2012 FLHTK. When I am rolling in low gear and I give it gas it feels like there is some clack somewhere as there is a delay and then a pull like the slack in a chain being taken up. Opposite when I let off. Is this normal? I decided to check the slack in my chain so I watched a youtube video. Pretty simple, remove the little cover and push on the chain with a ruler. Problem is my bike doesn't have a little cover to remove. Do I have to take the whole side cover off? Won't I lose all the oil? I am also going to check the belt but I don't feel like that is it. Any ideas or suggestions appreciated. Headed on a long trip Friday. 30K miles. Bought at 17K assume the adjuster has never been touched. Hoping to wait until winter to replace but if I must do it now I will. Thanks!

 

Get a factory service manual. All is explained therein
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Yes you need to remove the primary cover to get to the chain and adjuster but drain it first you will have to loosen the floor board also and get a new gasket and fluid

 

I believe the chain does get a little slack right before the auto adjuster ratchets up another tooth. i think if you perform a couple of quick accelerations from a cruise mode and quickly apply the brakes you may be able to get the adjuster to ratchet up. It's worth a try before removing the cover.

 

There is also a thing called a compensator in there...

 

Try adjusting the primary chain. With a cold engine, engine off, the transmission in first gear, and the clutch engaged, rock the bike back and forth agains the transmission a number of times. This should adjust the chain.

 

Has something changed in the feel of the bike or are you just noticing it? If it's not a typo, the "clack" you hear is probably the compensator. It is there to give a little slack to the system to take some of the stress under a hard acceleration or deceleration. All of this is designed to make the bike smoother. You have the compensator, the slack in the chain, and the IDS ( rubber ) in the rear hub all there to make the bike smother.

The chain has an automatic tensioner that ratchets up as it and the chain wears. It may also be at the point just before the tensioner is about to take the next ratchet.

It sounds all normal to me. If the "clack" gets worse, then I would look at the compensator. There are lots of horror stories here on the forum about failed compensators. Don't let them scare you. They rarely "fail" but the they do wear out and not do their job. Mine wore out and started banging pretty hard and I put another 40,000 miles on it before I finally decided to change it.

 

Unlike gears, with a chain some degree of slack is acceptable.
I agree with "Consult The Manual".

 

My dyna did the same.. everything was ok.. i think its normal but it feels abit weird.

 

Yes I do need to get a service manual. Been procrastinating on that for a while. I have felt this before but it seems worse. I will try to get the adjuster to click up as described. It sounds like I can wait until winter to take everything apart and check it out. Thanks all.