Great video Kevin. Really too bad about that low mileage motor. I'm going for my second 100,000 on my 04 carbed 88 incher. Did the crank, timken conversion, gear drive, bored to 95 at 110,000 miles. It now has 197,000 on it. Still runs great. I'm proud of that little motor.
there are certainly some very high mileage ones out there. not too long ago went into an 88TC with 140,000 on it. Really wasn't worn out either. Became a basic refresh.
thanks Kevin I’m a 67 year old man. Been riding since 10 I am drawing SS but working pArt time and wanted to go to MMI but life has other plans. Anyway I also have a 07 Ultra I bought new now has 98000 miles I really enjoy your videos your experience inspires me to get back to my Dream of wrenching on Harleys I have been mechanicing all my life but everything but full time bikes. Anyway I look forward to your next videos. When my bike starts burning oil or whatever. I plan on taking the engine to you. God bless. Jim
MMI is a great school . Age is not an issue, and the staff is great. If you can get yourself there just do it. I took all programs there. Harley davidson. And the Honda 24 program are the two best ones to take . But are also the longest. MTP IS 36 weeks Harley davidson is also 36 weeks. And Honda is 24 weeks. I never had any regrets and I love my job, and I really haven't worked a day that was the same . Best time of my life was that school.
Carbon build up is due to use of high octane gas , check any Harley using the highest pump grade octane and you will always have tail pipe carbon build up,unburnt fuel. I always use mid grade fuel here in Canada, never have any sign of soot in exhaust pipes.and engine runs as normal. 31:05
I have two pans and a 09 ultra classic , and a 06 soft tail. Note the best way to tell if your engine is running right is to pull and read the spark plugs , they tell all of the story.
KB you are the best I'm taking a motorcycle repair course at the local community college and I showed the class and instructors your videos they can't believe how detailed your content is. Thanks for the knowledge I love twin cams but you have made me come to appreciate all harley davidson engine's. Thanks for letting us see what you see God bless you keep up the awesome content
I have a few friends that need to watch this video. Free-flow exhaust and air cleaner combined with heavy traffic on a hot day can hurt a stock twin-cam engine.
Add improper tune, etc. Basically, he had an issue, easy to fix, that went ignored or misdiagnosed. I bet the owner complained of a hot engine for a very long time
Mr. Baxter I would like to apologize to you even though you didn't know anything about this. When I first started running across your videos I didn't much care for you but I have to say I started making myself watch your videos and ended up subscribing to your channel. I'm mute (can't speak) with other issues. Anyway I love motorcycles own 3 Harleys and your videos has been the best detailed videos I've came across. So with that said I apologize for judging you before I knew you (through videos) keep making videos and God bless you sir.
I just stumbled across these videos and I gotta ask, what’s not to like about this guy? Knowledgeable mechanic who doesn’t talk down to his audience. Kinda the perfect person to make this type of video 🤷🏻
These autopsy reports are so helpful. My 07 RKC I’ve owned since new and it’s never been beat. I’ve done top end and dd7 (mild cam and FM 107) at 75-80k. Now closing in on 100k this is so helpful in deciding if I should do crank soon. Very helpful and YES Dewalt should sponsor you! Something tells me your “assistant” wore some heavy duty brass!
Mr. Baxter, thank you so much for bringing us your videos. Always informative and helpful. You mentioned an uncapped intake port and I think you are right on the money there. Lord knows I've seen them missing. A clueless owner won't know and a mechanic might not notice. In this line of business, attention to detail is paramount. And you have it. And you share it for the community to benefit. Thank you and please keep on providing us with educational videos, we really appreciate them.
That’s a 12:1 cr motor now from all that carbon stacked up Holy hell *best vid yet ! This is an amazing break down vid !!! The amount of forensic this guy does is mind blowing
I am/was an auto machinist, I use to love the surprises when we got a tear down…it is like a mystery bag of legos. Or Gump’s chocolates! You can see all the evidence, and still catch a surprise in the next level of disassembly. Now that pro charger nitro bike…that sounds fun! I really enjoy your videos. Refreshing. Gotta say I really just got into working on HD. For the most part, fairly simple designs and very practical to work on, compared to say, Chevy 5.7l/350ci. Nice to be able to manage the engine so easily. V8’s can require a bit more effort. Thank you again for sharing you vast knowledge. Absolutely priceless. Let’s be real man, hit it with a good shot of nitro and it’ll clean them pistons right up. “LIKE NEW!”. She wanted and needed an oil cooler. ( I wouldn’t know if that one had a factory cooler, I’d bet not) Thank you Dougie
Cool video. I like the fact that your knowledge can spot clues to the last known running condition of that engine. And, your knowledge of possible causes of the abnormalities, and problems of that engine prior to teardown.
