FULL THROTTLE PERFORMANCE - Your V-Twin Performance Specialists!

Ask Arlin is a monthly feature available in Quick Throttle Magazine. If you have questions for Arlin, please send them to askarlin@v-twinperformance.net.

Q. I have a 2004 Dyna 95-inch with Screamin' Eagle pipes, air cleaner, and a stage one kit. The bike runs great except for a slight hesitation when you take off. My concern is about the oil that fills up in my air cleaner, then makes a mess all over my side cover. My dealer tells me this is normal and doesn't hurt anything. Do you have an answer for my problem? Marnie, Portland, OR

A. Marnie, your dealer is right about this being a normal thing. Your air cleaner is set up to accept excess oil coming from the heads, letting off pressure. By directing it back into the air cleaner, the motor gets a second chance to burn the blowby. This helps keep the emissions clean, but is not a cure. I've had bikes here on the dyno spit out a cop full of blowby back into the motor, causing a huge miss for a moment. This oil contaminates the air/fuel mixture, not the best for performance.

I suggest you install a better breather system. You can buy complete systems like Doherty's Air Pack. It comes with its own breathers, that let the blowby out through a one-way valve, keeping your motor clean. You can run lines from the breathers into a catch can. Same thing you'd need if you raced your bike.

The can is supposed to catch any excess oil and keep it off your tires and the street. If you go this way, be sure to empty the can on a regular basis. You can also buy just the breathers and use your old air cleaner. You will get rid of the mess around your air cleaner and your bike will perform better. Consider a Power Commander properly mapped to clean up the hesitation in your bike.

Q. I'd like to ask some advice on a purchase we're about to make. I promised Tim a new bike for his 50th birthday. Our question is this: Tim likes to do his own service on his bikes, and likes the smoothness and comfort of a bagger, but still wants a bike that looks like a hot rod, not the bagger image. We read your articles all the time, keep up the good work! Tim & Sue Hutten, Seattle, WA

A. Sue, you're sure not alone with this one. That's the elusive dream of many owners. Harley is making great strides in building comfortable hot rods. Take a look at the Softails these days. Their B motors are smooth as silk, and with removable bags and windshield, there's lots of flexibility. The Softails feel a little smaller than the FLH series. Be sure to ride all the models you like. If Tim is a tall guy the FLH may feel better. Also, it's easier to find a newer FLH with carburetion and still have the benefit of a smooth rubber-mount bagger. Fuel injection is a big step forward for HD, but it pretty much limits the possibility for the average owner to do their own work. The carburetor model is a little closer to the way it once was, so you can still get in there with a screwdriver and adjust the idle.

Q. I've been riding my 1996 FLH since it was new. The old girl now has 75,000-plus miles, leaks a little oil from the rear base gaskets, and smoke just a bit when I first start her up. No big problems, but one is starting to show itself and I think it could be serious. When I hold the clutch in, the bike starts to creep forward. Now it's making noise with the clutch held in. Plus it's hard to find neutral. Do I need a new clutch or just a new bike? Bob Wilson, OR

A. It sounds like you love the old girl. If that's the case a few repairs and she'll be as good as new. All the problems can be taken care of together. Even though the base gasket leak doesn't sound serious, remember if the oil can get out, dirt and grime can get in. So once you start this repair project, be sure to include the base gasket. The primary gasket will need to come off to inspect the clutch itself. More than likely this gasket will cure the leaking problem.

Get a manual if you don't have one. Pull th4e clutch off, and take a good look at the plates. Be sure each one is flat and still has material on it. If any are warped, replace them.

The noise coming from the primary is ,ore than likely the clutch throwout bearing. Ask for the most updated replacement part you can get for your year and model. Be sure to take a good look at the pictures in the manual before putting everything back together. Use new gaskets everywhere. This should take care of the noise, slipping and leaks. Same goes for the rear cylinder. Follow the instructions to a T, replacing all gaskets and seals. Be sure to check for a flat deck surface on the cylinder and case.

One more final thought, since you're taking the time to repair one cylinder, wouldn't it make sense to do both? Change the rings, clean up the bore, and a top-end job, just a little more work and the old girl will have a new lease on life.

Q. I recently had a new set of Samson Slip-Ons installed on my Road King. They have a great sound and looked great for the first few days. Then I noticed they were starting to change color just back of the connection with the head pipe on the right side. They started with a gold tint, now going dark blue. I installed a Power Commander, air cleaner and had it mapped on a Dyno. It doesn't seem right athat after all this, it's still turning everything blue. Neil Fores, ID

A. Neil, yours is a common problem. I've had the same kind of results several times. Here's the deal: different brands of exhaust use different thicknesses of material, and poor quality control in the chroming process.

When your bike is running on a dyno, you need l,ots of air on the motor and the exhaust. As your bike is run and tuned, the exhaust gets very hot. Even though the map (jetting) is right on the money.

Thin material pipes color easily. Heavy wall tubing with high-quality plating resist the best.

Remember, horsepower is energy (heat). When everything is working there's going to be heat. How well your exhast system withstands the heat depends on the manufacturer. Always ask for an air/fuel ratio chart with your duno information. If it's right on, it's easy to see.


