How to Adjust The Valves On A Harley-Davidson Evolution Motorcycle Engine

See my bikes at http://www.hoohoohoblin.com/ This video shows you how to adjust the valves on a Harley-Davidson Evolution motorcycle engine. The truth is that Harley-Davidson Sportster and Big Twin Engines since the early 1980s have been built with hydraulic lifters in the valve train, which means that you never have to adjust the valves. They stay adjusted automatically.
I made this video because I'm sure there are people in the world who just bought their first used Harley-Davidson, and they want to do all of the necessary maintenance but don't know anything about the engine. If you're one of those people, you'll soon appreciate the low-maintenance design of the Harley Davidson motorcycle. No valve adjustments. Belt drive that lasts way longer than a chain. You do have to adjust the primary chain occasionally. You can watch my other videos to see how.

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• harley valve adjustment

[CeletenteFan223]

thanks for the vid, wasn't completely sure about this myself, just knew there was no mention of valve adjustments in Harley service schedules,

[hoohoohoblin]

@CeletenteFan223 You're welcome. I made the video for people who were new to Harleys and were wondering about valve maintenance. It's a good design, and saves you a lot of time and money over the years vs. a bike that needs to have the valves checked every 5,000 miles.

[DmakAttack]

I bought a 98 dyna WG and didn't know that... So, thank you

[hoohoohoblin]

@DmakAttack You're welcome. I figured the video would help some people. I'm glad you found it.

[missionron]

Thank you for that info! i was just looking up...how to adjust harley valves lol... My bike seems to be making a litle more noise up front, when i put my ear close to the front of the tank, while sitting on it. (im paraplegic) Its a 96" s&s evo from 1997. Seems to be more noticeable when bike is warm/hot. Also noticing a squeek?? Anyway, lol...thanks for the knowlege! Ron, from B.C.

[hoohoohoblin]

@missionron You may want to check with S&S to be sure you don't have solid lifters and adjustable pushrods. Some high-performance engines have solid lifters, and you have to adjust the length of the pushrods to adjust the valves. You can watch my Royal Enfield valve adjustment video to get a general idea of how it works. Stock Harleys have hydraulic lifters which never need ajdustment, but I don't know about S&S.

[bikemech77]

You should at least let people know that mileage is a factor. Yeah on a EV80 sure cause they are non adjustable. It's a solid push rod. But when you hit 50k miles and hear that tick best replace all lifters and install time saver push rods. Hence the reason H-D makes em not so u spend more money not to "Save time for the dealer!" it's cause they know.

[hoohoohoblin]

@maiden666guitar I'd recommend you go to some online Harley forums and describe the problem. You may have a bent valve, in which case you need to pull the head and replace it. Sometimes one of the hydraulic lifters will collapse, which means the pushrod doesn't open the valve completely or at all. Youtube user outlawstl made some great comments on this video, further down the page. You should send him a message and describe your problem.

[maiden666guitar]

I have a '99 sportster and I think my exh. Valve on the front cylinder is sticking. Can you give me any advice on correcting this issue. Or will I pretty much need to rebuild both heads? Thanks. By the way I am the guy with his first bike trying to keep it working correctly.

[Hardtailxxx]

@outlawstl ...And the lifters are at the bottomof the pushrods, not in the head like he points out in the vid.