i bought a 2005 road king classic but ive have never had a harley it has some engine noise like loud lifter noise,dealer says its normal,its a 88 cu,it only has 3000 miles on it and i dont want to wreck the engine.at and standing still it doesnt make noise until you give it gas in gear
2007-05-26 06:42:17 · 11 answers · asked by falkmaster2002 1 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Motorcycles
It does make quite a bit of valvetrain noise.
That's a known issue.
They are built with basically an external/very lightley shrouded valvetrain assy.
And they also have some inherent deficiencies which accounts for vast majority of the noise.
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But I'm skeptical of your description that the noise is quiet at idle,,,and appears more pronounced under load>>throttle.
It's as difficult to Explain Noises as it is to comprehend even a Good explanation.
There's some POSSIBILTY that your noise could be Combustion Chamber "Pinging",,aka Pre-Ignition.
That's a Fuel Quality and/or Tuning issue.
Hard to self-diagnose for someone not familar with mechanics,tuning,AND that particular engine type.
What You can do to help narrow down the cause:
*Start it and ride it COLD
See if the noise under acceleration Changes from it's "normal sound" when hot.
The principal of the "test" is that Pinging is far more pronounced at operating temps,,,
and NONE or Almost None when engine is COLD
*Run it at Low Rpm in High Gear,,,and open the throttle.
Get an idea of both the VOLUME and the rhythem/frequency of the clattering.
Sounds Stupid,,but almost like trying to memorize a line of music from a song.
The engine is going to produce a Distinct & Characteristic SOUND under certain conditions,,,,which are REPEATABLE,,Re-Produceable pretty consistently under same conditions.
"Record" the characteristics of the sound in your head
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THEN,,,ride in a Lower Gear with Engine buzzing pretty good,,,maybe 3000~3500 RPM.
That condition is UNLOADED,, and at very light Throttle Opening.
Crank the Throttle Open and listen for the clattering sound.
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To Asess what's happening....
*If Noise remains fairly Consistent in either test,,,it's Mechanical in Nature.
Particularly it's Frequency----
If it's a Tick-Tick-Tick and remains as such,,,that's mechanical.
If it's frequency breaks into a rattle,then a fluttering clatter which appears to outpace the increase in Engine Speed....
That's PINGING,,Pre-ignition,,,a Fuel/Tuning prob.
*Under Heavy Load,,Low RPM----
If you can make the noise "come & go" by Blipping the Throttle
that's Fuel/Tuning problem.
Noise will get Louder and Faster as Throttle opening is increased.
And it will get Softer,Slower as RPM's rise,,
due to falling load/less "lugging" as rpm's rise.
*From Lower Gear/High RPM part throttle "cruise",,,,
Which is LIGHT Load,,
When Throttle is Opened , IF clattering suddenly begins at High Frequency,,,that is Fuel/Tuning probs.
If Backing off throttle a LITTLE makes the noise stop,,,that's confirmation of pre-ignition/"Pinging"
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If you are already using Premium Grade/Hi Octane fuel
AND,,,
the noise did not just start Recently with last tank or 2(as may be the case in "Bad" Fuel)....
You can try a dose of Octane Booster from any auto parts or WalMart.
A)It cannot hurt anything,,whether it helps the noise or not.
Really nothing to lose by trying it,except a few buck$.
B)If it DOES help,,,then you can be sure it IS Definitely
a Fuel Quality/Tuning Issue.
A Cheap Cheat is to dump a half-bottle of common rubbing alcohol into fuel tank.
It kills fuel mileage,,doesnt start or run very good.
Generally NOT a good thing to do.
But it DOES suppress Pinging.
If Adding Alcohol affects the noise to any noticeable degree,,,
That again confirms Fuel/Tuning probs exist.
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Next,,,,
Besides Pinging/PreIgnition noise.
Yep,,Harleys DO make Mechanical Noise.
It's actually gotten WORSE recently,,last few years.
Around 2000 or so,,,
-Sportsters got changed to a Smaller Lifter.
They make more noise.
And with any "Modified" Camshaft they make a LOT more noise than the older "bigger lifter motors"
Some cams sound like something BROKEN.
-The Big Motors got " NEW,Improved" lifters from a different vendor.
( I 'bleive all that was Improved by the change was probably just HOG's Corporate Bottomline)
The new lifter are just a problem,,far as noise generation.
Myself,,I wont run Hydraulic Lifters in a H-D.
And Yes,,I Do Indeed WELL understand the principles and reasons behind using Hydraulics in the things.
