I'm a first time Harley (05 heritage, 13k miles) owner coming from a Yamaha Royalstar. Had the bike all of 4 days now so I'm still getting used it. You have been forewarned...

Everything sounds exactly as I would expect when reving the engine up. When I let off on the throttle a bit there's a, I best as I can describe, a metallic rattle. I can hear this when bike is stationary or 80mph on the interstate. I just bring up the RPMs and then let off just a little. I asked the service guys about it and they said "that's the way a Harley sounds". Something about slack in a chain in the drivetrain making noise.

So is this normal? Is there anything I should check/do to the bike? It's not a loud rattle, just not exactly the sound I expected.

Thanks in advance,
Kent

 

Only thing comes to mind is the primary chain is too loose, this will give you a noise, or heat shields on the exhaust sometimes make noises when they are a bit loose.

 

The Harley "sound" is just radically different than other bikes. When i was recently taking my MSF, I was on a NightHawk a lot. When I got back on my Super Glide, I noticed all kins of little noises for the first couple of days. It's prob. normal, but if it still concerns you (and I can understand why it would) have a couple of experienced Harley riders fide it and give you n opinion. It's very difficult to really explain a small noise with words. You kinda have to be there and hear it. Good luck. Art

 

I think everythings fine, major noise change for you, you're bound to hear something that sounds different for the short period you have had the bike over the old one.

John TN

 

The engine on my 05 Night Train rattles and sounds "loose". It's just part of the Harley sound. I have over 1200 miles on hr already and the engine hasn't had any troubles at all, and that sound has been there since day 1.

Cheers!
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Here's a trick to try when you’re going down the road and hear the noise stick you’re head off to the side so you’re out in the wind and not behind the windshield and see if you still hear the noise. The windshield does a good job of reflecting wind out and around you but it also acts like a big speaker it bounces and amplifies the engine noise right up at you’re head making it sound a lot louder then it really is.

 

My first couple of hundred miles I heard a lot of "top end" noise. I was worried about it as I hadn't heard it on any of my other bikes.

'Turned out it's just part of the music of the twin cam.

 

One other thing comes to mind, if it gets worse, look into the compensator bolt being loose. This requires the removal of the primary cover. There has been quite a few of these coming loose lately because the "bolt" itself is a tad too long which causes it to bottom out before the proper torque load is reached. HD makes a spacer to eliminate this problem that is not more than a washer, or you can mill 30 thousands off the end of the bolt itself and do the same thing, but clean the threads well and apply RED loctite if you do this job.

Let us know if you find out what it is.

 

So do you guys who answer the technical posts have the manuals for your respective Harleys? If so, did you order them through HD or find them somewhere else? I like to tinker around and am wondering if I should buy them through HD or go elsewhere.

KB

 

Get the factory service manual. It's worth every penny.