Nothing but respect to Baxter and his shop.. I’d love him to build me a motor .. But dude who watching reminds me of the dude in the chair in the corner of the hotel room with a camera while his .. ok enough humor for a day Time to watch this break down
My uncle rest in peace had one of the original Knuckleheads before the war. He used to say for $500 you would get the best motorcycle in the world or the crappiest car in the world. It was a super light 1,000 that came with a certificate stating that it went to 110 miles an hour free World War II that was pretty good. Long after the bike was down the road he had the certificate in a frame in the hallway. A 61 was a lot smoother than a 74 the 74 is just for the police bikes. After the war Harley just continued the 61. That bike really looks cool. Nothing runs as good as an EVO. So I remember in a road test about in an old Panhead it was said that the bike ran as cool as an Iceman's shoulder. Those old Harleys ran great and didn't cook yourself to death riding one of them either. And they were nice and simple bikes like my British stuff. No blinkers no turn signals no electric starter headlight tail light brake light horn that's it with a Magneto for ignition.
One thing I do notice about all of your videos is that you follow procedures on tear downs and rebuilds. Using the tools that are necessary for the job. I myself do not like to take shortcuts. Keep up the good work. I am a MMI graduate, and instructors pound it into our heads not to skip steps. I have watched other videos, I won't mention names but they know who they are. One question I have is have you ever used a megger meter for checking the stator for an open in the windings?
I have done this 3 times it's a good way to upgrade and get a newer bike. 5 years ago I picked up 2013 classic with 1800 miles for 6 grand if you can do the work your self it's a cheap way to own a new bike. But be very careful on the bike don't pay to buy a bike that cost how much as a new one
As i person kinda new to riding and working on bikes in general.. i might just be slow but you seem to be rushing through your work. I still learned a lot. At times i think Mike was lost . Good thing i can rewind it watch over. Difference between someone like yourself knowing and years of experience and myself only a year or so in. 😂😂. Thank you for sharing your knowledge
Yes I know this video is "old" but it seems like things were done without that motor being tuned afterwords. A lean bike caused by an aftermarket exhaust and intake, plus a lack of regular maintenance, and low octane fuel could have accelerated that issue. Congrats on 60k subscribers! There are 3 or 4 types of people that buy a Harley. The ones that can, the ones that think they should, the ones that someone makes them think they want one, and the ones that love the history, the sound, and the character from the early 1900s to (almost) the present. (Not a big fan of the sound or the price of the M8 bikes!) I stumbled across your videos looking into a bagger after my wife suddenly became slightly interested in possibly riding with me. Looking at a 2012 Road Glide Ultra with the 103 as an upgrade to my 2014 Iron 883. I love the REAL technical info, visual references, and the videos with manufacturers explaining their products! I might be better off finding a salvage bike and doing a better part of the work considering what the engine alone might cost me! I would GLADLY trailer a bike down to you, from Ohio, for a rebuild after watching a handful of videos! Attention to detail and thousandths of an inch are right where I like to be!
Thanks for the education Kev, it's very good of you to share your knowledge with us, great show, I'm a shovel guy and have been over 40 years but I have had a couple of evos as well, what you teach us is relevant for a lot of engines in general and you can never learn too much.
Thanks for another great teardown video. I know it's not your business focus, but it would be so interesting to watch you tear down a 4 cyl. Honda or something to get your opinion on it.
So the takeaway here harleys dont do well in hot climates or in traffic. I just picked up a 2017 low rider s its pinging under heavy throttle. It runs hotter than my 88 no idea what it should be running temp wise.
I have a twin cam in my Deuce, but it's not too hard to understand that there are limitations when the engine technology is behind that of many lawn mowers.
