hardleydavidson

I had exactly the same issue heavily rusted interior until last week. I'm not the best mechanic and my father-in-law thought I was bonkers but I drained my tank and filled it with 4 litres of cheap coke. Checked it after 24hrs and not much had happened, left it for 4 days and rechecked and there's virtually no rust at all. Of course leaving something this acidic in the tank will eat away the metal so I washed the inside with water and baking soda to neutralize it, then applied a sealant. Might not be the best method but it worked for me.

Worst comes worst there is a small hole on the back of the lower fork crown, I could fashion a bracket to bolt to it that does the same job. I alway thought the purpose of the bars not hitting the tank was to stop the tank rupturing the the event of an accident, makes more sense it it's to stop your fingers getting nipped off.

Thanks, it's been the only issue stopping me from getting it MOTd, it's got ape style bars so there's not much chance of getting my hand stuck. I've got some Abro Steel which is pretty much the same as JB so might give that a go.

Hi, After a light off I've managed to bend then snap off a small cast tab from the front of my frame. It stops the forks hitting the tank. Looking at the MOT details it says that the handlebars mustn't foul the tank but doesn't mention the fork crowns? I've been trying to find a company that'll spot weld it back on but as yet no-one's come back to me.

Ah, that might well explain it, makes total sense seeing as the locking nut is normal

Hi, I am trying to remove my very rusty mirrors but they won't budge. As far as I can tell the arm has a threaded sleeve that I have managed to unscrew but the arm itself won't move, are the arms screwed in as well? At the moment they're soaked in wd40 in the hope I'll be able to unscrew them. Any ideas on how to remove them?

Is it legal to turn a softail in to a hardtail by swapping out the rear shocks for a brace???

Hi, Well I've readjusted the float level (it was out), upped the needle by one notch and now it seems much better. The proof will be on the way home tonight as it's all uphill. Thanks chaps

Yeah I thought that too but been over it with a fine tooth comb, blew out all the hoses and the fuel tap, fuel filter is clean too, float height is correct. I did have to replace the fuel tap a while back as the handle part snapped of under my manly grip, I was wondering if the diameter of the exit tube is as big as the old one, a smaller diameter would deliver less fuel but it looks roughly the same. I'm running out of ideas and I need to get it MOT'd next month.

Great I'll give the needle change a go and order a pack of jets

Hi, I've been having no end of trouble with my bike, it seems as if it only uses the fuel in the carb as it runs then dies, runs then dies, of course it could be that there's not enough fuel getting in or it's too lean but I've spent a good few months trying to tweak the mixture and I just can't cure the problem. It's a 50cc 4-Stroke with a PZ19 manual choke carb, I recently fitted a K&N style filter, do I need to up the size of the main jet? The one on it is stock. I've also dremelled the restrictor tab from the carb bowl.

No 1/2 - 1/4 from stock Having said that I've made a huge improvement. Have re-set the valve clearances as at TDC the intake valve had no play at all and that's with a cold engine. Have adjusted the throttle needle down another notch and one full turn in on the mix screw. Now the bike starts and idles without dying. Still had the dying issue this morning when I got to the end of the road but the bike didn't feel sluggish like before. Admittedly I dodn't have the choke on but the whole thing feels a lot better. The proof will be on the way home as it's mostly uphill.

It's already set at stock. Have tried 1/4 - 1/2 turn out, still no joy.

OK, the carb doesn't have any external markings and the fuel defintitely flows freely in to the carb. I've adjusted the float by 1-2mm and that seems to be a little better. One thing I noticed, which I really should kick myself about is that the throttle needle was set one notch above the middle. I've moved it to one notch below and now have much more power but I'm still having the stop start issue. New carb??

Nice one, I'll give it a go tonight

I used the very pigeon english manual which said to measure the distance between the top of the float and the top of the bowl chamber, didn't mention springs. I'm going to try that pipe idea although I'm not sure it has any markings on the outside, the carb is a pz19 There just doesn't seem to be any earthly reason that fuel wouldn't get into the carb. Also, if it starts ok but then dies does it indicate a slow fuel flow rather than a low level on the bowl from an incorrect float?? Does the float maintain the fuel level?? Another thing to add would be it seems to get a bit better the longer I ride it, a half hour jaunt and it's almost ok. Stop for five minutes and it's back to the stop/start/stop shinnanigans.

