Congratulations Brother! Welcome to the Dog Pound! Beautiful bike! Look forward to riding with you someday!! 
Pitbull Rescue!
- Thread starter DeadXL
- Start date
DeadXL
Member
Completely true, I did notice I could lean it over WAY more vs. my XL, it was a bit jarring at first... but nothing some more seat time won't handle!
Thank you! I do indeed look forward to hopefully meeting up with all of you in the near future, it would be awesome to let her run with some other Big Dogs- gotta keep her exercised! LolCongratulations Brother! Welcome to the Dog Pound! Beautiful bike! Look forward to riding with you someday!!
mleach72
Well-Known Member
Congratulations! That's a great story! If you are thinking about installing a mikuni on your pitbull, I would swap the 45 from your sporty and get a 42 for it when you get it up and running again. The 42 is more than capable of handling the most highly modified sportster engines. Bottom end torque should increase significantly and fuel mileage may improve too. Installing a mikuni on a big dog requires a few mods, but nothing major. IMO, it is definitely an upgrade.
I have a set of gas tank caps off of my Vintage Sport Chopper that I would be glad to send to you if you could use them. Just say the word.
DeadXL
Member
This is a perfect example of what makes this forum an awesome place to be!
I very much appreciate the offer, I'm currently debating on whether to either pull the paint savers and install 'normal' threaded fuel caps, or to bite the bullet and order the full set of savers/caps from bigdogpartskingpin... I think I have a set of pop-up style caps that may fit from one of my old fuel tanks, but I'll keep you in mind just in case! My biggest worry on pulling the paint savers is damaging the paint from doing so... ah, what to do, what to do? Lol
FrankBDPS
Well-Known Member
Welcome to the forum. Congrats on the new bike. It looks great and pretty much origional. A couple of thoughts come to mind.
Keep in mind that the two fuel tank caps are different. One is right hand thread and the other is left hand thread. That may be why one cap cover is missing. Someone tried to remove it in the wrong direction and literally ripped it off the the tank
Another difference is that the right side cap is vented and the left side is not vented.
Those tanks are truly 2 separate tanks. To get a full fuel load you must fill both tanks.
There is a cross over line at the front of the tanks. It is like you say old enough to drink. Replace it. If it swells shut you will only get gas from the left tank
Those tanks have a liner in them from the factory. That liner,if origional, is not compatible with the alcohol in the gas we have today. Look inside the tank to see if the liner is peeling off the tank surface. If it is pieces of it will eventually block the ports where the hoses attach to.
Also there is a screen in the fuel shut off petcock. Check it for any debris such as dirt, rust or liner debris. We have seen instances where screens have been blocked and you ain't going anywhere that way.
Compression releases.,if you're heads are not machined for them don't worry about them. In fact if my heads were machined for them i would not go thru the headache and expense to install them. In my experience with my 107 it is my opinion that they are unnecessary if you keep a good battery fully charged with a tender, and have a good tune on you're engine you won't have any issues.
These are just some of the common issues we see here on the forum with the old enough to drink 2 tank Big Dog models. Some simple and inexpensive maintenance can avoid a ruined day of riding and a tow truck ride home. They are a different and rare breed for sure.
Good luck with you're work.,don't be afraid to ask questions here. Someone is always willing to help.
Frank
Keep in mind that the two fuel tank caps are different. One is right hand thread and the other is left hand thread. That may be why one cap cover is missing. Someone tried to remove it in the wrong direction and literally ripped it off the the tank
Another difference is that the right side cap is vented and the left side is not vented.
Those tanks are truly 2 separate tanks. To get a full fuel load you must fill both tanks.
There is a cross over line at the front of the tanks. It is like you say old enough to drink. Replace it. If it swells shut you will only get gas from the left tank
Those tanks have a liner in them from the factory. That liner,if origional, is not compatible with the alcohol in the gas we have today. Look inside the tank to see if the liner is peeling off the tank surface. If it is pieces of it will eventually block the ports where the hoses attach to.
Also there is a screen in the fuel shut off petcock. Check it for any debris such as dirt, rust or liner debris. We have seen instances where screens have been blocked and you ain't going anywhere that way.
