Alright, so I finally got my hands dirty with that 1993 Harley Softail that’s been sitting in the corner of my garage. It’s been calling my name for a while now. You know how it is, life gets busy. But this weekend, I decided, was the time.
First thing I did was just walk around it, really look it over. Covered in a fine layer of dust, tires looked a bit low. Knew right away it would need more than just a quick wipe down. Decided to start with the basics, get the heart beating right first.
So, I rolled up my sleeves. Got the tools out. First up, fluids. Man, draining that old engine oil was something else. Looked like black coffee that sat out for a week. Replaced the filter, naturally. Poured in some fresh 20W-50. Felt good doing that. Then moved onto the primary and transmission oil. Always makes a bit of a mess, that primary drain, but you just gotta stuff some rags under there and hope for the best. Got that swapped out too.
Next, I figured I’d tackle the fuel system. Knew that carb probably wasn’t happy after sitting. Pulled the air cleaner off. Then carefully disconnected the fuel line and throttle cables. Unbolted the carburetor. Took it over to the workbench. Piece by piece, I took it apart. Jets looked a little clogged, bowl had some old gunk. Sprayed everything down real good with carb cleaner, used a soft brush. Blew out all the passages with compressed air. Felt like doing surgery, almost. Put it all back together slowly, making sure not to mess up any gaskets.
With the carb back on the bike, I moved to ignition. Pulled the old spark plugs out. Yeah, they were pretty fouled up. Tossed ’em. Gapped a new set and threaded them in. While I was at it, I popped the cover off the air cleaner again and gave the filter element a good cleaning and re-oiling. Let that sit to soak in.
Battery was next on the list. Hooked up the multimeter. Voltage was low, no surprise there. Pulled it out and stuck it on the trickle charger overnight. Figured I’d check tires and brakes while it charged. Aired up the tires to spec. Gave the brake levers a squeeze, checked the fluid level. Looked okay for now, but probably need a bleed later.
Next day, put the fully charged battery back in. Connected the terminals up nice and tight. Double checked everything. Fuel line connected? Yep. Throttle cables moving freely? Yep. Plugs tight? Yep. Put the air cleaner cover back on.
Alright, moment of truth. Turned the petcock on. Pulled the choke out. Turned the ignition key. Hit that starter button. It turned over… coughed once… twice… then VROOM! She fired up! Man, that Evo engine rumble, even at idle, it just sounds right. Let it warm up for a few minutes, listening to it settle into a nice rhythm.
Took it for a gentle ride around the block. Felt good. Throttle response was way better. Still maybe a few little tweaks needed here and there, you know how these old bikes are, always something. But overall? Big improvement. Felt real satisfying bringing that ’93 back to life a bit. Just gotta keep wrenching.
