[Psychoswoop]

Ok, I am trying to put my 76 FXE back together after I had it stored and "people" "borrowed indefinately" parts off my bike.

First things first is that I am not a mechanic, I have the SM for my bike but many of the parts are aftermarket or not original.

My first ? is about S&S Super Carburators. I cannot get my bike to fire at all. I have spark, fuel to the carb but do not know if the carb is doing what it needs to do. I have to kick start it as I all I get when I push the start button is a simple click. My bike sat stored for three years until I finally have been able to work on it.

I know that my question may not be specfic enough but I am at a loss as to how to explain what I need or the numerous problems I am having putting this bike back together. I am a first time HD owner and just plain frustrated. I thank all who reply to this in advance for your time and effort.

[hotroadking]

Well you need three things for the motor to run

1) Fuel
2) Spark
3) Compression.

Not trying to be smart but those are the basics, any one of the three will keep it from starting.

If you have a compression tester check each cylinder to make sure it's got pressure. That way we'll know the valves are closing.

How long has the carb sat around ,did you clean it out, make sure the jets are clean. you can go here www.sscycle.com and they will have a section on the carbs and you can download the full manual for a E G D etc. It will get you started on getting the carb setup right for starting.

Battery power, I would suggest you start with a load test on the battery to make sure its holding a full charge, even though a meter might say it has enough amps the load test will tell the truth.

Then go wire by wire check the ground, if you powder coated or painted the frame your star washer under the ground might not be digging through the paint and getting a good ground, so scrape a bit of paint away from the ground wire.

Check to make sure you're getting spark at each plug

[sledmedic]

I agree with HRK. I would start by checking your battery. Has it sat around for the 3 years without charging? I know my shovel is a bear to kick over if the volts drop slightly at all (like to 10). Take a voltmeter and hook it up to the battery, when you try to start it, watch the gauge. If it drops significantly (around 4,3, or less)...you will probably need a fresh battery! It's an easy load test you can do yourself. Just my two cents, it's where I would start...I've had batteries have cells go bad after just a year without a trickle charge. Good luck!