Has anyone else experienced this: 🙁
Have '95SE/CSC FSIII rig...12+ years[s/c attached 24/7]. Went 2-up w/wife, all over New England, eastern NY state, twice to Canada. Do all my own maint., including regular oil/filter changes, etc. Have 73,000 miles on rig. Last new item installed was Austone rear tire. Rig tracked/handled great, rode like a dream; rear brake worked better, due to larger rubber patch on road. BUT, due to 250-300 lower overall rpm from larger circumference, 2-up starts were much more stressful on drive train. Driving in 5th gear below 45 mph lugged engine badly, so lots of 4th gear use was necessary where speed limit was under 45 mph.
End result in first week of May: bad connecting rod knock started on right cylinder bank[recently changed oil was full]so engine being pulled; used '96 installed. Austone[w/2000 miles]coming off. Will be up for sale, as must go back to OEM tire to regain proper rpm/shift range on 'new' powerplant. This is such a BUMMER but life is full of these gem for everybody, I guess. TTFN.....Old Tom aka papasmurf in NH
P.S. Wing is stripped down; bad engine, hopefully, comes out next week.
I have similar problem with a HD Road Glide. The new 103 has insufficient torque to pull car at 70 mph if the road is less than flat. I can ride 70 in 5th gear at 3100 RPM which is really not a big deal but is annoying. Once over 75 mph I can use 6th gear with no problem and leave it on cruise control. I am surprised that the 1500 wing did not just absorb the extra rpms and keep on trucking.I just completed an Orlando to Moab/Arches/Canyonland run and had no problems with motor but I do have the HD extended warranty just in case. Just for the record, MPG was 34 overall so I guess I cannot complain too much. The sidecar was the storage area for two of us camping and just general stuff. Continental Divide was COOOLD... thank goodness for good gloves and a heated seat. Took the train up Pikes Peak as it was fresh snow on top and 17 degrees there too.
HI & THANKS FOR YOUR INPUT: Your post pointed out some things to me. I NEVER, in 12+ years of ownership, synchronized the carbs! MY BAD! It's very possible right cylinder bank was doing slightly more work than left and this caused con rod rap to develop. Also, engine started running slightly hotter last riding season; could NOT find out why[changed antifreeze, system cap, cracked recovery tank fitting, with no change but NEVER saw leak anywhere]. Overall rig gas mileage with 300#-empty Friendship III hack was between 30-33 mpg, dependent on throttle use heavy or light. This was better than other sidecar club members with exact same rig. Did haul lots of camping gear in our s/c when we were younger and it was no problem. In later years, we just got a motel room on long trips. Can remember going on mid-February rides here in NH, one very dry, 20 degree winter[no snow on ground; roads all dry]. We had snowmobile suits on and LOVED the looks we got from folks which is amazing, considering snowmobilers routinely go out in much harsher conditions. Well, TTFN & RIDE SAFE ALWAYS. .....Old Tom
Interesting post. Years ago I had a Velorex on a Kawasaki Voyager 1300 six cylinder, with at least 50,000 miles pulling the hack, with nary a problem. Now, I just installed a Friendship 2 on a Kawasaki Vulcan 2000,much better match, so I hope I don't have similar problems as you, but as mentioned, could have been caused by a carburator balence problem. Good luck with the replacement engine install.
I had good results using a Dunlop Wintersport runflat on my 1500, can't remember the size but it was a shorter tire and increased the rpm at the same speed, worked great with the sidecar gearing it down slightly. Good luck with your engine change, hope it works out well for you.
Lsquid - 6/17/2013 10:13 PM
I have similar problem with a HD Road Glide. The new 103 has insufficient torque to pull car at 70 mph if the road is less than flat. I can ride 70 in 5th gear at 3100 RPM which is really not a big deal but is annoying. Once over 75 mph I can use 6th gear with no problem and leave it on cruise control. I am surprised that the 1500 wing did not just absorb the extra rpms and keep on trucking.I just completed an Orlando to Moab/Arches/Canyonland run and had no problems with motor but I do have the HD extended warranty just in case. Just for the record, MPG was 34 overall so I guess I cannot complain too much. The sidecar was the storage area for two of us camping and just general stuff. Continental Divide was COOOLD... thank goodness for good gloves and a heated seat. Took the train up Pikes Peak as it was fresh snow on top and 17 degrees there too.
If you put some good torque cams in like the S&S 551 you will get a lot better torque. Are you still running the stock cams? They are worthless and only designed to make the EPA happy. You will all so increase fuel mileage.
sad to say the entire thing is still stock. I do have a K&M air filter and a set of Rinehart pipes but they do not impress me either. I did find a shop that will give me 110HP/130lb-ft for the mere sum of 5K. Saving my pennies as we speak. If i do cams I will do the whole thing.
Lsquid - 7/1/2013 9:16 PM
sad to say the entire thing is still stock. I do have a K&M air filter and a set of Rinehart pipes but they do not impress me either. I did find a shop that will give me 110HP/130lb-ft for the mere sum of 5K. Saving my pennies as we speak. If i do cams I will do the whole thing.
Well, me, being somewhat of a Smart a$$, ya could trade for a Kawasaki Vulcan 2000 Classic like mine, 125 cubic inches, and ya can run a regular car tire on the back. Won't have any problem with power, I garantee ya!
My dealer just happens to have a used one sitting on his showroom floor, very low miles.
