Last weekend while out riding on the '11 FLHTK whenever I gently rolled off an on the throttle, I could hear a loud 'tap' (in each direction) coming from the tranny area. It was loud enough that I heard it over the tunes and I could easily get it to repeat, especially while in 4-5th gear. Nothing else, just a loud 'tap' when the drive engages/disengages. Sounds a little like gear slap. Never heard it before on the bike... and strange sounds from the bike bother me. Should it?

I did do a forum search for this symptom but turned up nothing...

 

Probably the compensator. It usually goes out between 20K and 25K. Ever have a "misfire" with the starter when starting the bike? That is usually another indicator. OEM compensator is a little over $100 but the Screaming eagle is twice that. The screaming eagle is standard in all 12's because the Moco knows the other is weak. Your bike is under warranty if it is an '11 so let the dealer swap it out for you.
That would be my guess anyway

 

I have a 2011 also. I have this tapping that sounds like there's a cable blowing back & forth in the wind, and tapping against the fairing. It's around 45 or 50. I can't pinpoint it, and there's no wire or cable that could do that.

 

The S.E. comp is standard on 2011 103s.

Bwana

 

Are you sure it's not coming from the AC? If you have an open AC or stage 1 then the servo motor makes a tapping sound you can hear.

 

Is it just 103's? I thought it was on all 2011 touring bikes.

 

I believe it is just the 103's.

 

I developed a tapping on cold start ups and after riding a while and starting it up after 30 minutes or so after stops. After it warmed up it would quit, but sometimes took a little longer. It was also happening around 2000 rpms, especially under a load or during acceleration. It was not the pinging or something that's been happening since I bought it new. I've got 10,000 miles on it and it started about 500 miles ago. I took it into the dealer and they think it's the lifters collapsing and loosing oil. They ordered new lifters and will be replacing them under warranty. Hope that is all the problem. Will let everyone know what the final verdict is.

 

At what RPM and gear were you hearing this happen?

Zach

 

First noticed it while just cruising around 2500 / 50 mph or so in 4th gear. Tried it higher and in 5th / 6th with same result. Dropping to slow speed in 2nd or lower, I never heard it.

Someone mentioned a magnet breaking free / coming loose in another thread and now that I think about it, that is exactly what this sounds like - a magnet snapping to metal in one direction and snapping back in the other when rolling the throttle.

Possibly a broken a rotor / magnet?