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Awww. It’s a little babby cylinder.
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Dec 17, 2020 23:34
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Steakandchips posted:They have fixed it under warranty: all lateral throttle slop has been eliminated, and forward and backward has been reduced to negligible. So Strife, you getting yours fixed then?
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Dec 18, 2020 14:20
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I know this is an open ended question, but what should I do to a 2003 Heritage Softail to improve the handling?
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Dec 18, 2020 14:56
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Not done it myself, but apparently the tyres that come with Harleys are not the best handling. Maybe Avon Cobras would be better?
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Dec 18, 2020 15:07
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Tires, then suspension. I’m sure more than a few companies make aftermarket suspenders for it
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Dec 18, 2020 15:15
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Steakandchips posted:So Strife, you getting yours fixed then? Yeah, just as soon as I can get to the dealership. I showed this to a buddy of mine with the same problem and he was like "I KNEW IT!" I wonder what the actual problem is and how they fix it. It's not like there's a throttle cable to adjust.
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Dec 18, 2020 16:47
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The secret is rags jammed in the housing
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Dec 18, 2020 16:59
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Jim Silly-Balls posted:The secret is rags jammed in the housing That.. sounds like a Harley tech solution to the problem, yeah.
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Dec 18, 2020 17:29
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Strife posted:Yeah, just as soon as I can get to the dealership. I showed this to a buddy of mine with the same problem and he was like "I KNEW IT!" Not sure if this would apply. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EsUznPHR_I
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Dec 18, 2020 17:32
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Strife posted:Yeah, just as soon as I can get to the dealership. I showed this to a buddy of mine with the same problem and he was like "I KNEW IT!" Just so you know, it feels perfect now; I've done about 20 miles or so since it's been back and I'm very happy with how the throttle now actuates. No buzz/rattle. Definitely get it fixed under warranty, make a booking now and don't listen to any of the bullshit the dealership will try and tell you like "that's just how Harleys are". No. They know it's an issue and it does get fixed by HD mechanics under warranty, and here are two videos to prove it. They can even phone up Edinburgh Harley Davidson to check. FYI, Edinburgh HD picked up and dropped my bike back to me and they also gave me a courtesy bike in the interim. Admittedly, I did also spend another £500~ on other bullshit, but still... Why don't the bikes come correct out of the sodding factory...
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Dec 18, 2020 18:58
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PeterCat posted:I know this is an open ended question, but what should I do to a 2003 Heritage Softail to improve the handling? First make sure everything is working and set up properly as in fork oil fresh and correct level, shock preload on a decent place, steering head bearings tire pressures etc. Then get new tires, I think the michelin commander is a reasonable choice, as are the various pirelli offerings. Then get shocks, bearing in mind improved handling = jacked up ride height to create ground clearance to lean further and suspension travel to soak up bumps better. Usually at this point you stop because the gains from modifying the fork are marginal compared to just getting a sportster or something, but there are cartridge fork internals available. Another thing to do is replace the standard wheels, which I assume are the solid dinner plate type, with lighter aftermarket wheels, the difference is loving huge in a straight line let alone corners but it's not cheap.
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Dec 18, 2020 20:38
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Slavvy posted:
Isn't that a low rider s? If so it's got a 6-speed transmission as far as I can tell. SirLeigh fucked around with this message at 21:22 on Dec 18, 2020 |
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Dec 18, 2020 21:18
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SirLeigh posted:Isn't that a low rider s? If so it's got a 6-speed transmission as far as I can tell. Reading comprehension and observation skills befitting a Harley owner. Try zooming in on the trans 
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Dec 18, 2020 21:21
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Slavvy posted:Reading comprehension and observation skills befitting a Harley owner. Try zooming in on the trans Ah, I thought when you said modest engine work there would be no way they'd add that. What an odd choice to throw money and effort at something like that.
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Dec 18, 2020 21:24
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It makes sense if you approach the problem correctly, which means thinking holistically about the whole bike (also you have huge amounts of money). It has heads and cams that result in an engine that gets very, very angry at around 4,000 rpm with a standard bottom end and barrels; the extra ratio would be super helpful when you've only got a ~2000rpm spread of grunt. Which only matters if you care about being in the right gear for the corner, which only matters if the bike can actually go around corners. It's all pretty logical, just fantastically expensive but that's Harleys.
