and same for primary and tranny. Thanks very much again.

A lot of Folks fall for some common myth's like: Loud pipes make more power:surprise: NO and NO. It only seems so because of the 'Visceral' reaction to the noise:

"characterized by or proceeding from instinct rather than intellect:
a visceral reaction." Wikipedia

Jetting my carb'd bike with a set of louder aftermarket exhaust will give me better fuel mileage!:surprise: NO and a slight MAYBE; The trouble is, is after say a stock Harley upgraded via the 'Screaming Eagle' route, the owner likes the sound SO MUCH that he blips the throttle almost all of the time to hear the wonderful voice of the beast, especially going under overpasses, through covered bridges, going onto on ramps or just to impress the sweet college girl's in Daddy's Prius stopped next to him/ her/ whomever:grin:

I've seen incredulous Harley riders complain about getting worse fuel mileage after the typical, pipes, air filter and re-jet! Poor Babies. Then I point out the fact that since their bikes are so much more powerful sounding, they ride like a speed demon now**lain:

** Look into a carb'd bikes intake without the air filter on and 'blip' the throttle----see that healthy squirt of raw fuel being ejaculated furiously by the 'accelerator pump':surprise: Yeah, there's your good mileage going right down the drain:wink2: Fuel injected bikes still do the same trick but it's harder to see because the fuel is 'atomized' much finer and in a different area of the intake manifold or in the head or even sometimes now actually from the cylinder itself:surprise:

A Dyno doesn't lie but the 'arse' dyno does:wink2:

Sam:nerd:

Ray'ssporty1200 said:

He never pushed changing oil every 2500 miles and H-D said the oil is
good for 5K but to me, they want nothing more than to sell me another
bike or bring'er in for a big-ass bill from the service dept for new rings
valves and who knows what else. I could be very wrong but from this
mechanic I've kept an old Snorty running and running well, and I know
it would have cost me a lot more like 4 grand more at H-D. Other bikers
I spoke to at biker bars told me "Heat breaks down the viscosity or
lubricating qualities of oil, if bikes were liquid cooled, yeah be all right
but it's lots cheaper to change oil an filters than engines. Maybe this is a
southern attitude cuz its hotter here than New England? Either way I feel
good about it and same for primary and tranny. Thanks very much again.

Click to expand...

If you want more Oomph then pipes, intake, and fuel controller is the place to start, but just don't get your hopes up too high. In order to really blast, there's a lot more things you need to do. Like Porky said, the butt dyno lies but as long as you're happy that's all that matters. As for the guys in bars talking about motorcycle performance? People like me have made a lot of money off people like them.

Ray'ssporty1200 said:

they want nothing more than to sell me another
bike or bring'er in for a big-ass bill from the service dept for new rings
valves and who knows what else. I could be very wrong

Click to expand...

Yeah, you're wrong. Harley doesn't operate that way. Yes, they want to sell you another bike, but not because your old one fell apart or wasn't well built. That would be a lousy business model and they didn't get to be the longest running motorcycle company in the world by running a shoddy business.

The intervals I mentioned above are what the engineers that designed your bike suggest. That's the most cost effective interval using modern oils to get the most longevity out of your bike. You can change the oil more often if you'd like, but it's not going to help you out in any real way other then to lighten your wallet. And hey, I live in Florida too, and frequently ride all over the South and Southwest. I might push back an oil change to 4,000 if I'm about to go on a long ride, but that's about it.

Hello Eye_M_No_Angel,


they want nothing more than to sell me another
bike or bring'er in for a big-ass bill from the service dept
for new rings, valves and who knows what else. I could
be very wrong.

I think I am wrong about that, first H-D dealer up in New Port Richey
didn't seem to care about their customers one way or the other, I mean
when one buys a pre-owned bike, they have to know it's going to need
some work, and it did run, but there were a lot of things that could have
been repaired before they put the bike out on the floor. I know that is
is where I got the attitude, but after I put some work into the Snortster
and found I have a pretty damn good bike, my thoughts about H-D were
very much turned to the positive. Positive enough to buy a new wide Glide.

Well, today I cleaned out the air cleaner, a K&N job this fits under a stock
cover, it has a cleaning kit that comes with a can of cleaner and filter oil.
last week I had front brake cyl. rebuilt as plunger did not return, no brake
problem but the spring was 'shot' and brake lights stayed on, causing red
lens caps to get very hot an messed up. ThunderBay did the job for a hair
above a C note whereas others quoted me around 2 C's and a half. So
Tomorrow the bike will be ready for a good long ride. Hope you get in a
good ride !