Compression releases.,if you're heads are not machined for them don't worry about them. In fact if my heads were machined for them i would not go thru the headache and expense to install them. In my experience with my 107 it is my opinion that they are unnecessary if you keep a good battery fully charged with a tender, and have a good tune on you're engine you won't have any issues.
These are just some of the common issues we see here on the forum with the old enough to drink 2 tank Big Dog models. Some simple and inexpensive maintenance can avoid a ruined day of riding and a tow truck ride home. They are a different and rare breed for sure.
Good luck with you're work.,don't be afraid to ask questions here. Someone is always willing to help.
Frank
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DeadXL
Member
Awesome post, thanks for all of the info!
I think your guess is very plausible indeed on how the left fuel cap ended up that way... perhaps the P/O had a brain fart or something one day lol. I did know that the 2 caps are different in both thread direction and vented/non vented, I learned a lot on the subject when I went to the stretched dual cap tank on my XL.
I did indeed check the liner, fuel hoses, and cleaned the petcock screen when I drained all the old fuel from the tank. The liner seems to be holding up really well, and the crossover and hose from the petcock to the carb have been replaced fairly recently (the box of extras had the old hoses in there) and are still nice and supple, probably was done just before the bike was parked.
I did peek in and see that there are factory plugs where the compression releases should go, so installing them would be no biggie, but thinking more on it I may install them at a later date and take care of the other issues first. The new Deka battery seems to spin her over really well, so I'm less concerned with rushing to install them as soon as I initially was.
DeadXL
Member
Hello again, everyone! I figured I'd post up a small update since I haven't in a bit, and the cold rainy weather that continues here has me looking even more forward to riding season.
Along with the purchase of the Pitbull, I got quite a few things along with it, including some info I didn't know until the day I brought her home. She was actually purchased brand new off the showroom floor by the previous owner, on of all days Halloween- which by strange coincidence has always been my favorite holiday. I have all of the original paperwork from the purchase along with a bit of service history, the owner's manual, and a hard copy of the service manual in the gray binder. Quite a few spare bits came along as well, including 3 exhausts- the original Kerker/Supertrapp (which came off pretty much right away for the Samson pipes that are on it, and was still wrapped in newspapers from '02), a set of Pythons brand new in the box, and a set of LAF pipes (which aren't really my style), the original motorcycle cover w/Big Dog logo, a spare tool bag/roll, and a whole lot of of other misc. bits.
To top it all off, a couple days ago I received a small package from the awesome lady that contained a new guardian bell (the one that was on the bike went to the P/O's daughter, as it very well should), as well as a card of well-wishes as the bike and I start our new adventure together. Once again, I feel truly blessed to be her new caretaker.
As far as everything else goes, I decided to get the most expensive bit out of the way first- a fresh set of Avon Cobra Chromes. Getting the front one was easy, but the rear one (250/40/18) was pretty tricky- I think I got the last one in stock anywhere, and both are super fresh too! I still have to get them on, which has me wondering if I can even squeeze a No-Mar or traditional tire machine into my small garage along with all of the other equipment and things I already have in there- it's not easy packing 2 cars, 2 motorcycles, air compressor, workbench, tool box, parts washer, engine hoist, MIG and TIG welders, spare Audi 4.2 V8, spare body panels, 2 sets of summer/winter wheels, lawn equipment, and lots of other stuff in what's supposed to only be a 2 car garage lol. But I've done full engine swaps/rebuilds and just about everything else one can think of in here, so I'm sure I can figure something out... I really need to get my hands on a proper shop building though! Lol
Anyhow, here's a really bad picture of her crammed beside my XL... my back was up against my tool box, hence the atrocious photo angle. I'll get better pictures if the rain and cold ever stop so I can wheel her outside!