Float is ok, checked it yesterday, moves freely. Float level is right too. Fuel tap is gravity fed and screws straight in to the tank. I'm wondering could it be valve clearances causing not enough suction through the carb to draw the fuel up???

Hi, I've been having running issues for a while now (as I posted previously) and now it's got to the point where I am completely gazumped. The problem: 50cc 4-stroke. Bike starts on the choke then dies. Repat this 3 or 4 times and it starts and ticks over. Put it into first and it dies. repeat this about 2 times and it starts and can pull away in first albeit sluggishly. It'll get me to the end of the road and either slow down and die or die when the bike stops. It won't start again for a minute or so then it starts and will get me about the same distance again before dying. What I have tried so far (bear in mind some of these may be irrelevant and tried trough desperation). Checked the spark plug Checked compression Changed the air filter Cleaned the carb Checked the jets Checked the lines Checked the petcock Checked the fuel filter Changed the fuel Changed the Oil Installed new battery Checked the chain tension Checked the tyre pressure Adjusted the mix screw Adjusted the idle Checked for leaks Checked exhaust Kicked it a few times Sworn at it several times Pushed it lots Now I'm far from being an expert but I get the feeling that it's just running on the fuel from the carb bowl which would indicate that the fuel flow to the carb isn't fast enough. This makes no sense as I've blasted the float valve hole, the fuel line and the petcock with compressed air and the are all clear and fuel flows freely out of the carb if you take the bowl off. The plug is white indicating that it's starved of fuel which would make sense if the bowl runs dry. Now it could have been a vacuum issue but I ran it without the cap seal and still had the same issue. It's now driving me insane, I will have to stop four or five times just to get home from work. Anyone have any ideas??????

4 stroke, just wet It feels like it's flooding, I'm wondering iof it just has trouble starting, then my continued attempts to start it every 500 yards is flooding it......maybe

Ok, this is really beginning to hack me off now. So far I have.... Cleaned the carb, checked all jets, needle valve, float pin/jet, float, all carb pipes, fuel tap, fuel filter, air filter, airflow. I've given it an oil change, checked tyre pressure, charged the battery, checked chain tension. Checked for gasket leaks, have compression, clean new spark plug, have a spark, new fuel.... And it still won't run right. A while ago I was having issues, bought a new carb and that sorted it out, was like a new bike, since then none of the carb settings have been altered, air/fuel mix screw is in the same position, idle screw is in the same position. Checking the plug it's black and wet indicating the mixture is too rich. How can this be when nothing has changed??? Plus it runs fine after three or four start/run/die/start's make's no sense to me. If it is the mixture then how do I know if it's too much fuel or not enough air?

I had this, it was an unlubricated cable. You'll have to open up the throttle housing. Disconnect the cable at the carb end and put in a little oil at the throttle end, move the outer cable up and down to work the oil down the inside. Make sure to clean off any excess oil at the carb end before reattaching or you might get oil in the carb. You don't need a lot of oil, just a smidge.

I think I might have an issue with my pilot jet but I'm not sure. I usually start the bike up before wheeling it out and on to the road to warm it up. When I start the bike up it starts ok then slowly the revs get slower and it dies, this is without touching the throttle. If I give it some choke it does the same thing but much slower. After restarting it will move off ok and has some oomph before slowly conking out again. It's taking me at least three restarts on route just to get to work. The weird thing is after each restart it's fine for a while. If I take it out for a longer run than the normal commute it starts to behave quite well and doesn't die. It also doesn't like hills when it's like this.

Thanks for the heads up. I'll take a look tonight

Was thinking of doing that, not sure if there are any gaskets in there??? although I can't see the crank case or clutch case would need one, just don't want to take it apart and find there's a gasket that needs replacing without having one to hand.

Ok, So I tightened the chain, did a complete oil change but I'm still having the issue. My bike's a bit different it's neutral at the top then 1,2,3,4 all down. I did notice that if I put it in first, then list the gear pedal slightly (not so much that it changes gear) then try for second it goes in, then the same technique with third etc. Is there some sort of return spring? seems like the gear selector is not returning after engaging gear.