I have an 09 FLHT with about 5k on it. It has always had 2 noises. I searched the forum and was reading a lot about this chatter. Being new to HD's I don't have a good base line to what noises are normal and what are not.

One is at about 1800-2200rpms which is there whether the engine is under load or not. This is the typical sewing machine noise that I am pretty sure is valve train noise and the nature of the beast.

The second comes on at around 3000rpms and is pretty sustainable at 3500 and is hit or miss passed 4K in 4th gear and up. The problem seems like it got worse when I had the stage 2 kit put in. It also gets worse when the engine gets hot. The sound is almost metal to metal to me like a chatter. It's hard to locate exactly where it's coming from.

My questions are:

a) Is this compensator chatter that everyone is talking about?

b) Will the SE compensator fix it?

c) Is it going to damage the engine if it's left alone?

 

My compensator noise was more a low knock at low RPM's when the bike was cold.

 

Possible 5th, spur-cut gear chatter - if it is, then it's normal.

 

Don't overlook the obvious either. I know you said it sounds like metal-to-metal, but describing a sound to another individual is very hard. You said it got worse after the Stage II install and this to me is a clue. It may be nothing at all except intake noise. The Stage II breather is really opened up and mine sometimes sounds like a solid knock when I really get on it, or if it gets in a strain like up a hill and I open the throttle. I have a ported intake runner, which may add to my noise, but it can sound like a thud at every cylinder explosion.

Certainly...it could be anything and you may have a piston slapping the cylinder wall for all I know, but never rule out the obvious. Usually a loose comp nut will be noisy at start-up and make noise when you accelerate or decelerate, but be quite in between. I had one come loose once that sounded like I was ringing a bell at idle, but when I pulled away and went up the gears or down the gears it never made another peep. Noise in a Harley motor is a science all to iteslf!

 

Ain't that the truth,, learned the hard way before chasing them, even when using a stethoscope noise location and diagnosis can be tricky at times, magnetic drain plugs are another source of info, lots of metal shavings means something especially if you have never got that much before on fluid changes.