Need advice from the wrenching gurus.. S&S 117 Build

5974 Views 24 Replies 8 Participants Last post by 09Sharknose, Dec 31, 2015

BDMastiff

Discussion Starter · Dec 23, 2015 (Edited)

In addition to my Road Glide I have a 1996 Fatboy. I swapped the original engine for a 2008 S&S 117 EVO. I did head work (Branch O'Keefe) and cams. My bike has difficulty starting at times and often leaves me stranded. I always give the throttle a few pumps and open my enricher before turning it over. The bike chugs before starting. It has a single fire ignition and I often get a backfire that sounds like a gunshot. I'm always able to get if going if I jump start it but that's not a solution to my problem. I'm thinking that I may need a higher torque starter. I don't want to invest in a new starter if that's not the issue. Any advise or thoughts are appreciated.

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BDMastiff

Discussion Starter · #21 · Dec 29, 2015

09Sharknose said:
Yeah I feel ya on the electrical problems! I never had to pay for any of them, but I always had to take it to the shop! The end of the line for me was when it broke down crossing Main Street in Daytona Beach during Bike Week. It was on a Thursday, I was at home on a Road King by Tuesday.

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I never had to pay for the electrical issues either except for the inconvenience of getting trailered home and to the dealer in Harbor City. When it happens a dozen times it gets old very fast. Also, the dealers were the type of guys who would smile and say the right things as the f#*k you in the azz.

Hillsidecycle.com said:
Of all the chopper bikes that were being manufactured at one time, Big Dog was actually one of the best, if not the best.
Sheldon Coleman(Coleman Camping Equipment)had/has deeeeeeeep pockets to be able to withstand the ecomonic climate, when the bikes were not selling as well, they did not go bankrupt, they just folded the Big Dog company.
We have one for sale currently in our retail area.
Scott

You are correct Sir, they folded. At the time my gas tank was at the factory in Kansas under warranty. They folded and it took me 4 months to get my tank back. I got lucky and a guy who used to work at the factory read my post on the Big Dog forums. He stepped up and helped me get it back. Afterwards, my dealer charged me $1200.00 for the new tank liner since it no longer had a warranty. Their price was a total rip off. None the less, The Big Dogs were the best of the worst when it came to the "custom" chopper bikes. Sheldon Coleman did his best to keep the company going as long as possible.

09Sharknose said:
They may have had the best components, but they were unreliable as hell! Mine was never good for two rides in a row without a repair of some kind. It stranded me multiple times due to chronic electrical problems. I think they replaced the entire electrical system on mine over the period I owned it. That engine though.....it was awesome!
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I agree with everything you said. The problem with the Big Dogs were the ECU's and all of the electrical components. Many of the guys on the Big Dog Forums rewired their bikes with after market systems in order to make them reliable. I probably could have built a more reliable bike myself for about half the price of what I paid for the Mastiff but I don't have the wrenching skills to do it.

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lil chief

· #22 · Dec 30, 2015

How old is your battery? Have you had it load tested? A weak battery or loose cables can wreak havoc on a bike & make it do all kinds of weird stuff.

Lil Chief

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BDMastiff

Discussion Starter · #23 · Dec 30, 2015

The battery is only a year old. I tested it and it's strong. Thanks for the help.

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Hillsidecycle.com

· #24 · Dec 31, 2015

09Sharknose said:
They may have had the best components, but they were unreliable as hell! Mine was never good for two rides in a row without a repair of some kind. It stranded me multiple times due to chronic electrical problems. I think they replaced the entire electrical system on mine over the period I owned it. That engine though.....it was awesome!

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We had repaired some of the electrical issues on several local bikes.
Once attended to, correctly, all was well, and those bikes are daily riders, and enjoyed by the owners.
The 117" S&S emmission engines were about 98-101 hp, and hovered at the 120 ft/lb mark.
Not a shocker, and not a barn-burner.
Again once we established "0" deck, attended to the emmission heads via our Stage II S&S Headwork, swapped cams, Thunderjet and bore the carb, and switch them over to an adjustable ignition, 125-130 hp, and torque at the 135 mark has been repeated time after time.
THAT is where a snappy 117" should be at.

Scott

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09Sharknose

· #25 · Dec 31, 2015

Hillsidecycle.com said:
We had repaired some of the electrical issues on several local bikes.

Once attended to, correctly, all was well, and those bikes are daily riders, and enjoyed by the owners.

The 117" S&S emmission engines were about 98-101 hp, and hovered at the 120 ft/lb mark.

Not a shocker, and not a barn-burner.

Again once we established "0" deck, attended to the emmission heads via our Stage II S&S Headwork, swapped cams, Thunderjet and bore the carb, and switch them over to an adjustable ignition, 125-130 hp, and torque at the 135 mark has been repeated time after time.

THAT is where a snappy 117" should be at.

Scott

NICE! Mine was stock except for d&d a/c, 2-1 exhaust, and rejetting. Not sure where it hovered in the hp/tq spectrum, but I know when you hit the throttle, that 250 rear would propel you forward at a barn burning pace! Those guys on Harleys could only eat dust. They were "shocked" for sure! ?Remember they were mostly pushing 88 ci engines back then. Ten years later, HD still doesn't produce a stock bike with 100 hp and 120 tq.

An analogy I like to use with Harley Davidson's bang for the buck$$ is that Harley still charges $200 for a DVD player.....

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