FULL THROTTLE PERFORMANCE: 56th E Exit off I-5. MAP 5212-A S. Washington St., Tacoma, WA 98409 253.472.7633 info@v-twinperformance.net
Ask Arlin is a monthly feature available in Quick Throttle Magazine. If you have questions for Arlin, please send them to askarlin@v-twinperformance.net. Q. I have a 2004 Dyna 95-inch with Screamin' Eagle pipes, air cleaner, and a stage one kit. The bike runs great except for a slight hesitation when you take off. My concern is about the oil that fills up in my air cleaner, then makes a mess all over my side cover. My dealer tells me this is normal and doesn't hurt anything. Do you have an answer for my problem? Marnie, Portland, OR A. Marnie, your dealer is right about this being a normal thing. Your air cleaner is set up to accept excess oil coming from the heads, letting off pressure. By directing it back into the air cleaner, the motor gets a second chance to burn the blowby. This helps keep the emissions clean, but is not a cure. I've had bikes here on the dyno spit out a cop full of blowby back into the motor, causing a huge miss for a moment. This oil contaminates the air/fuel mixture, not the best for performance. I suggest you install a better breather system. You can buy complete systems like Doherty's Air Pack. It comes with its own breathers, that let the blowby out through a one-way valve, keeping your motor clean. You can run lines from the breathers into a catch can. Same thing you'd need if you raced your bike. The can is supposed to catch any excess oil and keep it off your tires and the street. If you go this way, be sure to empty the can on a regular basis. You can also buy just the breathers and use your old air cleaner. You will get rid of the mess around your air cleaner and your bike will perform better. Consider a Power Commander properly mapped to clean up the hesitation in your bike. Q. I'd like to ask some advice on a purchase we're about to make. I promised Tim a new bike for his 50th birthday. Our question is this: Tim likes to do his own service on his bikes, and likes the smoothness and comfort of a bagger, but still wants a bike that looks like a hot rod, not the bagger image. We read your articles all the time, keep up the good work! Tim & Sue Hutten, Seattle, WA A. Sue, you're sure not alone with this one. That's the elusive dream of many owners. Harley is making great strides in building comfortable hot rods. Take a look at the Softails these days. Their B motors are smooth as silk, and with removable bags and windshield, there's lots of flexibility. The Softails feel a little smaller than the FLH series. Be sure to ride all the models you like. If Tim is a tall guy the FLH may feel better. Also, it's easier to find a newer FLH with carburetion and still have the benefit of a smooth rubber-mount bagger. Fuel injection is a big step forward for HD, but it pretty much limits the possibility for the average owner to do their own work. The carburetor model is a little closer to the way it once was, so you can still get in there with a screwdriver and adjust the idle. Q. I've been riding my 1996 FLH since it was new. The old girl now has 75,000-plus miles, leaks a little oil from the rear base gaskets, and smoke just a bit when I first start her up. No big problems, but one is starting to show itself and I think it could be serious. When I hold the clutch in, the bike starts to creep forward. Now it's making noise with the clutch held in. Plus it's hard to find neutral. Do I need a new clutch or just a new bike? Bob Wilson, OR A. It sounds like you love the old girl. If that's the case a few repairs and she'll be as good as new. All the problems can be taken care of together. Even though the base gasket leak doesn't sound serious, remember if the oil can get out, dirt and grime can get in. So once you start this repair project, be sure to include the base gasket. The primary gasket will need to come off to inspect the clutch itself. More than likely this gasket will cure the leaking problem. Get a manual if you don't have one. Pull th4e clutch off, and take a good look at the plates. Be sure each one is flat and still has material on it. If any are warped, replace them. The noise coming from the primary is ,ore than likely the clutch throwout bearing. Ask for the most updated replacement part you can get for your year and model. Be sure to take a good look at the pictures in the manual before putting everything back together. Use new gaskets everywhere. This should take care of the noise, slipping and leaks. Same goes for the rear cylinder. Follow the instructions to a T, replacing all gaskets and seals. Be sure to check for a flat deck surface on the cylinder and case. One more final thought, since you're taking the time to repair one cylinder, wouldn't it make sense to do both? Change the rings, clean up the bore, and a top-end job, just a little more work and the old girl will have a new lease on life. Q. I recently had a new set of Samson Slip-Ons installed on my Road King. They have a great sound and looked great for the first few days. Then I noticed they were starting to change color just back of the connection with the head pipe on the right side. They started with a gold tint, now going dark blue. I installed a Power Commander, air cleaner and had it mapped on a Dyno. It doesn't seem right athat after all this, it's still turning everything blue. Neil Fores, ID A. Neil, yours is a common problem. I've had the same kind of results several times. Here's the deal: different brands of exhaust use different thicknesses of material, and poor quality control in the chroming process. When your bike is running on a dyno, you need l,ots of air on the motor and the exhaust. As your bike is run and tuned, the exhaust gets very hot. Even though the map (jetting) is right on the money. Thin material pipes color easily. Heavy wall tubing with high-quality plating resist the best. Remember, horsepower is energy (heat). When everything is working there's going to be heat. How well your exhast system withstands the heat depends on the manufacturer. Always ask for an air/fuel ratio chart with your duno information. If it's right on, it's easy to see.	Power Commander Tuning Centers can optimize the fuel and ignition mapping for your motorcycle. They can also develop custom maps for special applications. All "Dynojet Approved Power Commander Tuning Centers" have the latest "state-of-the-art" Dynamometers and testing equipment. This includes the new Dynojet Model 250 Load-Control Dynamometer and the Dynojet realtime Air/Fuel Ratio module. In addition, these shops have successfully completed the Power Commander technician training course at Dynojet Research. Full Throttle Performance is proud to be a Dynojet Approved Power Commander Tuning Center.
© Copyright 2006, Full Throttle Performance. All Rights Reserved. This site may not be reproduced in whole or in part without express written permission. Site Design by Reef Media If you experience problems with this site, please email the webmaster.