Sometimes I run a tank of 94 ( because that's what avaliable ) and it pings even less.

 

Don't ya just hate it when the service writer says that, and you haven't even finished describing the problem? The repair order should just have boxes on it that says 'normal' and 'could not duplicate' so they can mark those boxes while you're still standing there. It would save time, since you could then just take the bike home and not even have to leave it.

 

Seems like pinging is usually more of the "pebbles in a can" sound. If you are hearing a more metallic clinking, make sure the exhaust studs are snug and your head pipes aren't loose.

 

I had a similiar sound on my '09 Road King. Sounded like pebbles hitting the front of the motor. One dealer finally hooked it up to the Digital Technician and found that the PCM software had an update from the "A" revision to the "C" revision. That was last year, and the bike now pings much less (although it still does it on occasion). Before the update, it would ping like crazy going down the highway, even with premium (91) gas.

But on a side note, the PMC update had a notable impact on performance. I could immediately tell that it was "de-tuned". I figure the timing was retarded in the update. It still has sufficient power, just not as snappy as it was before (which makes sense).

 

If you hear a sound like clacking (clackity clack ) on the left side , have the compensater bolt checked to see if it's loose (mine was) at 6,000 miles.
I also had a really bad bang type noise every so often when hitting a small bump which ended up being the 2 lowest fairing screws near the lower triple tree , they had loosened and made noise totally out of proportion to their size.
Check the jiffy stand hardware for loose fasteners also.
Just what I've noticed so far......
Mick

 

That is exactly what the sound is like pebbles kicking up hitting the bike if using higher octane gas doesnt fix i will suggest this to dealer thanks.

 

I did notice the jiffy stand seems to be loose it feels like the spring isnt doing anything when lowering it or raising it like its stretched out. i also was going over the bike tightening things up and the screws for the windshield were almost completly backed out. the lower fairing screws were nice and snug. i also noticed the saddlebag lid on the right side was binding up when i closed it and sometimes pops open.Might just stop in to the dealer tomarrow and see about getting the recall on the tank taken care off and see if they can fix the jiffy stand and saddle bag latch. and see what they think of the noise.

 

Shouldn't be running 87 in the bike...

+1 on it's pinging if it usually does it in the higher gears under acceleration. Run 91+ octane and/or get a tune.

lp

 

Definitely need some higher octane in your engine... That is your baby, only put the best in her. +1 on the pinging... I don't know if you can avoid pinging altogether, but you can avoid it. If you are buried low in a gear and are looking to accelerate quickly, downshift to avoid pinging. My engine is built and I only put the best fuel in her and I can still get it to ping. If you only have access to low octane fuel, get some octane boost to richen up your fuel. Hope you get it figured out.

 

I have the same noise from my 2010 king. Drives me nuts trying to figure out if it's normal engine noise, or something is wrong. Sounds to me like it's my lifters. Sometimes it's louder than others, but I notice it at all speeds. First thing I did was check my oil, good there.