Practically every motorcycle enthusiast in the world loves and admires the Harley Davidson brand of motorcycle. These much cherished bikes have been proving that getting there is at least half the fun for many decades now. Even though Harley’s are considered to be wonderful and well built bikes, they do have their quirks. Chief among these is the tendency of Harley Davidson motorcycles to have an apparent oil leak.
This oil leak actually turns out to be the result of what is sometimes known as an oil blow-by phenomenon. This occurs as a result of oil leaking out from the air cleaner assembly. It then drips its way over first the engine and then over the rider’s right leg. Although this is not so severe a problem, since it is not even a true trickle of oil, it does get frustrating. The rider is always having to clean the engine and his pants, too. The good news is that there is a cheap and simple to install, as well as supremely effective, solution to the problem.
Many Harley riders will likely be interested in why oil is leaking from the air cleaner in the first place. A number of new riders simply come to the conclusion that something is wrong with their bikes. A great number of Harley mechanics reply that it is just something that must be dealt with in riding a Harley Sportster. Neither of these assumptions is correct. In fact, the oil build up results from crankcase pressure building up in the engine vent within the air cleaner’s insides. The resulting air and oil mist is supposed to be pulled back within the engine via the carburetor, and then finally burned up by combustion. What really happens instead is that the oil builds up quicker than the motor is capable of pulling it back inside. The result leads to an oil buildup which gravity pulls to the air cleaner assembly bottom that then drips out over the engine and all other places which the winds fancies taking it while the bike is on the road.
There is an inexpensive means of dealing with this problem, as alluded to briefly above. The solution to the annoying problem is known as a breather kit. The idea underlying such a Breather Kit is not complicated. There are two bolts which are hollow that secure with a screw a chrome horseshoe to the crankcase breathers of the head. The holes within the bolts do line up exactly with the openings inside the horseshoe when all the parts are properly tightened down. The so called horseshoe contains one or alternatively two nipples to which are connected a rubber line. The line is then run to the frame of the bike’s bottom. Here it terminates into a breather filter or is allowed to simply dangle.
The end result of this Breather Kit apparatus is that instead of blowing out on the engine and the driver’s pants, the oil mist now blows out from the rubber hose’s end. This leads to the suggestion that the rubber hose ought to not be pointing towards anything which the rider does not wish to have covered in oil mist. The tires are one place that it should not be pointing. It is preferable to ensure that this rubber hose is pointing straight to the ground.
Many riders will think that this is terrific news, and then wonder what brand of Breather Kit which they should purchase. A generic brand works about as well as a name brand with this kit. On top of this, it only costs fifty dollars to buy and takes just thirty minutes to install. Every significant vendor outlet in the rider’s area shops should have them, from such vendors as Drag Specialties, V-Twin Manufacturing, Kuryakyn, Custom Chrome, and Biker’s choice, to name a few. Nicer, more expensive versions of Breather Kits are available for up to $200. These come with a stainless steel hose rather than the rubber one mentioned above.