In Real-World Apps,,,Solids do better,run quieter,or at least ya KNOW what the noise is.
I don't suggest anyone do what I say,or what I do.
So I DONT suggest anybody swap to Solids just cuz I do.
But I do suggest that anyone plagued with ValveTrain Noises and Clearance Instabilty and qwirky running/idling/starting probs Consider at least upgrading the lifters ,,especially in BigTwins.
Crane Hydraulics are proven effective in making an improvement.
There's also some boys down in Texas who went back to the Old Lifter Vendor that previously supplied HD,,and had 'em work up a "New & Improved" replacement part.
It's Good,,real good.
Their website explains it better than me.
You can be certain also that their story is NO HYPE to try to sell you anything,,in hopes of competing Commercially against the Other Gazillion folks who wanna sell you Harley Parts.
http://www.automotivemachine.com/harley.htm
Crane:
http://www.cranecams.com/index.php?show=browseParts&lvl=4&prt=2070
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Use Valvoline 50w Race Oil.
Avoid multi-vis.
There's nothing in the design,construction,materials,or assembly of a Harley motor which warrants use of water-weight oil which is practically devoid of base stock.
Harley Brand oil=worst oil you can put in anything.
It comes out At or Near bottom of the pile in every comparrison I know of.
And has been on bottom of the pile for as long as I can recall.
If 1 or 2 more Horsepower on a Dyno Chart at Full Throttle Load @ peak rpm is important ,,,somehow for whatever reason,,on a non-competition motor,,,
then use Mobil 1 or Amsoil.
Just be prepared to accept the extra valvetrain noise.
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RECAP:
#1) Make CERTAIN the noise is NOT actually PreIgnition/Pinging.
Simplest,Easiest way is to dump in some Octane Booster and see what happens while operating the unit as you normally would when experiencing the noise
#2)Install some correct & appropriate Lifters
---Hydraulics if you decide to run correct oil
---SOLIDS if you rather run water weight Multi-Vis.
***Heavy Duty Pushrods WILL help reduce noise by a noticeable degree on Most Motors.
All OEM HD pushrods flex---usually that remains In Phase w/ rest of valve train & the sponginess/springiness is abosrbed without contributing to noise.
At various points,,it DONT,,,and lets the stuff "pop" back into dimensional relationship.
On a Sensitive Hi Perf Motor,,,ya can see Blips on a Dyno Chart which are eliminated by proper pushrod rigidity.
Which is Graphic proof of the flex Occurring.
But,,It's TUFF to prove it constributes to noise except thru trial & error.
Good,Strong,Stiff Push Rods run quieter in most motors.
Maybe NOT "proof",,,but a very common observation.
Spring for Good Pushrods,,,if ya Dont Want your Pushrods to "spring for You"
Crane is not a bad choice,,# 4-0031
#3)Run an Oil which adresses the engine's requiremments,,
forget about Popular Opinion and Advertising hype---Including Milwaukee's Marketting Department
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It's Not that big a deal to dramatically minimize the noise,,,
to the point of practically eliminating it.
Same goes for most any other of Harley's quirks.
Or Yamaha's.Honda's,etc
Or Ford's or Chevy's,etc.
Don't EVER accept the ol' "To hell with You& your probs" Blow-Off about HD's quirks being "Normal",,,and "They All Do That".
As long as folks swallow that line,,,
then it IS Normal,,and Remains TRUE that They All Do That.
Just cuz Harleys do OK with their idiosyncrasies,,don't mean they HAVE to be that way.
And that dont mean it's RIGHT,,
and Absolutely does not mean it cant be Fixed to BE RIGHT.
Bottom Line,
IF it IS Pinging,,,You MUST have that fixed or engine damage will eventually result.
Plus,it'll get worse as weather warms up going into summer.
If it's just the "Not-A-Problem Normal Noise they all make",,
That's not really mechanically TOOOO detrimental.
And it's Up to You,Your Choice if you wanna fix it RIGHT and eliminate the valvetrain hammering itself.
Oil,,,,I'd rather try to change somebody's religion or politics than try to change their mind about oil.
Use whatever you chose.
Keep in mind though,,,Religion and Politics AINT science.
Oil is.
Neither Childlike Faith nor Personal Agenda support an engine's lubrication requirements.
If you are willing to Try something different and monitor the results for yourself,,,I'd suggest starting with Valvoline 50weight Race Oil,,,or Mobil 1.
Good Luck with it.
