Wiring Diagram & Hints
1-Verify carburetor is set to stock settings:
A. Idle Mixture Screw, 1 1/4 turns from lightly seated
B. Idle Speed Screw, ½ turn clockwise from engagement point
C. Accelerator Adjustment Screw, 2 turns counterclockwise from seated
1. Start bike, bring to operating temperature. Close enrichener as quickly as possible.
2. Set Idle Speed Adjusting Screw, clockwise to increase rpm, counter-clockwise to decrease rpm
3. Adjust air/fuel mixture by turning Idle Mixture Screw slowly clockwise until the engine runs poorly. Slowly turn the screw counter-clockwise until it runs smoothly if you go too far the engine will start to stumble.
4. With engine idling, turn Accelerator Adjustment Screw clockwise until it lightly seats. Snap throttle open engine should stumble. Turn screw counter clockwise ¼ or ½ of a turn at a time, until engine responds to throttle twist with smooth, quick response.
5. Ride motorcycle in various RPM ranges, and then try to maintain a consistent 40- to 50-mph. If the engine is popping or sneezing in the air cleaner it can indicate a lean condition. If you notice stumbling or sputtering it can indicate a rich condition
6. Replace Intermediate Jet as necessary smaller is leaner, larger is richer. Adjust Idle Mixture Screw and Idle Speed Screw as required.
7.To test the Main Jet, do a high gear roll-on from 50-mph to 70-mph. If the engine back fires or breaks up in the carb, increase the Main Jet size .004". If the engine is flat or will not accelerate, decrease the Main Jet by .004".
8. After changing the jets, test ride the motorcycle. Continue re-jetting and adjustmenting until optimum performance is achieved.
Note: Drag or straight pipes can prevent you from obtaining optimum carburetor performance.
Plus A Couple OF Wiring Hints And Warnings
Simple Wiring Diagram
We often get calls for basic wiring diagrams. Here's one that was taken from an old Easyriders and expanded by the wizards of Hard Core Chopper Magazine in Japan.
Take your time. Keep those copper strands away from sharp edges, moving stuff (like chains) and hot items. Cover everything with shrink wrap. Use extra layers of shrink wrap for more protection and stronger connections. I like to solder connections for a solid, vibration free contact, but some prefer crimping connections to avoid wicking. Watch out. Some of the littlest, coolest switches go to shit in a week under 100 mph vibration.
The Frank Kaisler, patent pending, wire junction tool. Send $99.99 to P.O. Box 666, Hollywood, Calif. Send only rolls of quarters.
Don't forget to work in circuit breakers and fuses. If one blows, disconnect the battery and research the problem. I like Terry battery cables for their flexibility, and they allow more amps to flow to the starter because of their low resistance.
Couple more tips: Watch out, wiring around the front-end. That sucker needs to turn. Don't run the electrical connections too tight. If you run wires through the frame, debur the openings and use extra shrink wrap to protect fragile insulation.
Here's a shot of deburing from our Road King tech on highbar installation.
Here's the famous Frank Kaisler sharp edge test using tissue paper. If it snags or tears, more sanding and smoothing is required.
Wd generally uses 16-gauge for most of the wiring, 18-gauge in the bars and 12-gauge from the battery to the ignition switch.
Don't forget to the breakers. Use a 30-amp breaker between the battery and the main electrical circuit (or the battery and the ignition switch). You can use one of the breaker lugs to attach the regulator hot line to minimize wires to the battery. Use 12 gauge wire for the main leads. Use a 15 or 20-amp breaker between the ignition switch and all the lighting connections.
A passel of wires over run through green shrink wrap.
The hot tool for heating shrink wrap, instead of 40 matches.
Remove the plastic insulation on lugs and run shrink wrap right onto connectors, for a clean, stronger lead, and use the correct connectors. Blue for 14 and 16 gauge wires and red for 18 and 20. And make sure to use the proper ring sizes for stud connections, like the battery, circuit breakers and brake switch studs. Floppy lugs make for lousy connections.
Use rubber grommets with wires that must run through sheet metal and additional ground straps from the headlight to the frame to maintain a solid ground to the front end.
Don't forget the final show bike detail. Run wires down the left side of the bike. The hot looking side is always the pipe side.
