BlueSky

So now we have a clue. It's not a Harley!

So, what model Harley did you buy?

Sounds peculiar that all valves would be out of spec. Make sure the engine was in the correct position to check them. Way back my 1975 Honda Civic with the 1488cc CVCC engine had solid lifter valves to be checked. The manual said position the engine in one position and check half of them and another position and check the other half. That didn't work. I finally positioned the engine where each cylinder was at TDC on the compression stroke when I checked each of the 4 cylinders. That way I got the clearances right and they didn't click from having too much clearance when I finished.

So are we going to see this mysterious plunge at Myrtle Beach?

Could you use the one gauge that doesn't fluctuate with a manifold and 4 valves to allow you to switch from one carb to the next?

The four holes may have been an attempt to prevent the sliders from opening very much and therefore not richening the mixture as much. I'd check the jet sizes to make sure they are the stock size.

Thanks, I copied and saved this information in my Venture Folder:)

I recently bought a deep cycle AGM battery for my 18 footer. I wasn't sure that was the correct one, but anyway?

Me, I must be a Royale, not a Royal

Nah, you just had to get your life sorted out before the bike would move. It's your closest friend you know.

There was a recent post showing the different tcis and the colors. Do a search and ye shall find.

Go to the tech section and read, read, and read some more.

Last resort is diet and exercise. Weight just makes everything worse. Maybe a few supplements will help too.

Maybe the sealer sealed the tank vent and the pump can't pump after it pulls a vacuum. Just wild guessing here.

Probably one of those kinky positions!

From those two photos, it looks really clean.

It's sort of funny that cars are going more and more high tech and bikes are going back to low tech.

For the tire pressure to go up when the bike weight is on the tire versus on the center stand, the volume of the tire has to decrease. If the pressure doesn't change, that means the volume of the tire is not decreasing and the shape of the tire is changing when weight is added but not decreasing the internal volume of the tire. In the case of a shock, the internal volume is getting smaller when weight is added to the bike and therefore the pressure goes up.

The expertise on this site is amazing!

Does is have internal balancers or does it shake like a Harley? And why would a low rpm torque monster need a 6 speed tranny? I agree with others that an air cooled engine in a touring bike is not something I would want.

I think the video of what mercury does to aluminum is a useful and interesting post. Brenner, I don't know why you took offense to it. I'm sure nobody intended to offend you. And as far as using a mercury manometer, if they were still available that would be the one I'd buy. As heavy as mercury is, it makes an ideal liquid for the carb sync.

Pushrod engines are more challenging to make them turn high rpm. However Nascar engines are pushrod engines and they turn 9,000 rpm, probably about $100k a copy. V-Twins typically have 2 valves per cylinder with only one cam (I think). V4s have 2 more cylinders, 12 more valves, and 3 more camshafts. So, yes they are much more expensive to manufacture.

The narrower the contact patch is in the front, the quicker the bike will tip over in a parking lot turn. I owned a 2004 Kawasaki Concours for a couple of years which may be one of the tippiest bikes of all. When I got it the front tire was a dual compound tire with lots of wear. The soft edges had worn away leaving about a 1" wide strip of the harder compound rubber down the center. It was really tippy in the parking lots. When I replaced it with a new tire, the difference was incredible, no where near as tippy. I'll never buy a dual compound tire for the front for that reason.

The battery terminal shouldn't be getting hot like that. Check to make sure it is making good contact. It's fairly typical for them to start fine cold and then turn over very slowly after they get hot. Mine has always started while hot but I don't know how since the engine is barely moving when it fires. Have you synced the carbs?