Route repair, a practical case: carburetor problem
A sunny Saturday from September to noon, perfect to roll on a motorcycle until the Big Twin concentration in the Grao de Castellón, a walk of about 150km along the coast. My Harley-Davidson Softail '95 with Evolution engine responds perfectly despite the heat and practically made the route about 140 km/h on average.
The problem
We arrive at the event of the event without making any stop, since I want to see the great bike show start.
I park the motorcycle and while I go for the accrediting bracelets I see how the motorcycle carburetor is out of the engine and gasoline turns on the heat, just below the fuel tank ... Great Balls of Fire !!!
I reacted quickly and tapo the flames with my jacket, getting the fire extinguish. I can check the cause of the incident: the original air filter cover, which in turn holds the carburetor, has released from its metal bushings due to the effect of heat and the accumulated years, something quite typical in the old “Evo”. Now I understand why in the last kilometers the admission made strange noises ...
The emergency solution
At this point the priority is to repair the breakdown to be able to return home, holding the carburetor in some way.
I look for some "campaign workshop" inside the enclosure. As I can't find anything, I turn to the bar to shuffle other (beers) options, and casually I see some mechanical friends in the area had set up a small tent with technical service and workshop within the event and very kindly offered me their space and tools to be able to perform an emergency repair in my Harley.
Hands to work
Disassemble the air filter and check that the carburetor joint has broken when the carburetor is going.
I do not have a new joint or support, so I have no choice but to improvise. I repair how I can the board with a little insulating tape and chewed gum!
Subject the body of the carburetor with a pair of flanges and again the filter housing,
passing again some flanges so that the set is in place. I start the engine to see if everything goes well and voila! It works perfectly. I still gave me time to wash my hands and see the bike show, with a very interesting level of quality.
We returned to nightfall without incident, the repair worked without problems.
The definitive solution
Once at home he had done the repair correctly. The first thing I do in these cases is to analyze that it has caused the breakdown to prevent it from producing. Examining the original filter housing we see that the metal bushings are simply introduced under pressure in the plastic, so if we replace the housing with the same model sooner or later it will pass again. Fortunately brands such as Arlen Ness or Screamin 'Eagle have an aluminum support kit that lasts a lifetime and also incorporate a reusable high performance air filter. I choose the kit of Arlen Ness Big Sucker Because it also has the advantage of having replaced engine breathing tires with aluminum channels, leaving the most compact and durable assembly.
The first thing we do when installing it is to change the maltrecha Carburet for a new one,
And then following the assembly instructions of the kit we install the support plate, but not before putting some of sealant In the breathing screws.
We install the 3 screws that hold the carburetor filter and squeeze everything to the recommended tightening pairs.
Here are the filter
and the original lid.
Conclusion
We have proven how to get out of trouble with a little imagination, and that from a common breakdown we can analyze the process that has caused it, and correct it at the same time improving the original configuration.
Frank Burguera