Rattle,Shake,Smoke,,it's still a Harley,,,and you'll get a lotta enjoyment & good use outa it.
2007-05-26 14:30:27 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
I have a 2003 Road King. It makes the same noise. Anyone that has gotton close enough to hear the noise knows it. From the Sportster to the Electra Glide models you'll have it. I can't tell you for sure but it sounds like you may not be able to fix it. As for the metric guys they have problems too but that is a whole different can of beans and I mean beans. So live with it, be proud to be on a Harley and be safe.
2007-05-26 11:28:07 · answer #2 · answered by Ben 1 · 6⤊ 0⤋
Don't listen to the Harley hating idiots,they have never been close enough to a Harley to have heard the mechanical noise.
The one girl who answered got it partially right, Big lifters, Big push rods, Big valves go" Tappity,tappity, tap".The rocker boxes kind of cause a little echo or reverb so you will hear mechanical noises.
Don't sweat it unless there is some drastic change.
If you ride in a hot weather climate( over 80 degrees) you can run 60wt if you want.
Next time you are out riding and see another rider on a twin cam ask him if you can put your ear to his motor, it will make mechanical noises too, it's the nature of a big V-twin.
If you listen close ,you can hear the primary chain spinning around too, don't get yourself all psyched out and ruin your ride.
2007-05-26 08:04:32 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 6⤊ 2⤋
Fuel injected? I bet it is.
The first thing that happens when you crack the throttle on a fuel injected Harley is the timing gets maximum advance. No curve, right to the top. Harley claims the noise is "due to the instantaneous pressure rise within the cylinder", and that it will cause no damage.
2007-05-29 09:41:58 · answer #4 · answered by Firecracker . 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I've been riding harley for over 20 years. You have a big twin, they make noise, don't sweet it, that's what they do, it's part of being a Harley. Enjoy the ride....
2007-05-26 08:43:04 · answer #5 · answered by Ron W 2 · 4⤊ 1⤋
Others say the same:
Like some other reviews such as Bill's, I and my riding partner have the same tapping noise in my 2005 Road King Classic.
The Northern Lights Dealership in Woodruff WI told me basically that this is the way Harley twin engines are (noisy). And that if I didn't want a bike that had a noisy engine that I shouldn't have bought a Harley.
Brought it to another dealership. They told me the Twin engines are noisy, that the noise in my engine was coming from the pistons and that Harley would not fix engine noise under their warranty. That everything was within spec and we just have to live with noise.
Paid out of pocket to have .005 larger pistons. Noise still there.
Very disappointed in Harley not backing their product. Guess I'll have to find a good mechanic and have it fixed once warranty expires, because Harley sure won't.
2007-05-26 06:54:14 · answer #6 · answered by ayyadm 2 · 1⤊ 6⤋
It's normal dude. That's part of the Harley sound and experience. You'll grow to love it. Don't listen to the moron haters here who can't even start a bike. It's got plenty of get up and go. The engine is twice the size of the ladies on here complaining.
2007-05-26 12:02:18 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 5⤊ 2⤋
Yer sposta run thinner oil in cold weather....
more like a 50 in warmer weather....
Do you have the right Viscosity for the Temp your in ?
The heavier oil would quite things a bit....
Gotta Fly...
Mike & "Jaz" in MN
2007-05-27 00:20:41 · answer #8 · answered by planecrazzzy 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
If you had purchased a Honda, you would be out riding right now, not sitting at your computer. The only reason I am here is because I got stuck working today.
There is a Harley dealership right next door to my work, and all I ever hear outside of here is noise. 1st gear bllllllaaaaaaahhhhhhh, 2nd bllllllaaaaaahhhhhhhhh, 3rd bllllllllaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!!! and finally they hit the 30 mph speed limit. For something that loud, one would think they would be faster.
Harley Davidson should stand behind their product, considering how much they make selling those things. But they don't care about quality because people still buy them no matter what. It's like they think they have to show brand loyalty or they bought it for the status. That is why they didn't improve them for so long. Honda's R&D department would make Harley's look like a bunch of kids trying to improve a Schwinn bicycle.
2007-05-26 07:25:17 · answer #9 · answered by Dudeman 3 · 2⤊ 11⤋
Push rod engines, stone age compared to most bikes.....they make a noise that's all their own.
Some people like it, that's the appeal I guess.....some think it sounds like a bucket of bolts.
Take your pick.
2007-05-26 06:51:15 · answer #10 · answered by Angela D 6 · 3⤊ 8⤋