Electra Glide In Blue

Been out on a few rides since the last post. The FLH is making a strange noise and I not quite sure what I think about it. I’ve spoken with a couple of people who say that it could be a normal sound after the engine gets warmed up. I guess my dad just rebuilt the top end within the last year. It was suggested that I change the oil just in case, so I went ahead and did just that last weekend.

Luckily, one of my more mechanically inclined friends was available to give me a hand. We road out to Thunder Mountain on Saturday to get some things we’d need. Oil, gaskets, and the oil filter. The book that we had wasn’t the most helpful, as there was a bit of confusion on how to go about changing the oil in the primary chain case, as well as the oil for the transmission. The gasket I was sold at Thunder Mountain didn’t help matters much at all, because it was the wrong gasket altogether. I guess the top piece for the primary chain case was a bit “custom” as the guys from the dealership had never seen anything like it.

Changing the engine oil was easy enough. It was very similar to my experience with changing the oil in a car. Just pull the plug and drain the oil. Changing the filter couldn’t have been easier either. Once we had figured out for sure what to do with the primary and the transmission, we got it all slapped back together and decided to run it around the block a few times to make sure it wasn’t going to spray oil everywhere. Unfortunately, the battery wouldn’t turn the engine over!

After doing a little bit of R&D I read that motorcycles don’t really recharge batteries like cars do and that it would be a good idea to toss them on a charger once a month or so. I ended up heading over to K-Mart to pick up an automatic charger that included a float mode. After letting it sit on the charger for awhile, I was all ready to give it another shot. The bike started right up after the battery had been fully charged, and I cruised it around the neighborhood for a bit. No leaks and it wasn’t spraying oil everywhere, so I am quite happy with the oil change. Its still making the ticking sound after the engine gets hot, so I’m not sure what to think of that. I will be putting it in front of some more experienced ears once I get the chance. Adjusting the valves may be the next step.

Just wondering if anyone else seems to have a bike that ticks after it gets running or have any ideas to share with a noob such as myself? A big thanks to my friend Dell for helping me with the oil change!

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