I can say with great evidence that Old Harleys never Die they just leak more oil, & race like the wind into the future.
A little about me
- Thread starter Surveyor3975
- Start date
joepistol
Well-Known Fanatic
.." it it still had the electrical problems."
Funny the turn signals on my '79 stopped working. Don't recall when this was, probably years ago..I used hand signals.
Recently , I decided to try & fix the TS..to get them working again. I checked the bulbs & all were good, as was wiring to the signals.
Tried replacing TS flasher with oem one..they don't exist..anymore. TS flasher is inside headlight shell, a rectangular box (looks like a circuit breaker)
HD had a 'replacement..think it was around $30..& looking at it..it was ROUND. No way it's fit in the clip inside the headlight housing. Went to an auto parts store, guy told me all the TS flashers were the same..round. Cost About $5.00+tax Was a chore , getting it stuffed in the already crowded headlight shell, but with persistence, was able to get everything stuffed inside & now the TS work again! I have had problems with wires breaking, that attach to the relay for the starter motor. My Indy, mechanic, Dave. showed me how to CORRECTLY attach a terminal to a wire, Using shrink wrap, and that stopped my electrical problems.
Amazing, most the wiring on the bike is oem..guess everything still works 'cause no backyard mechanic ( besides me) has messed with the wiring.
Funny the turn signals on my '79 stopped working. Don't recall when this was, probably years ago..I used hand signals.
Recently , I decided to try & fix the TS..to get them working again. I checked the bulbs & all were good, as was wiring to the signals.
Tried replacing TS flasher with oem one..they don't exist..anymore. TS flasher is inside headlight shell, a rectangular box (looks like a circuit breaker)
HD had a 'replacement..think it was around $30..& looking at it..it was ROUND. No way it's fit in the clip inside the headlight housing. Went to an auto parts store, guy told me all the TS flashers were the same..round. Cost About $5.00+tax Was a chore , getting it stuffed in the already crowded headlight shell, but with persistence, was able to get everything stuffed inside & now the TS work again! I have had problems with wires breaking, that attach to the relay for the starter motor. My Indy, mechanic, Dave. showed me how to CORRECTLY attach a terminal to a wire, Using shrink wrap, and that stopped my electrical problems.
Amazing, most the wiring on the bike is oem..guess everything still works 'cause no backyard mechanic ( besides me) has messed with the wiring.
joepistol
Well-Known Fanatic
.." Old Harleys never Die they just leak more oil.." Not anymore.
It's possible to have an oil tight Shovel head.. You probably know that the Evo's don't leak oil..they just lack soul)
Improvement in gasket quality / material, plus some creative fixes ( o-ring added on trans main shaft) have gone a long way to stopping chronic oil leaks.
Careful assembly,using new generation gaskets & sealing material work wonders on those old bikes.
It's possible to have an oil tight Shovel head.. You probably know that the Evo's don't leak oil..they just lack soul)
Improvement in gasket quality / material, plus some creative fixes ( o-ring added on trans main shaft) have gone a long way to stopping chronic oil leaks.
Careful assembly,using new generation gaskets & sealing material work wonders on those old bikes.
I know I was just kidding about old Harleys leaking, in fact I was working for Yamaha just before I started with Harley.
Yamaha gave us a product that could seal cases with no gaskets called Yamabond an early form of silicone.
We beat the Harley oil leaking problems right there, all while the older Motorcycle Mechanics were peening the cases with Ball Peen hammers to stop the dripping cases. Yep right there in Marion OH at the Harley Dealer in the 1970s the Harley leaking problem became a thing of the past, thank God.
PS: there is a product today called :: https://hylomar.com/us/universal-blue/
It works with warped carb flanges to seal old Carbs etc. Gasoline that washes Silicone away will not touch this sealant.
Yamaha gave us a product that could seal cases with no gaskets called Yamabond an early form of silicone.
We beat the Harley oil leaking problems right there, all while the older Motorcycle Mechanics were peening the cases with Ball Peen hammers to stop the dripping cases. Yep right there in Marion OH at the Harley Dealer in the 1970s the Harley leaking problem became a thing of the past, thank God.
PS: there is a product today called :: https://hylomar.com/us/universal-blue/
It works with warped carb flanges to seal old Carbs etc. Gasoline that washes Silicone away will not touch this sealant.
Last edited:
taz4712
Well-Known Fanatic
Thanks for the heads up. I never heard of the Yammy sealant. I will give it a try.
Back in the 70s the only way to get cases sealed, Riders: Hardening Permatex, Racers: Yellow contact cement.
This was the first pliable gasket sealer anyone ever had seen before. Yamabond was silver & did keep the oozing oil
leaks to a minimum & it came off easy, not having to break the aluminum cases 2 get it off.. Some older oils & for sure
gasoline would compromise the seal with Yamabond & the early Silicon formulas
Todays mastics are pure magic, I can strip a hole & fix it as good as new with a paste, Silicones that are project specific
& fit every need as well as some polymers resist liquids that turned regular Silicone into snot. Yamabond was my first
step into fixing the things like oil leaks on Bikes & Cars. Today it's simple to keep liquids in place with superior Gasket
technology & better Mastics & sealants.
