Service

Service

Reader Robert Fuchs loves his Harley-Davidson Sportster Iron 88S but wonders why it’s blowing oil out the breather with just 5,000 miles on it.

SPORTSTER SLOBBER

Q: I have a 2012 Sportster Iron 883 with an oil-slobbering issue. I bought it new back in 2013 and didn’t have any issues with it until last year after I installed a Vance & Hines Straightshots exhaust and an Arlen Ness Big Sucker intake kit. I’ve also had the bike re-flashed with a Stage I download and installed a set of NGK Iridium spark plugs.

The problem is, it seems to consume quite of bit of oil and tends to dribble out of the air filter. It is also beginning to show signs of fouling on the rear cylinder spark plug. While I don’t notice any performance issues or blue smoke out of the exhaust, this can’t be right for a bike with less than 5,000 miles on it, and I don’t want it to get worse. I should also note that I installed the Big Sucker kit step by step from the instructions, used the correct breather bolts, added threadlocker where specified, and used the correct values to torque all the mounting hardware. I checked the seal on all the gaskets by spraying water around the throttle body while the bike was running. I even emailed Arlen Ness regarding the issue, and they were unable to provide a remedy.

I’ve searched the Internet for a solution and couldn’t find any for my particular model year. I’ve run out of ideas at this point. I’d be extremely thankful for any help you could provide.

ROBERT FUCHS CYCLEWORLD.COM

the So far, right so track. good, Robert. Find someone You’re on who is knowledgeable to perform a leakdown test on each cylinder.

It may or may not be a coincidence that you have noticed the oil consumption going up after the various performance mods. If the ring gaps have lined up in the rear cylinder, no amount of fiddling will stop the excessive blowby and increased oil consumption.

BLIPPING VIC

I have a 40,000-mile 2010 outstanding. But since Day One it has done one thing that is irritating: Under some conditions, usually while cornering or rolling a stop, when blipping the throttle to ease a shift (old habits die hard!) the engine seems to cut out or want to stall. The bike is stock with a Dynojet Power Commander and Auto Tune.

This is irritating because one is typically in a slight lean for the corner, and that is real trouble if you are not ready for it. Nothing aggressive here, and nothing, including various re-maps and now the Auto Tune (which seems fine) has changed this. Arizona Victory has no comment, and our new Indian/Victory dealer says they all do it.

I have handled this via riding style: Don't blip the throttle and be ready with the clutch, big time! The best answer I have found, and agree with, is that the EFI control loop (lag) is interpreting the blip as infinite acceleration and putting itself into rev limit. Like I said, it is really irritating. Any ideas from the CW crew?

M. EHIMENE TUCSON, Al

A Cut it out, man! Look, I know blipping the throttle sounds cool ■ and all, but most fuel-injected engines, to varying degrees, aren’t going to like it. Victory, as a brand, really doesn’t like it. The root of the problem is, as you surmise, that the fuel-injection response lags in relation to what you are doing with the throttle.

Here’s what happens when you rapidly open the throttle for a moment and then snap it shut again: The throttle position sensor signals the ECU that the throttle is opened. The ECU signals the idle speed control valve (IAC) to go wide open. At the same time it widens the injector pulse width, dumping a healthy dollop of fuel down the intake. Yeah, let’s go play! Just then you close the throttle. It floods momentarily until it can figure out what you want now.

If your bike isn’t tuned appropriately, it will make this problem worse. Doublecheck the Auto Tune fuel mapping. Ensure that it suits the exhaust system on your bike. (Dynojet lists something like 12 standard maps to suit various possible exhausts on your bike alone.) Also check that your dyno guy did separate maps for the front and rear cylinders. A correct fuel map for the front cylinder may be up to 20 percent different than the correct map for the rear cylinder on a V-twin engine.

GOT A MECHANICAL OR TECHNICAL PROBLEM with your beloved ride? Perhaps we can help. Contact us at cwservice@cycleworld.com with your questions. We cannot guarantee a reply to every inquiry.

LOWDOWN ON THE OCTANE

I've been reading about the Vic tory Octane. I read it was built using information obtained from the Pikes Peak hillclimb on #156 (CW, October 2015), named for the number of curves on the mountain. I thought they might have invited the press for a test ride...

Do you have any information on it? Like does it make too hp? At the rear wheel or the engine? Does Polaris offer kits to increase horsepower? Is the engine bore-able? If so, how far can it be bored out? Will the cylinders from a bigger engine fit on it? How would it function under supercharging? Are there any hop-up items for it? If I went with a hop-up and a supercharger, what could I expect?

What are the advantages and disadvantages of the stock bike? What would be the advantages and disadvantages of hop-up ideas? How is it in handling department? Going by the Internet, Victory offers piggyback rear shocks and better front suspension for it. How do they compare to stock?

TIM STEPHENS

BELPRE, OH

A Judging by the response so far, Polaris has another winner on its hands. But chill. CW hasn’t even gotten a production Victory Octane to test yet.

Regarding performance upgrades, I always advise you try the bike as designed before bolting on stuff and wondering what it was you screwed up with all the aftermarket hop-up parts. Any performance mods will void your warranty, so keep that in mind too.

The Octane is derived from the Indian Scout. The Scout was advertised at too hp (CW saw 86 hp at the rear wheel). Expect the 104-hp Octane to make about 90 rwhp. There is definitely tuning potential, as this liquid-cooled engine sports modern four-valve heads with nice ports and compact combustion chambers. So far Victory only has a few accessories in the works, but other companies will be jumping on the bandwagon. Lloyd’z (lloydz.com) is working on an exhaust and air inlet as we speak.