She Lives!

Hi All,

Well, I finally got all the stuff put back on the '55KH. It was a pain to start. More than usual after a rebuild. I use a Bendix/Zeinith carb with a modified intake to make it all work. I got tired of kicking and took the air filter cover off, and kicked it a few more times and it came alive, all be it, for just a few revolutions, then it backfired and set the K and N air filter on fire, or should I say the gas collected in the air filter on fire! Did I say Fire! Yes with real flames, heat and all that stuff that they think is an amazing accomplishment on those new age survival shows... Being in the drive, and away from the house I tried to blow it out, but no luck. Next I tried to spin the air cleaner, as it was only burning on the bottom, and again to know avail. I grabbed the thing and ripped it off the carb, and dropped it on the ground where it continued to burn. Where are those marshmallows when you need them?

I got the flames out in a unique fashion though, as I picked the thing up and bowled it across the drive and under the Buick Road master that has not moved in over 3 years... It is insured for fire and theft though! Amazingly enough, the rolling motion of the filter put out the fire and had had little effect on the air filter itself. Kind of like a wick of a oil lamp, with minor damage to the rubber sealing surface. Got lucky, about 4 times in less than the minute that it took to put out the fire!

Anyway, I got the bloody thing to run after changing the jets, and adjusting the Idle jet. I was running a .95 at first, then went to a .110, and it started, but after taking a trip down the street about 2 miles, it was still running a little ruff at larger butterfly openings. I took her back home and put in a bigger Jet, now a 1.10 as is stock for a Sportster, but after taking it out on the supper slab, found it lacking in top end. Too rich, or too lean? I don't know as I have never run fixed jets in it before. One thing I did notice is that it is not spewing oil out the exhaust, and runs pretty good at lower throttle settings. Then as you crank it open it gets finicky, and snorts, snaps and pops! Anyone with any KH Bendix knolage would be a great deal of help! Pretty Please!

I switched back to an Kwick Start 2000 electronic egnition, as I am tired of searthing for and replacing points. It seems to be working proporly. More on this later, though I will say it seems to be running very nicely.

Barry55KH

Well done Barry! Good she's back on the road. Glad there's not as much oil passing the rings, the restrictor worked yeah? And one word re. your problem: Linkert.
Best, Nick

Linkert, I have a couple of them, but could never get them to idle around town and kept getting stuck at stop lights trying to find neutral with those fiber clutch plates. Yah, I remember the Linkert days.... Well if I have to I can go back that way, but the Bendix has run so well in the past that I think that I will work on tuning it for a while. I used to use an adjustable main jet, and it worked well with all that oil it had to mix with. I am going from a 1.10 to a 1.00 today to see how it works, and see if the plugs get a little less black. If it does not work, it is back to the adjustalbe.

Does not smoke at this point though, so I am very pleased.

Best Regards,
Barry55KH

No better luck with the 1.00 Jet. Has no responce over half throttle, and is snapping and popping a bit. I did recheck the carb conections and everything looks good. I have a new coil, so may replace the plug wires also if putting the adjustable jet back in does not clear things up.

Barry55KH

Hi Barry,

When you say a 1.0 or a 1.1, do you mean the main jet diameter in mm?

If so, the Zenith being roughly a Tillotson with a float chamber, and also not too dissimilar to later Keihin, I'd start at the minimum at 1.6mm. Proper Sportster Keihins, 76/77, started at 1.65 and jets were listed up to 1.85. Most of my Tillies seem to be 1.5 when fixed jetted... Iddle jets anywhere between .5 and 1

Patrick

Thanks Patrick,

The Bendix is set up with a long main Jet that an idle tube runs from the top down through it, to collect mix for the adjustable low speed jet that is situated just over the butterfly. I put back in the adjustable, and it works much better now. Looks like it was running much too lean. It has good power at more open throttle speeds, and has stopped coughing at the higher RPM's. Just have to dial it in now. The Shop Manual for Sportster list the 1.10 jet as the standard for '71 Sportster. I think KH models must need more gas than that. The 1.00 was way too lean!

The new trans Paw carrier, or should I say, "Old One" works great! I can shift into neutral from first or second no problem, and it pops into neutral from first at a full stop with no problems. It now will shift into first without the trip to second, and then jamming on it. Much more comfortable on me and the bike. The Sportster front sprocket makes running around town a second gear movie. 34 in the front, standard clutch hub 59, 21 on the trans and 51 on the rear hub. Still no signs of smoking, or oil consumption. Just need time, and less bloody traffic to get it out and put some good miles on her.


Barry

[Pa]

Very Nice Bike !! Brings back memories of my two 55 KHK's. I never had problems shifting them. All stock guts. Pa

Thanks PA,

Not bad for a twenty year old paint job with about 40,000 miles on her. Looking forward to some real miles out. I like to take the day and run her about 100 miles out, of the seattle trafic and 100 back to get her tuned in.

Barry

[Pa]

I ran one of my KHK's in Seattle traffic. I know what you are talking about. I used to run I-90 out to the pass and back. Traffic was heavy near the city and Zoo but once I got beyond those, the highway was a great ride. I-5 South out of town is nice after you escape the city traffic too. Best view of Mt. Ranier I ever seen. I forget most of the side route names I rode on. If you ever get the chance, and haven't yet, try out the back roads north of Spokane, in Eastern WA. The Olympic Pennisula, on your end of the state is great also. Pa

Looks like it's been kept well Barry - a very nice machine.

I'm looking forward to your report after it's dialed in!