Brake fluids are notorious. Years ago DOT 3 brake fluids were used everywhere, but they had a terrible reputation for damaging paint. For custom guys that was the kiss of death. Just the mention of bleeding brakes would raise eyebrows and cause skin to crawl. Then suddenly we were saved. Somebody developed DOT 5 a silicon based brake fluid. You could pour it over your new custom paint job without a problem. We thought we were saved. Then it started to get confusing. Another chemical engineer developed DOT 4 supposedly for high temp applications. What the Hell. Suddenly I didn’t know what to use where. Of course most manufacturers put their recommended fluid on the caps of all master cylinders, but that doesn’t work for some custom applications.
I’ve wanted to create a reminder sheet for brothers to follow for safe application of the various DOTs.
“DOT 4 is bad for paint but it handles heat,” “But DOT 3 is even worse on paint. You can’t mix DOT 4 with DOT 5. It will cause calipers to lock up. Stick with what it says on the master cylinder, if you can read it. All European makes use DOT 4 now.”
John Dunne at Spectro Oils tech expert cleared up lots of issues.
I will list all of the Spectro scientific data, but here’s the drill. DOT 3, DOT 4, DOT 5.1 and even DOT 600 are a different compound from the silicone based DOT 5. Harley and military applications use DOT 5 because of the more flexible silicon based compound, which gives the rider a softer feel and won’t mess with paint. DOT 3, 4, 5.1 and 6 are made up of a chemical compound that can handle more heat and give the rider a more immediate response. It’s meant for tougher application and most European makes use DOT 4 now. The higher the number the more pure the mixture, but there’s a catch. You can’t leave a DOT 3, 4, 5.1 or 6 open. It will collect moisture, which will cause corrosion and affect the boiling point. Perhaps mixing DOT 5, Silicone based material with any of the others would be like adding water. That’s not the case. DOT 5 will not mix with the other DOTS. If the water or DOT5 causes the material to expand, it could lock up your brakes. Don’t co-mingle fluids,” said John Dunne.
Harley recently switched from the softer DOT 5 to the more performance oriented higher heat tolerant DOT 4. “DOT 4 won’t compress,” said Rick. We confirmed the years at the factory with H-D:
These models all use DOT 4: '06-later VRSC™, '07-later XL, '06-later Dyna and Softail, and '05-later Touring models.
Starting in 2005 with certain touring models, Harley-Davidson began to spec DOT 4 brake fluid by 2007 all models were using DOT 4
Also DOT 3 and 4 can mix. They are basically the same chemical make-up but DOT 4 is more pure. Mixing will harm the purity but won’t cause major issues.
If you open a master cylinder and don’t know what resides there both DOT 3 and 4 will mix with water, but DOT 5 will not and separate from the water. A caliper that locked up with DOT 4 mixed with DOT 5. “The mixture will cause the fluid to coagulate and block the tiny master cylinder return hole which will cause the caliper not to release.
SPECTRO FLUIDS Heavy Duty DOT 5 Silicone Brake Fluid designed to surpass all DOT 5 specifications and requirements, Heavy Duty DOT 5 is the ideal brake fluid for all Harley motorcycles specifying a DOT 5 fluid but it’s better, because this fluid beats specs in every way. Check the master cylinder caps and note the models and years above. It meets full OEM requirements, and should be used according to manufacturers’ instructions. Do not use when a DOT 5.1 or DOT 4 fluid is specified! Non-hygroscopic, it will not absorb water; it will not harm painted surfaces, and it is formulated specifically for Harley and Big Twin applications. Dyed purple. It exceeds all known OEM and Harley-Davidson warranty requirements. Golden Semi-Synthetic Supreme DOT 4 Brake Fluid Used in all late model Harley models Designed to meet the most demanding high performance conditions in today’s braking systems. Suitable for ABS systems, this moisture resistant synthetic fluid has a dry boiling point of 271º C (520º F). Golden Supreme DOT 4 surpasses DOT 4 specifications and meets European DOT 5.1 specifications.
DOT 4 Racing Brake Fluid “600” This borate ester polyalkyglycoalkylether fluid is formulated to provide the highest possible resistance to fluid boiling and degradation in high performance and racing conditions, Spectro® DOT 4 Racing Brake Fluid “600” is your best defense against “lost” lever pressure caused by progressive heat buildup. Spectro DOT 4 surpasses DOT 4 specifications — with a 312° C. dry boiling point, it solves virtually any fluid boiling problems hard riding can create. Excellent for both on and off-road applications.
HOPE THIS HELPS
