The IDS pulley was standard equipment on the '08's and was offered as an accessory for the '07's (after the '08's came out). I have added this to my '07 FLHTC and have now developed a dry, rythmic squeak, after the bike warms up, when the bike is in motion, and which is unaffected with brakes on or off, or with engine on or off. Anybody with an IDS pulley experiencing the same or similar thing?

 

How many miles since the IDS had been added? You might want to check the IDS bearing as some have had some issues.

 

I heard on some of the kits (07) the bolts were too long and couldn't be torqued properly. The procedure was to test fit them first to ensure they didn't bottom. I think if you do a search you'll find some of these pressed bearing have failed (aftermarket?).

 

I met last Sunday one of our HDF members as we are doing a 106 ci on his 08 SG. I took a mini ride along Indian Town Road in (west) Jupiter, FL and saw a 08 SG on the side of the road and a somewhat angry used motorcycle dealer from Stewart, FL. It was his own bike and he said the sprocket (IDS) just spun. We got my trailer and said I would help as he had somewhere to go immediately.

On Monday, the wheel came off and all of the bolts were sheared and the rear wheel trashed. With close examanation it appeared that HD is using sub standard bolts to attach the IDS to the wheel. I will look at this more closely in the next few days.

I do not own a IDS type bike so I have no intimate experience with it nor do I pay too much attention to IDS posts. I have seen in the title several problems with them, I do hope this is not a common one. I am sure it hurt the owners day as it looked like he was headed out for a day long blast.

I guess I will need to locate him a used rear wheel.

 

Update: The customer called up HD and they instructed Palm Beach HD to PU the bike for warranty coverage w/18K on a pre-owned bike.

 

Regarding the IDS.... a couple weeks ago I was on the return leg of a 4,000 mile trip on my '08 FLHTCUI. I pulled in to a gas station to gas up and as I pulled away from the pumps I felt something terribly wrong, a clunking and grinding sound. I could feel in my seat that it was coming from the rear wheel. Turns out the IDS bearing completely "disintegrated" on me, with no warning. Prior to this I was travelling between 75-80 mph constantly from Missoula to Spokane and I felt nothing out of the ordinary nor heard anything unusual. I was towed to the nearest dealer, (for free), and they fixed me up right away, (for free), but the mechanics were scratching their heads, said they'd never heard of this happening. I just want to give a heads up to all '08 and newer owners cuz I'm sure things wouldnt have ended nicely if this had come apart at freeway speeds. I dont know what can be done as there is no maintenance on this bearing but I do think I'll replace the bolts with a higher grade bolt. The bike only had @ 7500 miles on it when this happened.

 

Newer Update for all IDS owners to read

 

HD shouldve offered this setup to the 07 owners since most of the problems seem to be either with how the brg was installed or the person who installed the IDS. Even if it wouldve still cost the owner,the dealers shouldve installed if you purchased from them.I know some did just that.Many owners never heard of the new tq specs,HD has no clue which pre07s are running the IDS unless your bike goes to the dealerships. The 08s are truly HDs doing since bikes came with this IDS factory installed. My 07 still has the IDS and no issues so far.

 

These bearings are pressed in (O7 IDS Kit) - it's possible the failure is due to poor bearing installation. It might be a good idea to pull the wheel - post 5000 mile installation - and do a visual? You'd think if this failiure was rampant you'd be hearing more. I agree that bearing failure at highway speeds could become exciting. It's good to be aware.