I've been hearing about a new "compensator" for 2011 bikes that help solve/stop gear/transmission noise. I'm not a wrench but have been riding for 30 years. I've had a few posts asking what it is, what it does, or why the new one is better than the old (2010) one on my FLHTK, which does sound like a bucket full of bolts rolling around at times, but haven't got an answer yet. Can someone enlighten me?????

 

Here's a link to a post that shows the difference in a repair situation.

http://https://www.hdforums.com/foru...mpensator.html

 

Thanks, but the page no longer exists. Do you happen to know what the compensator is and why it might cause gear noise? Thanks in advance.

 

its kinda like a harmonic balancer ...but not quite,it has wheights with ramps cut into it and springs. its supposed to absorb engine pulses. problem is the springs are too week wieght to small. the wieghts will bottom out ussually at start up when it first fires youll here a metalic bang and sometimes youll get a wierd knocking sound when taking off with to little rpm and too much clutch.

 

Thanks for the explanation. Kinda sounds a little like the harmonic dampener that someone came out with about 10-15 years ago to stop the vibration in the old evo motor. That was before the "B" motor.

 

there was some sid eby side pics in here a few months back the se is a much bigger heavier unit.

 

If it stops the rattles, it might be worth an upgrade. I need to call the dealer to see what they know. Thanks.

 

I'm in the process now of changing my EVO 30T back to the compensator and going with the SE comp. Also putting in the 49T ring gear conversion on the basket. The 49T just got delivered today.

 

Fancy word for a cushion mounted on end of crankshaft that the front chain sprocket mounts to. It gives some give to absorb shock and actual take some harshness out of the v-twin engine that you would fill otherwise. The engine drives a three v shaped fingers drive that face outward. The sprocket is attached to a similar drive that faces inward . What keeps them together is a spring unlike what most people recognize as a spring. It is a spring steel washer shaped similar to a funnel. They are called belleville springs. They are actual three of these springs that keep the v-shaped fingers together and normally there is no shake between them. They give some give by allowing the fingers to rotate slightly as force push then apart and compress the springs. They can only move apart so far and can never get far enough apart to allow little more then 45 degrees of rotation. They can never turn a complete turn. There is some more pictures of it in my albums under grf000. In my attachment you can see the opposing v-finger drives and the cup with the belleville spring in it. Once the spring cup is on the space between the fingers is not there like you see it in the picture. There is little difference in the regular and the SE compensator except that the SE is slightly bigger and I assume the springs are slightly thicker. The SE does look different due to a more open look. I can understand why Harley does not want this part too stiff. It would be cheaper for them to just not use one but they would be replaceing 90% of the drive line components -primary drive,clutch,transmision,rear belt on the bikes because they would not make it a year for even the average ride.

Had to find insert picture. If you go to AJayRK Dyna link you will see SE has 5 springs in rear as to 3 springs in front for regular comp in my insert. Also not SE has serrations which is for 06 and forward. Mine has the 10 spline on the crank which will tear out the alternator rotor with hard use and Harley fixed this problem in 06. if you look in my album on alternator rotor I explain what it did to my bike

 

I've been running two years without a compensator and haven't had a single problem.