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Dec 18, 2020 21:30
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PeterCat posted:I know this is an open ended question, but what should I do to a 2003 Heritage Softail to improve the handling? I don’t understand this question. What is your expectation? Improve it from what? You would need to have an idea of what you want to change before you change anything. The one thing I don’t like about the dyna is that it gets some pretty bad head shake at anything around 80 mph. *edit* This only happens with pretty aggressive moves at these speeds. Which honestly basically never happens so I don’t feel anything needs to be changed.
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Dec 19, 2020 07:51
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Valt posted:I don’t understand this question. What is your expectation? Improve it from what? You would need to have an idea of what you want to change before you change anything. The one thing I don’t like about the dyna is that it gets some pretty bad head shake at anything around 80 mph. More responsive, goes around corners better. "Better" is a vague and nebulous term, but the stock suspension on most vehicles I've owned is a compromise between cost, comfort, and performance. I figured the basics of good tires and making sure everything is in good repair is always a smart starting point, with springs and shocks to follow, but I didn't know if there were any common upgrades for that particular kind of bike.
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Dec 19, 2020 14:46
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Also make sure your expectations are in line with the bikes capabilities. You can probably work the bad stuff out of the handling on that bike but it will never handle “good” in the sense that a sport touring bike does. Source: lots of seat time on the same bike except from 1999. It drags hard parts pretty quickly so your best bet is to try to tune the suspension to reduce headshake, beef up the brakes with at least good pads and some steel lines, get good tires on it and see how it is then. Possibly someone makes cartridge emulators for the front end? The rear I think is a fairly normal single shock, so someone like progressive may be able to tune it
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Dec 19, 2020 16:59
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Jim Silly-Balls posted:Also make sure your expectations are in line with the bikes capabilities. You can probably work the bad stuff out of the handling on that bike but it will never handle “good” in the sense that a sport touring bike does. The rear is a pair of underslung pull type shocks and is 100% where you start if you want to improve a softie. The fork isn't that important because you'll never be doing heroic trail braking or anything and shaking isn't usually an issue because they don't have a hinge in the middle like a Dyna. The geometry on the TC softie is really quite good, they handle pretty well if you can create more ground clearance.
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Dec 19, 2020 18:56
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e: wrong thread, sorry
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Dec 19, 2020 19:30
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I do want to say that I appreciate that CA gives actual answers to questions. Most answers I get on FB Groups would give Chilton's a run for their money.
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Dec 21, 2020 22:49
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This is the only good motorcycle forum on the internet
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Dec 22, 2020 09:01
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Sagebrush posted:This is the only good motorcycle forum on the internet 
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Dec 23, 2020 16:09
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While riding, if I max out the heated gear dial temperature, the engine on the Bob dies. Why is this? The bike runs fine at about the 80% heat setting for the heated gear (jacket, gloves). Also if I max out the heated grips, the grips aren't warm any more... I have to let them be at 1 through 4. Settings 5 and 6 result in no heat.
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Dec 28, 2020 21:38
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Seems to me like it's putting enough of a load on the alternator that the engine can no longer idle properly. I suppose it's also possible that there's something really electrically dumb going on like when you turn the dial up all the way it's a dead short across the battery, but you'd probably notice that with sparks and smoke and stuff. No idea what's going on with setting 5 and 6.
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Dec 28, 2020 21:40
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Is the idle set where it should be? My guess is load on the alternator/stator/rotor stalling it out. Please do not do the Harley 300rpm idle thing.
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Dec 28, 2020 22:17
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Idle is set at stock, I haven't touched it. It only happened when I had the clutch in when going round a roundabout, i.e. it was at very low revs. Fair enough, maybe it's too much current at low revs for the alternator to satisfy. Sigh. Why is this even an issue, why can't the battery just satisfy the load to the heated gear for the few seconds the engine is not creating extra current?
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Dec 28, 2020 22:29
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It should, which maybe means your battery is dead/dying if the load is mostly being taken up by the alternator
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Dec 28, 2020 22:41
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Steakandchips posted:While riding, if I max out the heated gear dial temperature, the engine on the Bob dies. You should clarify what you mean here. What do you it dies? Does it just stop running on the highway? Does it idle for a bit then stop running? Does it show a check engine light when it happens?