Along with the purchase of the Pitbull, I got quite a few things along with it, including some info I didn't know until the day I brought her home. She was actually purchased brand new off the showroom floor by the previous owner, on of all days Halloween- which by strange coincidence has always been my favorite holiday. I have all of the original paperwork from the purchase along with a bit of service history, the owner's manual, and a hard copy of the service manual in the gray binder. Quite a few spare bits came along as well, including 3 exhausts- the original Kerker/Supertrapp (which came off pretty much right away for the Samson pipes that are on it, and was still wrapped in newspapers from '02), a set of Pythons brand new in the box, and a set of LAF pipes (which aren't really my style), the original motorcycle cover w/Big Dog logo, a spare tool bag/roll, and a whole lot of of other misc. bits.
To top it all off, a couple days ago I received a small package from the awesome lady that contained a new guardian bell (the one that was on the bike went to the P/O's daughter, as it very well should), as well as a card of well-wishes as the bike and I start our new adventure together. Once again, I feel truly blessed to be her new caretaker.
As far as everything else goes, I decided to get the most expensive bit out of the way first- a fresh set of Avon Cobra Chromes. Getting the front one was easy, but the rear one (250/40/18) was pretty tricky- I think I got the last one in stock anywhere, and both are super fresh too! I still have to get them on, which has me wondering if I can even squeeze a No-Mar or traditional tire machine into my small garage along with all of the other equipment and things I already have in there- it's not easy packing 2 cars, 2 motorcycles, air compressor, workbench, tool box, parts washer, engine hoist, MIG and TIG welders, spare Audi 4.2 V8, spare body panels, 2 sets of summer/winter wheels, lawn equipment, and lots of other stuff in what's supposed to only be a 2 car garage lol. But I've done full engine swaps/rebuilds and just about everything else one can think of in here, so I'm sure I can figure something out... I really need to get my hands on a proper shop building though! Lol
Anyhow, here's a really bad picture of her crammed beside my XL... my back was up against my tool box, hence the atrocious photo angle. I'll get better pictures if the rain and cold ever stop so I can wheel her outside!
Very good post. Glad you and that dog found each other. Sounds like it was meant to happen.
DeadXL
Member
I figured I was long overdue for an update, and with the weather finally hitting rideable temperatures next week, I really needed to go ahead and get this baby ready for the season! I got crazy lucky on Ebay and found a matching fuel cap that was missing the plastic threaded insert which I still had, so I now have 2 fuel caps! Woohoo!
Due to no independent shop in my area wanting to mess with the 250 rear tire (?!), I ended up putting on the new Cobra Chromes myself with just basic hand tools. The front tire was a breeze to change, but due to the current confines of my garage I did end up knocking the wheel/tire over at one point... it happens, so no big deal I thought- until I noticed this:
...so the tire change ended up turning into a full brake job as well. The stock rotors that match the wheels are long since discontinued, but luckily in my case the rotor dimensions are the same as many Softail/Dynas/XLs/Baggers, so I was able to get some PM one piece rotors that would work. I got some EBC pads as well since they've done nicely on my XL- here's a photo of the goods:
With the front taken care of, I then turned to what ended up taking me nearly an entire day- the rear tire. Long story short, I highly recommend NOT attempting this with basic hand tools, but I managed to get it done without mangling/scratching anything, so I'm calling that a win. That's not to say everything made it out in one piece, as 2 of the rotor bolts rounded out and I was forced to take certain measures to extract them... the local hardware store luckily happened to have exact replacements:
With all of this done, she's now ready for our first Spring shakedown ride! Honestly, my initial plan was to try to have her ready with enough seat time to ride her down for The May Thang at Knothead/Bakie's place to finally have a chance to meet all of you (I actually have that same week off for vacation). While she is now fully safely operational, taking her on a roughly 400 mi journey to do so after she's been sitting so long and still mostly untested doesn't seem like the greatest idea, especially since I don't have a trailer to bring her down with in case something were to go awry. Hopefully next year I'll have enough seat time to confidently make the trip, so here's hoping!
