Located in Costa Mesa, California, is a shop called The Harley Doctor, and the owner, Geoffrey Gaites, has been healing sick bikes since 1996. He has a PHD in Harley Davidson tech from M.M.I. and has been a practicing bike doctor since 1989.
You can build your Harley any way you want, but when you’re done, it’s still a Harley. This statement has been made countless times by countless people allegedly wise in the ways of Milwaukee’s famous motorcycles. But Robert Johnson disagrees. In fact, he offers his own alternative conviction: “An engine can’t read what’s written on the valve covers.” That first remark says that the character of a Harley’s powerband doesn’t change, stock or modified: Off the bottom, torque is mighty, but it dwindles away as the revs build. Johnson’s philosophy, however, means that an engine doesn’t have to be stuck…
CYCLEDOCTOR: Harley-Davidson Health Specialists from Geoff Gaites on Vimeo. Specializing in American V-Twins
Unfortunately there is no literature that can give you the perfect machine setup. Also suspension setup is individually dependent on the rider (style, preference) and track conditions, which vary from race to race. We can therefore only try to give you guidelines and ground rules for the chassis setup of your machine.
In addition to the ignition timing, the other aspect of vehicle tuning that is most commonly addressed is the fuel delivery. The amount of fuel being sent into the combustion chambers is commonly measured as an “air/fuel ratio” which is just like it sounds – a number representing the ratio of the amount of air to the amount of fuel being burned in the engine.
The commercial use of the lead acid battery is over 100 years old. The same chemical principal that is being used to store energy is basicly the same as our Great Grandparents may have used. If you can grasp the basics you will have fewer battery problems and will gain greater battery performance, reliability, and longevity. I suggest you read the entire tutorial, however I have indexed all the information for a quick read and easy reference.
Everyone knows someone or has themselves gotten hurt riding bikes. Some are deterred, often permanently, and then there are those of us who are invigorated by the experience. I, obviously, am the latter.