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Dec 28, 2020 22:48
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It's bugging me that you aren't getting any heat from the upper settings, though. If the heated grips are bogging down the alternator that energy has to be going somewhere, and if it's not turning into heat, then where is it going, exactly? I'll ask the evergreen
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Dec 29, 2020 01:46
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E: nm didn't read properly. Sounds like a problem that's gonna involve a multimeter and probably leads coming out from under your rear end and a whole lot of duct tape. Slavvy fucked around with this message at 01:53 on Dec 29, 2020 |
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Dec 29, 2020 01:50
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Sagebrush posted:It's bugging me that you aren't getting any heat from the upper settings, though. If the heated grips are bogging down the alternator that energy has to be going somewhere, and if it's not turning into heat, then where is it going, exactly? Pretty easy test for this. Turn the grips all the way up then put a MM on the battery and see if its charging.
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Dec 29, 2020 03:46
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Valt posted:You should clarify what you mean here. What do you it dies? When I am in first or second, and the clutch is in and revs are low, and the the heated clothing dial is up to max, the engine dies. It has happened once or twice so far. Valt posted:Does it just stop running on the highway? No, it's not happened on the motorway. Valt posted:Does it idle for a bit then stop running? Well, I'd brought the revs down to go around a roundabout and halfway through the roundabout it died. Valt posted:Does it show a check engine light when it happens? No. I'd expect it to if the battery voltage is low, but it does not.
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Dec 29, 2020 11:23
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Sagebrush posted:It's bugging me that you aren't getting any heat from the upper settings, though. If the heated grips are bogging down the alternator that energy has to be going somewhere, and if it's not turning into heat, then where is it going, exactly? I don't. Gonna try out the heated clothing at max again soon. I want to add, I recently turned on the "turn off cylinder 1 (the one nearest your legs) when revs are low/you are stopped" feature, so as to not let my legs get too warm. It may be that that's causing it, but I've only had the heated grips and clothing wired into the bike from Harley for a few weeks now, so I don't have enough sampling data to tell if it is the "turn off cylinder 1 (the one nearest your legs) when revs are low/you are stopped" feature that's causing this. I'll turn off that feature, and see if it dies again. Valt posted:Pretty easy test for this. Turn the grips all the way up then put a MM on the battery and see if its charging. 1. No MM (but I'll get one soon). 2. The battery is buried deep in the chassis, not just a case of taking the seat off, so I CBA currently. Might send it back to Harley if it keeps loving up, to get it fixed under warranty.
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Dec 29, 2020 11:26
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Oh yeah, definitely disable the single cylinder mode first. Half the displacement, plus half an engine of dead weight plus a big electrical load might be too much
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Dec 29, 2020 14:50
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Right, I am curious enough to go try it out right now. Will report back.
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Dec 29, 2020 14:53
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I used my heated trousers, jacket and gloves on max, with the heated grips on max/4, with single cylinder mode (EITMS, which is what Harley calls it, which, in full, is Engine Idle Temperature Management System) on, and off. The engine didn't cut out even once. Granted, this was while it was parked and in neutral, but still... Maybe it was a one-off. For now, I've turned off EITMS, don't need it in the winter, in fact, I like the hot rear cylinder against my legs in the winter. The grips, on max (6) did get warm when it was sat in neutral, but not like HOT, i.e. I could hold them with my bare hands no problem. Not sure if it was because it was cold outside and I hadn't had em on long enough to get roasting hot, or because they are busted. We will see. Bike is now back under the covers and with the battery tender plugged in. It's snowy/icey out, so not going for a ride on slippy roads for now.
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Dec 29, 2020 17:31
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Steakandchips posted:I used my heated trousers, jacket and gloves on max, with the heated grips on max/4, with single cylinder mode (EITMS, which is what Harley calls it, which, in full, is Engine Idle Temperature Management System) on, and off. They do take a long time to actually warm up, but with my grips on 6 I can barely keep my hands on them unless it's super cold out and I'm wearing gloves. There's about a hundred more years of mechanical experience in this thread for me to try my paltry diagnoses, and it could just be that I have soft cityboy hands, but once warmed up they should get hot enough to think "why would anyone need this to be so warm."
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Dec 29, 2020 20:35
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Aye, you're right. I remember them being super hot at some points on the ride to Aberdeen and back 2 weeks ago.
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Dec 29, 2020 21:16
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Steakandchips posted:When I am in first or second, and the clutch is in and revs are low, and the the heated clothing dial is up to max, the engine dies. It has happened once or twice so far. So it dies under load and at idle? Do you know how to show codes on the dash? I don't know if this possible on the newer bikes but I assume it is. There are codes that might show a check engine light. For instance I don't have turn signals on my bike and that throws a code. But no check engine light appears for it.
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Dec 29, 2020 23:16
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