Thanks SS 65,

I was up until almost One last night working on trying to sort out the bloody KH. The thing runs like crap even with the adjustable jet in it, so I made new plug wires, and put the points back in it. The Electronic ignition, when I tested it for timing, was about 10 to 15 degrees off, retarded. I sent it back a couple of years ago, and the guy tested it and said it was right on? Well we shall see if it works any better with points. I never road it far enough to check it last time I had it running as it was eating so much oil, but I now have new battery, voltage regulator, coil, and plug wires. With going back to points it should mellow out. We shall see, if I get off early enough I'll test it out tonight.

Barry55KH

After all of last nights work.... It started up pretty, easy... Idled very high, but havn't I got the idle jet tuned in, and the idle screw that holds the butterfly open sorted out, it actually idled pretty well. I decided to take the old KH down the street and back to see if it cleaned up the mess. Wow! It takes off like a rocket! Not even getting it into the secondary part of the carb! Man, this thing is fast! After I got the adjustable main jet set, it was pulling hard without a cough through to full throttle and not a wimper. Man, I had an 883 4 speed in '89 and it was a total dog compared to this! I had to back it down in second gear to keep from getting much over 15 mph, over the 35 mile an hour speed limit. It has never run like this, and I used to piss wind the thing when I thought it was running good. Had it up to 96mph once back in '89, but I think now it would break the Ton without much of a problem at all. It just plain smokes, or doesn't smoke as the case may be. As long as the bottom end gets enough oil, and as it seems to be circulating correctly, as I pulled the filter out and then popped the cap back on before starting her back up. Then I could check the flow without filling the driveway with oil, and now it seems to spit nice clean looking oil on a regular flow.... Even if it is eating oil, if it runs like this I will be real happy!

Later on:

Wow! It is so fast compared to the last twenty years of messing with this thing it is completely amazing! Rocket ship pull! (Well for a flat head) I actually have to lean forward when I crank it on... No ____! Can't wait to put some miles on it!

I took it down the freeway south tonight, and it will pull hard from 60/65, and zip past cars, with only a flick of the screw... Needs some slight tuing, but is so nice compared to the last twenty years that it has been lugging around....

Barry55KH

[Pa]

You power description fits to a tee, as to what I remember about those models, Barry. I once lost a 440 magnum Chyrsler police cruiser on mine, back in the early 70's in the Keystone state. I had a passenger on board as well. Story is much longer than that but the, "git up and go now", responce was the point, I wanted to make about those bikes. I impressed the 70's HD's, triumph's, and Asian bike owners with her, not to mention the super trooper as well. Pa

Well done Barry... does the Bendix have low speed adjustment, the ones I'm familiar with don't. What model is it? The Linkert is not the best at idle you're right but not that painful: but they are all I've know so I'm a laggard I guess, no probs with power on a KH you're right they fly when you want 'em to. I agree they run low speed WAY rich! Segue: Can the heads be shaved a little or not do you think? What's the highest side valve comp limit 7, 8?
Best, Nick.

Hi Nick,

The bike runs much better than any time that it had, even when new rings were in it before. Getting all that oil out of the bottom end likely keeps the drag off the fly wheels, thus less resistance and gobs more power. The only strange thing is that when I pulled my oil cap the last few days to check the oil level, it seemed to be creeping downward, but I checked it last night, after running on the freeway the night before, and it is way up in the top of the oil filter, like really full. When I get a chance I will pull the filter, and aftermarket one made to fit the old tanks, and check the level, and then the flow.

The Bendix's low speed adjustment is the idle jet, as you open the butterfly it uncovers more holes to provide more gas at low speeds, then as the air pressure or suction increases the main jet kicks in. It also has an accelerator pump to squirt a little raw gas into the flow when you screw it on hard. It works pretty well, though the intake manifold is made up of a couple of different aluminum manifolds welded together by the friend that has been helping me out with it over the years. He is a pro welder by trade, but was a machinist before that. One of his friends who owns a shop came up with the left hand restrictor screw for the pinion shaft.

Shaving heads, well you could, but if it ain't broke? I run KR heads.

Barry55KH

[Pa]

Nick, my one KHK tested out at 9:1 comp.. Pa

Hi all,

I took the KH out for some testing today, and road up the Redmond Fall City Highway to Fall City and then out the Preston road to Preston where Gene's shop is. About a 30 mile round trip, and the bike ran rather well. Before I left I had a little trouble starting her so I checked the point gap and found the set screw to the points loose. Oops! Set them back up at .022 and then had a great ride out and back on the two lane highways. Has great pull from about sixty and burned no noticeable oil there and back. From the bottom, like blasting off from stop lights it pulls hard, and clicks through the gears effortlessly. Plugs when I got there were tan to grey, and looked very good. Much nicer than the years of oil soaked plugs, and black oil. The oil looks practically new.

The Sportster gearing makes it very pleasent to ride in the country or around town in traffic.

Best regards,
Barry55KH

nice, nice, nice

Barry your K is awsome ! I see in your pic a fire extinguisher on standby which reminds me of how I aquired my K, short story here : after my service hitch 70/71 I visited my uncle Jim's farm often to ride this Harley he called a "K", I didn't know much about it other than it had a 19" knobby rear tire, loud pipes, and it was missing 3rd gear. Uncle Jim wasn't much for maintenance and one day while attempting to start the flooded K it backfired and the drenched mesh filter lit up, he freaked, his wife freaked "and called the fire company" and a very embarassed Uncle Jim sold the K to his nefew, still have it end of story

Hi Tim,

Sounds Hot! Yes, there is a reason for putting the carb on the other side!

So show us a picture of how it looks now. Is she a runner? What year?

Have fun!

Barry55KH