Would a bad crank position sensor cause detonation when its up to temp and i restart it,then at times i get detonation..its like the Piston get thrown down the wtong way when starting back up...thanks hope explained that the right way lol
Excellent video again! Thanks I'm having my 01cvo roadglide rebuilt having s&s crank installed already have screamin eagle hydraulic cam chest should I put external oil cooler? Or any other suggestions? Thanks
I remember you saying, back a couple years ago, that the octane booster additive, would cause fouling of plugs and increased carbon... Now, why would so much carbon be built up on the intake side of the valves, and not just the exhaust side? Is that a problem with the compression release system? Crankcase venting? Was that a 'stock crank?' .06 on the runout, is within tolerances, correct? Anything less than .10 ? If the runout was excessive, wouldn't that cause undue wear on the crank bearings? It would seem that if that engine was discharging so much oil that it was carboning up everything like that, surely there was smoke? It must have been smoking more than anything you'd call normal? I know... Questions and then more questions... But why else make a video, if you don't want any public interaction? So you know, I've never had a bike at your shop, but I always recommend the Peo Twin shop when it comes up. If I had the $$$, I'd of had that Heritage Softail (2014 88 TC), at your shop to get it built right! Give me the Evo... I was told, they call them 'HD,' cause they're 'high dollar,' every time you start them... Any time you have to open the case, a cover, the primary, whatever, you're gonna spend some money, if it's just for O rings or a gasket! No issue you chose to take action on, will be 'free.'
What about an oil mist problem due to the internal breather system. DK custom cycles sells an external system. The internal system throws oil back onto the pistons due to an EPA regulation. Thoughts?
Kevin, having a mechanical background I appreciate all yr vids, 1 of my bikes, the 01 ultra started sumping a bit at 101,500 miles, did the screaming eagle cam plate and oil pump, now at 108,900, running good again, oil pump was worn, yr tips wS the road map to diagnose the issues, thanks, best regards
Kevin, can you talk about trying to salvage such an engine, versus buying a new crate motor? Isn't the cost of trying to rebuild one much more than a new engine? At some point during the tear down of that engine, would you have said, no, it's too far gone and would take too much to rebuild? I am just an amateur, but after seeing all that, I would have said, Kevin, ain't no way you are putting that engine on my bike!!
judging from the look of the internals could it be said the owner took good care of the engine as far as oil changes went / no apparent damage to cams, crank , rods, bearings , lifters etc ? just wondering, if you think your doing everything right but still unknown damage can and did happen. Great channel btw
Would Dec of 12 be date of manufacture possibly derived from serial (vin) numbers? Then the salvage facility would know what they are selling at a glance...
My understanding is that Harley's should be able to withstand heat from idling in traffic on very hot days, they are designed and tested for that. My guess is someone did the high flow intake and aftermarket exhaust without doing a tune. This was the case with a Sportster 1200 I purchased, which fortunately had low miles, and I was able to get a tuner on there before any permanent damage was done.
Engine may have been overheated during a "butt the front tire against a wall burnout session". I've seen guys turn shovelhead cast iron cylinders glowing red hot at night doing it. It cooked the rings doing it too.
It seems like extreme blow by is what caused all the buildup on the pistons, causing power loss, followed by attempting to compensate with octane boost.🤔
Would you be able to use the crank and just replace jugs and pistons?i have a 13 103 with low compression 50k no past history-and im looking @ rebuilding it in the next few weeks whats the best course of action?
Yes...if you find yourself with bad gas and you hear pinging from the engine, using it is a great way to avoid damage but i wouldn't use it long term. just tune the bike accordingly.
Hello Kevin. I just found you, and will follow along from now on. If i may ask a question? Should we run some sort of cleaner through our fuel on occasion to clean carbon? Something like marvels?
You mention engine heat. What would be good temps for a M8 131. Right now I’m seeing cruising temps of 320 and 350 sitting in traffic. Temp reading was engine temps on the powervision.
I wish you'd have given the rings a squish to see if there was any spring left in them. Overheating can make them brittle. I suppose you could feel them as you handled the pistons though. Also, I find it interesting there wasn't the typical gold tinge seen in overheated cylinders (shrug). Drift (on a Pan for over 40 years)
its really hard to see it on the camera. the gopro i use on this type of video color corrects plus the LED lighting in the shop. It certainly wasn't the worst I've seen but it did have a lil bit of gold to it.
