Newb - few questions ..please bare with me

Hello everyone! First post newb here and glad to be here. I Bought my first bike a few weekends ago, its an '05 sportster 883 Low with only 1,687 miles on it and its nearly flawless. I bought the bike not running for a really good price, but it had 3 year old gas in it and the carb was completely caked up with green crap. I feel i have a good understanding of the carb as i have it apart and cleaned, and have all new parts from CV performance on the way. Between research of the CV carb online and factory manual im confident i can get it running good! However i have a few questions i can't seem to get answers for by searching:

1. Which spark plugs does the 883 like? Its an '05 like i mentioned so im sure i don't have to tell anyone its carb'ed. The carb will stay stock for now..i plan on getting a K&N air filter later on, but thats about it..i have other highly modified projects..so this bike will be for fun cruising and occasionally cruising with the wife, and as a work transportation gas mizer vehicle. The bike has the stock HD 6R12 plugs in it now, which im sure are the original 10 year old plugs. Pulled them out and they looked ok..i also cleaned them up and gapped them to .041" . I would like a fresh start with plugs too since the carb is gonna be essentially new. I generally stick to good old copper core plugs with other car projects (bike newb) , and i like autolite. I was, thinking about using the autolite 4164 copper core plugs..but i also noticed the xs4164 iridium plugs..how about plug gap, what works best? Im all for better starts/fuel mileage over performance increases. Factory gap is 0.038-0.043, and i usually split the difference and go with a gap in the mid range..i used .041" cause it was the only wire feeler i had. Just looking for experience in the department.

2. I noticed my bike only has what i believe to be a "solo seat" and no passenger pegs..why is that? is it because of the model i have? Did other sporsters comes with 2 up seats and pegs from the factory? Where would i look for a nice two person seat, pegs etc..? Im craigslist savvy..just not sure what would fit my bike. I have the 3.3 gallon tank, and not the 4.5 that i believe changes my options with seats..My wife insists on a comfortable passenger seat and sissy bar. I look on craigslist and see stock 2 up seats that people took off their bikes, are they comfortable at all?

3. Are the 04-06 sportsters mostly the same in terms of same engine sizes/models? I ask because i have an HD parts manual for an 04 model, wondering if it will be accurate enough for my 05..


Sorry for the novel of questions..and thanks in advance for any help!

To answer a few other questions, Sportsters aren't really intended for 2 up riding especially the 883 as it is a small engine. Since you have no choice but have a passenger seat and a sissy bar, I would look into a Mustang or a LePera. Both are nice but is really more a matter of preference on style and other factors.

The engines on the Sportster changed after 2003. The BIGGEST change being that the engines became rubber mounted and other small changes through 2006 as the Sportster then became EFI in 2007.

I would recommend that you purchase a service manual that is appropriate for exact year and model of your bike because as I have said, there are differences through those years as well. Better to be safe than sorry.

The passenger peg thing coincides with the passenger seat thing. However, since you need some passenger pegs, you should be able to get them from Harley and other major suppliers for Harley. If your passenger pegs mount on the swing arm and tour exhaust is in the way, let me know via P.M. and I can help you out as I have some I will part with.

Thanks for the replies..thankfully i've got the correct service/electrical manuals for my year..but the parts manual is for the previous year.

I would invest in the correct years parts manual as well.

another question for you guys with carb'ed sportster's..do you find that the enrichener/choke is hard to pull? Mine is kind of tough to pull, not hard enough that it feels like its gonna break..but im just wondering if thats normal. I have cable assembly removed from the carb and its still a little tough. The HD service manual says not to try to lubricate the inside of the cable as it relies on friction to operate..

It could be that the nut that is on the backside of the choke knob is set a little too tight. Should be an 11/16" nut, just back it off a little and see if that helps. Keep trying until you find that sweet spot.

The nut that tightens the cable up to the bracket? Cause I have the whole cable off the carb and bike.

Oops. Misunderstood.

Tightening that plastic nut at the mounting bracket is what gives it the friction to stay out when pulled....Loosen that nut up with your fingers(do not use a wrench on it).With that nut loose the cable should go back in when you pull it and let it go...Not snap back like your throttle cables when you let go of the grip,but it should retract when you let it go...

There are two nuts on the cable, when I looked at it, the nut closest to the choke knob looked like part of the cable housing and not movable. I don't have the thing in front of me right now so I'll have to check it later. Just to clarify the whole cable assembly is off the carb and bike..and it seems overly stiff..I'll mess with it when I get home.. with such low miles (1600) it seems unlikely that the cable could be worn out or bound up by now. I can understand some stiffness being built in so that the cable wouldnt retract itself from vibration while the bike was idling

Check the pic in the link that says HD freeplay....the little black plastic nut is how you adjust the friction...3rd pic down on the right...

http://www.mikuni.com/pdf/how_to_choke_cable.pdf

i figured it out...that nut must have gotten over tightened somehow..thanks! Heres another one..how do i get the nozzle for the needle out of the carb body? Mine moves a little bit but doesn't come out. Sounds like most peoples just fall out..i've pushed on mine with a plastic spray bottle nozzle but it doesn't wanna come out..don't wanna use anything to hard and damage it

You mean the emulsion tube?? It screws in...Should be a hex head on the bottom where you screw the main jet into it...It could be varnished in there pretty good sitting in the old gas...Soaking the carb body in carb cleaner for a day or two should help break it free...It's pretty soft metal so you don't want to torque on it too hard...You can try putting a good fitting wrench on it and tap the wrench with a screwdriver handle...

No, the collar as the picture depicts above is stuck in the throttle body

The stale gas gummed up and has it stuck...Get a container and fill it with enough carb cleaner to submerge the needle jet(collar) and let it soak for a day or so....After you've let it soak you can take a wide flat blade screwdriver,lay it over the the needle jet and tap down on the screwdriver...It's probably going to take a while for the carb cleaner to break down the gum and varnish that has it stuck there...Good Luck, be patient

Once you do get it free and have the carb cleaned up...here are 2 pics of the needle jet installed correctly and incorrectly

http://www.cv-performance.com/harley-cv-carburetor-tuning-issues/

yes! thanks! i've got the carb stripped down pretty much all the way..do you think its ok to completely submerge the carb with the throttle plate and shaft still in? i think there are bearings in there and could wash out the lube in it.