My primary chain was whining, so I decided to take it apart to diagnose the problem. I found that there wasn't any slack in the chain whatsoever, and since it relied on an automatic chain tensioner, I decided to replace it with a manual one. After changing the tensioner and adjusting it according to the manual's instructions, I'm now hearing a ticking sound that gets louder as the engine heats up only on neutral. The sound sort goes away whilst revving up the engine. I opened the case and all seemed to be in order. I'm wondering if it's due to the adjustment and the chain is too loose now, or perhaps it is compensator noise that appeared after the chain tension was released due to the tensioner replacement. For more details, please see the video at the link below:

You Tube

 

Does it go away when you pull in the clutch? Inner primary bearing may be bad if so.

 

No it does not go away at all, even when the clutch is pulled in.

 

I'm not sure on that ticking noise you have there, but you may want to tighten that jamb nut on you shifter linkage while your there with some wrenches, if you haven't already.......

 

Setting up a manual adjuster on the late model bikes can be tricky due to runout. Excessive runout on the trans mainshaft, flywheels or the primary components can add ro runout and tight and lose spots for the chain. A new chain shoe can be noisy for a period of time (wear in to the chain) too.

Keep in mind that the chain gets tighter when the engine and trans etc are hot as metal expands, and should only be adjusted when cold (ambient temp). And think about how many times the engine sprocket turns before the clutch basket makes one full revolution. That means the chain is not indexed to either sprocket so the runout can cause the adjustment to vary significantly from one spot to another if one or more of the components involved has runout. So I'd check the adjustment (chain slack) at a minimum of five places, with a few more being beneficial to an accurate adjustment and no tight spots.

The HD auto adjuster has a spring loaded chain shoe that provides some additional slack when needed. So just checking the chain slack by hand and not using enough force to compress the spring may make it look like there is no slack. Although there were problems with the early version of HD's autoadjuster, the later iteration works well.

Paul

 

I'd adjust the new tensioner a bit tighter and see if there's any improvement.