Who is the best Harley wrench in Portland / Vancouver

Cigarlvr313 · Jul 7, 2022

Ive been riding my BMW for the last 15+ years but recently had an opportunity to pick up a '97 FXD with 1900 original miles. I like to do most of my own maintenance but there are a few things this bike needs before I will feel comfortable riding it. I'm not really into going to the dealer for service and it's been a long time since I've had a V-Twin. Any suggestions for a good wrench in Clark co? Thanks

BBQ Guy · Jul 7, 2022

Tagging along as I'd like to find a good indy HD mechanic in the area as well.
In the mean time I'd find the shop manual for that bike. I've heard that Surdykes is a good resource for manuals.

Link to some manuals:

https://www.wisconsinharley.com/har...il-models-motorcycle-service-manual-99482-98/

Cigarlvr313 · Jul 8, 2022

I've learned a lot on YouTube already. My last HD was an older Panhead .............. lots of changes since then.

BBQ Guy · Jul 8, 2022

Cigarlvr313 said:
I've learned a lot on YouTube already. My last HD was an older Panhead .............. lots of changes since then.

It looks like that is the Evo motor. Should be plenty of info out on web and youtube.

Cigarlvr313 · Jul 8, 2022

I actually thought about your suggestion and found an original 1997 HD Dyna Service manual on eBay....thanks!

Member 15244 · Jul 11, 2022

What's wrong with it? Hard to find reputable mechanics anymore.

Cigarlvr313 · Jul 11, 2022

It's not that there is anything "wrong" with it, only that it has been sitting in a garage collecting dust in Modesto since 1998. It actually looks brand new. But there is (was) the issue of 24 year old gasoline, oil, brake fluid, tires..............I'm working my way through the issues but it has been a few years since I wrenched on my own motorcycle so I thought having a good Harley guy if I ran into problems might be nice. I've bought a lift stand and a lift so far and really I'm down to just pulling the wheels to get the tires changed. I would still like to find a good Harley wrench though.........

Member 15244 · Jul 12, 2022

Sounds like you just need a basic service to get it back on the road. Only possible issue sounds like the old fuel. But if it's running well it wouldn't be of too much concern. Is this an Efi model or carb? I know it was optional in those years.

Only other things you should probably consider is a new belt, checking tension on the spokes, and changing out the fork fluid. May also need motor mounts depending on how it was stored if the rubber dry rotted at all. I'm in Washougal as well may be willing to help out for a fee. I'm not a certified tech but I do all the maintenance like this pretty frequently. There's a few other common things it may need but it would need to be gone over first.

It's hard to recommend anyone, there's not many trustworthy Indy's around that I have found I always end up resorting to doing it myself. At least that way it's done right. The dealers in this area are also a joke.

Cigarlvr313 · Jul 13, 2022

I drained the old fuel and cleaned the tank. The carb looked OK so I left it alone. I replaced the vacuum operated petcock with a conventional type, added fuel and after changing the oil & filter as well as the trans and primary I started it. It might have made 2 revolutions before it started and ran perfectly. I've bled the front and rear brakes and ordered new tires. I'm waiting on those to arrive and I will pull both the front and rear tires/wheels and get the new ones mounted. I've done the "ping" test on the spokes and they look and sound fine but I'm hoping that when I get the tires mounted they will take a closer look.

I thought about a new belt and maybe now is the time to replace that too. I havent ever changed fork fluid........I'll let you know if I need help. Thanks for responding.

Member 15244 · Jul 14, 2022

not sure if you are mounting the tires yourself or having a shop do it. Motoco in town will do them usually I believe and they are usually pretty quick. Fork oil is fairly simple.

-remove handle bars if necessary
- loosen end caps but don't remove fully yet
-with front tire removed check the bottom of your forks to see if they have a drain plug. If so you remove these they sometimes need to be removed with an impact due to how they are retained internally.
-if no drain plug you will need to remove the forks from the bike by loosening the triple clamp bolts. It is sometimes just easier to do it this way anyway. The benefit is you can dump all the old fluid and cycle the fork to get the rest of the old fluid out.

Cigarlvr313 · Jul 14, 2022

Thanks for the tip on Motoco I was curious about them. Luckily the place I bought my tires from will mount them for free.

Do you think it is necessary to change the fork oil now? The bike has never really ever been ridden. Thanks again.

Member 15244 · Jul 15, 2022

You will probably be ok since it is a low mile bike. If you have a lot of brake dive in the front though it would probably be worth doing considering the age of the fluid.

Cigarlvr313 · Jul 17, 2022

Tires have arrived, from 2 separate sellers (hard to find pairs right now but at least I was able to purchase a "set" seperatly). I'm probably going to take them to Motoco this week for mounting......