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My horror story
I bought a used, no warranty expressed or implied, 1969 FLH from a Harley dealer who, according to the ad, had a 80 percent restoration done by one of his "factory trained" mechanics. Here's the ad.
NO RESERVE AUCTION!! YE WHO BIDS LAST WINS!!
THIS IS AN AUCTION FOR AN 80% RESTORED 1969 ELETRA GLIDE.
THE BIKE WAS BOUGHT AS A BASKET CASE A FEW YEARS AGO AND WAS ASSEMBLED AS A DISPLAY PIECE FOR OUR HARLEY SHOP. THE TECHNICIAN WHO BUILT THE BIKE IS HARLEY MASTER CERTIFIED. IN FACT HE WAS CERTIFIED IN MILWAUKEE BACK IN THE 50'S. SO HE'S SEEN THEM BEFORE. IT HAS FRESH PAINT ON THE TANK AND FENDERS. THE BATWING, BAGS AND PACK ISN' T PAINTED.
FOR A MOTOR IT HAS A 74" SHOVEL HEAD WHICH RUNS AND DRIVES REAL NICE. I GOT A CHANCE TO CRUISE THE BIKE FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS AND IT REALLY GETS YOU A LOT OF LOOKS. THE TIRES ARE REPRODUCTION TIRES. GIVES YOU THE VINTAGE LOOK WITH MODERN PERFORMANCE.
MOST OF THE BIKE IS ORIGINAL. IT DOES HAVE AN S&S CARB AND WAS CHANGED OVER TO AN ALTERNATOR INSTEAD OF THE ORIGINAL GENERATOR TYPE CHARGE. IT HAS THE STOCK PROFILE CAM'S AND FLYWHEEL.
IT DOES "MARK IT'S TERRITORY" A LITTLE BUT HEY IT'S A HARLEY.
TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO OWN A CLASSIC. THIS BIKE IS THE REAL DEAL.
I'LL BE AVAILABLE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE BY CALLING, EMAIL OR EVEN EBAY QUESTIONS.
Nice fresh paint on the frame and nice fresh paint on the tins, which should have been prepped better 'cause some of it is now blistering, and some newer aftermarket chrome. Not so bad for the price as it came with saddlebags, tour pak and fairing that were not repainted which was ok 'cause I hadn't planned to use them anyway.
Well after trailering it home I started it and after a minute or 2 it started smoking, the longer it ran the worse it got, I thought maybe it was broken in wrong and the rings didn't seat right??? So I decided to pop the heads off and look. When I pulled the front rocker box off oil came pouring out and the heads were full of oil, crap!! The head came off next and the oil return passage was full of oil so I carefully sent some wire down the hole and it stopped at the case, so I slipped both of the jugs up just far enough to see that the gaskets did not have a hole in them for the oil return, damn generic James gaskets!!! If the seller actually "got a chance to cruise the bike for a couple of days" I'm sure he really did get "lots of looks" as bad as it smoked!!!!!
Well, now I'm thinking maybe that was just an oversight, the mechanic is only human after all, so I hole punched a couple holes, button her up and fired it again. Still smoking. Off came the heads again, in hindsight I should have checked them the first time they were off but, a "Harley mechanic" put this together!!! Well it turns out the guides were shot, the rear exhaust was so bad I pulled it out with two fingers!!! Double crap!!! A red flag should have popped up when I read "assembled as a display piece"
Heads were sent out to be repaired with new guides, unleaded seats, valves and springs installed. While the heads were out, I bought new aftermarket heads (yuck) to get her running to see what else was wrong. It didn't take long as she started smoking again. Off came the new heads and the jugs. Upon inspection, the cylinder walls were slightly scored so I checked the rings, the middle rings were in upside down scraping oil into the cylinder. I bit the bullet and put new oversized pistons in and finally no more smoke but it just didn't run right, it gas fouls the plugs.
I leaned the carb out and it's still fouling, so I decide to replace the whole ignition system thinking it's probably old and tired like the heads. New coil, plug wires, plugs, points and condenser no difference. I finally got that straightened out (for now) with the help from fellow club members (see "Gas fouling and idle problems" in the Shovelhead section).
Did I mention the electric start problem? When I released the starter button the starter would continue to turn!!! I've replaced everything associated with the starting system from easy to get to, solenoid, relay, starter button to hard and expensive, clutch hub.
I finally installed an after market kick start unit so I could get her fired up. Right now I'm waiting for the "junker" primary cover to come in so I can cut it up and "look" at the starter drive in action. Maybe it's overshooting the ring gear and I'll have mess with thrust washer thicknesses.
At least now with some of the problems "fixed" I can ride her around.
The moral of the story, let the buyer beware, what seems like a good deal may not be.
Thanks for letting me vent!!