Due to no independent shop in my area wanting to mess with the 250 rear tire (?!), I ended up putting on the new Cobra Chromes myself with just basic hand tools. The front tire was a breeze to change, but due to the current confines of my garage I did end up knocking the wheel/tire over at one point... it happens, so no big deal I thought- until I noticed this:
...so the tire change ended up turning into a full brake job as well. The stock rotors that match the wheels are long since discontinued, but luckily in my case the rotor dimensions are the same as many Softail/Dynas/XLs/Baggers, so I was able to get some PM one piece rotors that would work. I got some EBC pads as well since they've done nicely on my XL- here's a photo of the goods:
With the front taken care of, I then turned to what ended up taking me nearly an entire day- the rear tire. Long story short, I highly recommend NOT attempting this with basic hand tools, but I managed to get it done without mangling/scratching anything, so I'm calling that a win. That's not to say everything made it out in one piece, as 2 of the rotor bolts rounded out and I was forced to take certain measures to extract them... the local hardware store luckily happened to have exact replacements:
With all of this done, she's now ready for our first Spring shakedown ride! Honestly, my initial plan was to try to have her ready with enough seat time to ride her down for The May Thang at Knothead/Bakie's place to finally have a chance to meet all of you (I actually have that same week off for vacation). While she is now fully safely operational, taking her on a roughly 400 mi journey to do so after she's been sitting so long and still mostly untested doesn't seem like the greatest idea, especially since I don't have a trailer to bring her down with in case something were to go awry. Hopefully next year I'll have enough seat time to confidently make the trip, so here's hoping!
DeadXL
Member
No trouble! About an hour or so south of Chicago, not too far from Benton Co., maybe 1-1.5 hr. Not horribly far at all.
I thought about getting a No-Mar beforehand, but I am for certain now that I need some sort of tire machine here very soon!
I would love to come, to be honest I am debating whether or not to try to make the ride anyway despite the laundry list of concerns... not the greatest idea, but a guy can have a flight-of-fancy now and again, right? Either way, still gotta get some good seat time next week to see if anything crops up lol.
knothead
Second Chance Customs
Well the way i look at it is a brand new one can break down within 100 miles.... but i also understand what your saying at the same time....it does make someone feel better knowing a bike, car, etc little more before making a long trip...but again anything can happen at anytime....i normally just roll out anyway lol....
DeadXL
Member
The first spring shakedown is complete!
I only rode her about 10 miles or so, but she performed flawlessly! I went really easy just in case, and it took about 5 miles for her to fully warm up, settle in, and for her and I to get in the 'groove'. After that, I was able to really just enjoy the ride and damn, does it feel nice to be back in the saddle again. Life has certainly thrown me some curveballs lately as it is want to do, so I really needed to get free of everything that's been going on, even if only for just a few minutes... this has certainly helped me achieve that. An added bonus was the looks and thumbs-up I was getting from anyone who saw me riding today, that always makes one smile. There are still a few small details to smooth out on her, as per usual for a bike that has sat as long as she did, and being an older Big Dog at that lol.
I couldn't have done everything that I have so far if not for this forum, and all of you awesome people in it! I am truly grateful to be a part of this community, and I hope to be for a very long time! So thank you all so much, and I hope to meet you guys in person as soon as I can.
Without further ado, here's a couple photos! Interestingly enough, just after snapping these is when her and I really started jiving, so she must love a little camera time!
I only rode her about 10 miles or so, but she performed flawlessly! I went really easy just in case, and it took about 5 miles for her to fully warm up, settle in, and for her and I to get in the 'groove'. After that, I was able to really just enjoy the ride and damn, does it feel nice to be back in the saddle again. Life has certainly thrown me some curveballs lately as it is want to do, so I really needed to get free of everything that's been going on, even if only for just a few minutes... this has certainly helped me achieve that. An added bonus was the looks and thumbs-up I was getting from anyone who saw me riding today, that always makes one smile. There are still a few small details to smooth out on her, as per usual for a bike that has sat as long as she did, and being an older Big Dog at that lol.
I couldn't have done everything that I have so far if not for this forum, and all of you awesome people in it! I am truly grateful to be a part of this community, and I hope to be for a very long time! So thank you all so much, and I hope to meet you guys in person as soon as I can.
Without further ado, here's a couple photos! Interestingly enough, just after snapping these is when her and I really started jiving, so she must love a little camera time!
Great to hear the update.
