I orderd mine on the 13th. of July. It was built on the 25th. of July and it arrived at the dealer on the 1st of Aug. I was riding it on the 2nd. That help you out.

 

I don't think they are being generous at all. Have you forgot what these things cost. I think they are trying to do the right thing. I believe it is the least they should do but I am thankfull. It could have been a struggle. Also it ain't over with yet. I wish you luck on your deal too.

 

...that's why I put "generous" in quotes - like you said, it's really the right thing to do. Good luck to you as well, sir!

 

Any thoughts out there, I have an 03 Ultra that I am trading in on a 07 Ultra next week. I don't want to have a long drawn out issue with this tranny noise. What are your thoughts, cancel the 07 and ride the 03 or trade and HOPE Harley finds a fix or repair for the 07 issue. Let me know your thoughts.

 

I have read the posts and also the statement from Harley about the starter noise. I find it interesting as I am an engineer and a pretty good mechanic as well. I would say that if there is a 5th gear transmission noise that sounds like a “coffee can full of rocks”, something is not right. Gears should mesh smoothly and without that type of noise. I can understand the explanation of the starter noise “Because of the increased inertia in the rotating components in the driveline, their rotational speed cannot increase as fast as the engine, so the springs in the compensator momentarily bottom and results in the sound that you hear” BUT do they have the correct springs? Can the spring (s) be changed to variable rate spring to eliminate the spring from bottoming out? I would have to see the design but “BOTTOMING OUT” does not sound good. What this means to me is that when it “BOTTOMS OUT” there is a shock load put on the entire assembly and fatigue failure may occur to a component. In any event, I believe there is room for improvement and even if the condition does not cause a problem the noise which apparently is objectionable should be eliminated.
The transmission noise that has been reported does not sound normal. Granted gears make noise and as I have not heard it for myself I can not say that it is a “gear noise”. As the comments range from “whine” (which straight cut gears do make) to “coffee can full of rocks” which sounds like a backlash or other assembly or design problem, it is hard to tell if there is one or multiple problems with the transmission.

Side Note: I remember when I just completed my 1970 Buick GS and took it for a ride and could hear the differential gear noise. The “problem” was a result of my removal of the rubber bushings between the transmission and the frame to prevent wheel hop, so the “normal” sound was just transferred through the body to where I could here it.
I do know there are some auto manufacturers that put a lot of emphases on noise and make sure the driver hears the ones that they want them too.

Note: As I have over 20 years of manufacturing and design engineering experience I can tell you a few things:
1.You can test the crap out of a design and still have problems in the field that do not surface in testing although the problems reported here should have picked up in testing.
2.There are so many manufacturing issues to deal with when putting out a new design. How this process is managed makes a big difference in what the customer gets. Knowing this I would not buy a product of a new design until it is proven (but somebody has to).
3.I am sure Harley is aware of the problem and money talks so if sales drop or recalls are up they will fix the problem. If customers accept the noise it will stay there until maybe the 2008 models come out. It is your money so speak up.

 

I am not an engineer but what you said makes a lot of sense to me. My other vice however is firearms. If one of my autoloading pistols bottoms out the spring on recoil. I replace it with a stronger spring. It is common sense not engineering. I think this will be the next thing on the docket.
http://bobbyhill.home.att.net

 

Harleys real world testing center in taledaga alabama has been using this motor and 6 speed for two years and many,many thousands of miles, the 06 dyna has this 6 speed, so thats adding a year of consumer testing, The noise is noticed by ultra owners most and is because of the extra body work reflecting the sound, as the new 96 motor is extremely quieter than the noisey 88's these people are just not use to the noise, same as they werent used to the 88's till they figured out its just the way they are. Think how you would act if you never had heard a diesel motor and someone gave you one to drive, Id be afarid to pull out of the driveway. but it would have been fine. new animal, new sound

 

I was at the dealer today. My dealer is terrific, and they have been talking to hd too. They are going to replace the fluid with something new/special. step one i guess. I'm having dealer document everything. We'll see how it goes. It's sad because I really love the bike. Time will tell.

 

I'll be getting a new transmission under warranty as well - it's already ordered but I'll be rideless for about 2 weeks (hope it's less).

 

I now have 3,500 miles on my Road King and the noise is still there. The dealer has tried three different gear lubes in it and that didn't help. I think the next step will be a different transmission.I have two friends that bought 07 touring bikes and their transmissions are fine so we know the problem is fixable. I seen a cutaway of the transmission and it's the same transmission they put in the 06 bikes. I'll tell you guys that at 75 to 80 mph the bike is the best ride I ever had. The starter noise is there because they improved the starter motor so it disengages a little differently, but that noise seemed to go away with some miles. I get some compensator noise at low rpm's which I was told they will also fix.