XLCH72
I bought a used, no warranty expressed or implied, 1969 FLH from a Harley dealer who, according to the ad, had a 80 percent restoration done by one of his "factory trained" mechanics. Here's the ad.
NO RESERVE AUCTION!! YE WHO BIDS LAST WINS!!
THIS IS AN AUCTION FOR AN 80% RESTORED 1969 ELETRA GLIDE.
THE BIKE WAS BOUGHT AS A BASKET CASE A FEW YEARS AGO AND WAS ASSEMBLED AS A DISPLAY PIECE FOR OUR HARLEY SHOP. THE TECHNICIAN WHO BUILT THE BIKE IS HARLEY MASTER CERTIFIED. IN FACT HE WAS CERTIFIED IN MILWAUKEE BACK IN THE 50'S. SO HE'S SEEN THEM BEFORE. IT HAS FRESH PAINT ON THE TANK AND FENDERS. THE BATWING, BAGS AND PACK ISN' T PAINTED.
FOR A MOTOR IT HAS A 74" SHOVEL HEAD WHICH RUNS AND DRIVES REAL NICE. I GOT A CHANCE TO CRUISE THE BIKE FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS AND IT REALLY GETS YOU A LOT OF LOOKS. THE TIRES ARE REPRODUCTION TIRES. GIVES YOU THE VINTAGE LOOK WITH MODERN PERFORMANCE.
MOST OF THE BIKE IS ORIGINAL. IT DOES HAVE AN S&S CARB AND WAS CHANGED OVER TO AN ALTERNATOR INSTEAD OF THE ORIGINAL GENERATOR TYPE CHARGE. IT HAS THE STOCK PROFILE CAM'S AND FLYWHEEL.
IT DOES "MARK IT'S TERRITORY" A LITTLE BUT HEY IT'S A HARLEY.
TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO OWN A CLASSIC. THIS BIKE IS THE REAL DEAL.
I'LL BE AVAILABLE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE BY CALLING, EMAIL OR EVEN EBAY QUESTIONS.
Nice fresh paint on the frame and nice fresh paint on the tins, which should have been prepped better 'cause some of it is now blistering, and some newer aftermarket chrome. Not so bad for the price as it came with saddlebags, tour pak and fairing that were not repainted which was ok 'cause I hadn't planned to use them anyway.
Well after trailering it home I started it and after a minute or 2 it started smoking, the longer it ran the worse it got, I thought maybe it was broken in wrong and the rings didn't seat right??? So I decided to pop the heads off and look. When I pulled the front rocker box off oil came pouring out and the heads were full of oil, crap!! The head came off next and the oil return passage was full of oil so I carefully sent some wire down the hole and it stopped at the case, so I slipped both of the jugs up just far enough to see that the gaskets did not have a hole in them for the oil return, damn generic James gaskets!!! If the seller actually "got a chance to cruise the bike for a couple of days" I'm sure he really did get "lots of looks" as bad as it smoked!!!!!
Well, now I'm thinking maybe that was just an oversight, the mechanic is only human after all, so I hole punched a couple holes, button her up and fired it again. Still smoking. Off came the heads again, in hindsight I should have checked them the first time they were off but, a "Harley mechanic" put this together!!! Well it turns out the guides were shot, the rear exhaust was so bad I pulled it out with two fingers!!! Double crap!!! A red flag should have popped up when I read "assembled as a display piece"
Heads were sent out to be repaired with new guides, unleaded seats, valves and springs installed. While the heads were out, I bought new aftermarket heads (yuck) to get her running to see what else was wrong. It didn't take long as she started smoking again. Off came the new heads and the jugs. Upon inspection, the cylinder walls were slightly scored so I checked the rings, the middle rings were in upside down scraping oil into the cylinder. I bit the bullet and put new oversized pistons in and finally no more smoke but it just didn't run right, it gas fouls the plugs.
I leaned the carb out and it's still fouling, so I decide to replace the whole ignition system thinking it's probably old and tired like the heads. New coil, plug wires, plugs, points and condenser no difference. I finally got that straightened out (for now) with the help from fellow club members (see "Gas fouling and idle problems" in the Shovelhead section).
Did I mention the electric start problem? When I released the starter button the starter would continue to turn!!! I've replaced everything associated with the starting system from easy to get to, solenoid, relay, starter button to hard and expensive, clutch hub.
I finally installed an after market kick start unit so I could get her fired up. Right now I'm waiting for the "junker" primary cover to come in so I can cut it up and "look" at the starter drive in action. Maybe it's overshooting the ring gear and I'll have mess with thrust washer thicknesses.
At least now with some of the problems "fixed" I can ride her around.
The moral of the story, let the buyer beware, what seems like a good deal may not be.
Thanks for letting me vent!!
XLCH72
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