Yeah, walking is no fun, no reserve in tank?
It wasn't long after I got the Snortster up
and running that I found out the fuel valve
was 'out of it' started running out of gas,
reached down and pushed lever to forward
and guess what? uh huh bike crapped out
even though there was gas in the tank. I was
just farting around anyways, looked like it was
gonna rain and yeah it did but I still needed
a bit of 2wheel time. Luckily since I was near
a main road there were gas stations enough so
I gassed'er up and she fired right up, so I knew
the next order of bizness was to get a new valve.

Hello again Eye _m_no_angel,

These engineers who say you or I can go 5,000 miles between
oil changes, Do they ride ? and more important, did they actually
check engine after 5k miles, like a compression test? metal particles
in engine oil?

Do you think the engineers checked for metal particles
in the primary case after 10K and same for Tranny after 20K
could it be I am too much the cynic? never really believing?

What are your thoughts about K&N air cleaners and bike
parts by 'DRAG' Thanks very much!

Ray'ssporty1200 said:

Hello again Eye _m_no_angel,

These engineers who say you or I can go 5,000 miles between
oil changes, Do they ride ? and more important, did they actually
check engine after 5k miles, like a compression test? metal particles
in engine oil?

Do you think the engineers checked for metal particles
in the primary case after 10K and same for Tranny after 20K
could it be I am too much the cynic? never really believing?

Click to expand...

There is an entire division of researchers that do all manner of long and short term testing of everything from entire bikes to individual components. Most are engineers of various types and some are even PhD's and a lot of them do ride. It is a very precise and analytical environment. I'm not too bad with Harley's and I was a factory trained technician, but I would be nothing more than a minnow in a tank full of sharks in their world.

Harley also uses several locations as test tracks, and new designs and components are ridden for thousands and tens of thousands of miles, and often more. They use one in Arizona and they just sold one, I think, here in Florida, and they also use a few others. I was told that most of them are in hot climates.

For Harley, (and for most other brands too,) the testing and refinement of a new model takes about 3 years. So the bike you might be seeing for the first time on the showroom floor in 2020 is already being developed and tested right now.

Ray'ssporty1200 said:

What are your thoughts about K&N air cleaners and bike
parts by 'DRAG' Thanks very much!

Click to expand...

I like K&N air filters and have them on all our bikes except for both our new ones. (2016 Roads Kings) They do a great job and are a good investment if you're going to keep your bike for a long time. They cost a bit, but will pay for themselves. Don't over-oil them. Just a light mist with the oil in your kit. Once you're running the oil from your crankcase breather will keep oiled.

I don't have K&N filters on the new bikes because they came with a washable filter from the factory. We'll see how long they last and when they are no longer effective I'll replace them with a K&N.

Drag supplies some good parts and some average parts. They are pretty much one of the main suppliers for independent bike shops. Some of their stuff is made overseas, but that's no big deal as long as it's well made. You have to kind of evaluate each part and what it's use will be and so forth. For example: Their brake pads are relatively inexpensive and don't last as long as others, but they're not bad, and are a decent choice for a guy short on cash. But there are better choices. On the other hand something like a shifter shaft by Drag is going to last as long as the best made more expensive option but cost a $hitload less.

What's nice about Harley dealer's and their parts and service Dept's is that they have already engineered their 'Screaming Eagle' performance packages to deliver the goods and it's as simple as going to their service Dept and telling them what you want or need and they will install and tune the Harley to perfection:grin: Why is this important?? ***

*** Most riders only have a very vague and uneducated 'idea' about how to do a successful high performance build on their bike's.:surprise: Knowledge is typically learned by expensive trial and error!:sad: Endless exhaust pipes, Jets or ECMs or controllers, different Camshafts, Cylinder heads and intake systems and filters, etc, etc, etc:smile: Successful tuning is an ART, best learned and not from someone that isn't up on the topic and technology.:grin:

By the way, I learned at the 'School of hard knocks' and for every successful half educated 'Hop up' I did, it was at the expense of some failures and shelves full of the incorrect parts that didn't work as advertised! Education is expensive:wink2:

Choose wisely Grasshopper:angel:

Sam:grin: