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[Mr. Warlock]

Hey guys,

Getting ready to take this thing apart and looking for some tips on anything that might not be self evident.

I am very mechanically inclined and have worked on bikes, snowmobiles cars etc.... including building my own race motors (2 strokes sled motors) but I have never taken a Harley motor down. So I am looking for tips, special tools that might help me this first time.

Also looking for a tuner in the central North Carolina area.

Any help will be much appreciated, thanks, Rick.

[cahdbiker]

Mr. Warlock, If you have a long workbench or a table you can set up, place everything in the order that you took it off from start to finish. Then if you have to swap out any parts do it on the bench or table and just reassemble in reverse. I did this a long time ago when I rebuilt a  4 barrel carb on a 64 Chevy SS when I was a kid. Granted I did not need much space, but it was my first 4 barrel and there was about 70 steps in the carb kit.( the carb worked perfect and it saved my Dad about $100.00 and we got to hear it idle just right while having a beer, good memory ) Believe me a little organization at the start will save you a lot of frustration later, especially if you can't finish the project at one time. Good Luck CAHDBIKER

[naitram]

when i remove items if possible i thread the hardware back in, also take lots of pics  that i can go back and reference.

have a shop manual and read each procedure before you try do it.

when in doubt ask here

[Spiderman]

Hey guys,

Getting ready to take this thing apart and looking for some tips on anything that might not be self evident.

I am very mechanically inclined and have worked on bikes, snowmobiles cars etc.... including building my own race motors (2 strokes sled motors) but I have never taken a Harley motor down. So I am looking for tips, special tools that might help me this first time.

Also looking for a tuner in the central North Carolina area.

Any help will be much appreciated, thanks, Rick.

You don't mention what it is you're disassembling. An Electra-Glide or Road-Glide for instance requires a special tool to remove the ignition/fork lock assembly whereas a Road King, Dyna, or Softail does not. Also, how far down are you taking the bike in question ? All the way to the frame for a complete rebuild or just a particular piece or section. H-D makes a variety of specialty tools. Not all of them are mission critical as with the one I mentioned you need for the ignition/fork lock. Some tools you need are general purpose just not stuff the average guy has in his garage like a 1/2" impact wrench with a large volumn compressor and a set of impact sockets that run to nearly 2" for the inner primary pieces.
Bottom line is Harley-Davidson motorcycles are somewhat archaic in their design and assembly. The electronics have become sophisticated but the mechanicals are still not much different than they were many many years ago. With reasonable skills and an extensive tool box you should be able to accomplish what it is you want to do. FYI, H-D specialty tools are generally listed in the beginning of the shop manuals sold for each model. All available H-D specialty tools are listed in every manual so if you've got deep pockets, don't run out and buy all of them as you won't need all.

B B

[cvobiker]

As Naitram pointed out, take a bunch of pictures before dismantling.. we have a second bike a few years apart, (my wife's) cant tell you the countless times having it around has saved my arse.  

[bigjohn]

Look up Hemrick's located in Kernersville, NC. I trailor 7 hrs (from PA) for his experience with my build.

 http://hemrickperformance.com/default.aspx

[Mr. Warlock]

Sorry, just the motor for a build. Heads, cams, and associated. I haven't decided on the crank yet but I will probably do that also. 2011 FLSTSE2.

Thanks!!

[HD Street Performance]

How far are you from Atlanta? I know a great tuner there.

[vmax-94]

Short Block Charlie has a nice DVD for working on HD Twin Cams, best $50 i have spent.

[electraglideclyde]

How far are you from Atlanta? I know a great tuner there.

Who's the tuner in ATL ?

[Spiderman]

Just an idea that popped into my sometimes foggy brain

What if you went to the nearest dragstrip and spoke with the folks racin H-D's as to who does their dyno work ?

B B

[Dr.D]

Good luck mate I hope you enjoy the process. I am NOT a gear head! I confess I am a Dentist. I can take out your wisdom teeth, do a root canal and cut from gum to gum but I ain't much on complex mechanics.
My experience so far with adding chrome, rotors and add on bling has shown me that these little jobs are not always as simple as they should be.

 While putting on a chrome front fender guard I had tremendous difficulty getting the one little nut on the stud on the front of the fender. After thirty minutes of laying on my back trying to get in there with my hands and dropping the nut over and over I gave up. I felt like a moron driving the bike to the dealer to have him put on one nut. Ends up they had to remove the front wheel and re-thread the stud due to paint and primer excess. Made me feel some better but I still had to pay a half hour shop time. One nut=$30.

I may enjoy learning someday.