Hi Everyone,
I have a 2006 Ultra Classic with a CSC trike kit on it. Recently I've noticed a noise that I thought was an exhaust pipe rattle but it seems to be more than that. On the highway at 65mph and above and around 3000rpm, I have been getting a rhythmic noise that sounds like metal banging on metal from vibration. Today I was trying tos sort things out and the noise only happens in 5th gear even when I match the RPM. I don't believe it's the engine because it doesn't happen when I rev the engine sitting still and the noise continues when I pull in the clutch. Any ideas or thoughts are appreciated.

 

How many miles on the bike? I'd bet my money on it being something rattling. Just because it happens at a certain rpm, that's causing the rattle at a frequency that vibration from the motor is causing. My spring clip on my windshield only vibrates at 3500 rpm or so...took me a while to spot it but it had me freaking out. I'd spend some time looking for that before I got into tearing stuff apart. Look at your muffler mounts to...where they connect at the bottom of the fender strut. They can break or crack and cause noise too.

 

42k on the bike. I have a sneaking suspicion that there may be a crack in the header pipe. The sound is a pretty harsh rhythmic bap, bap bap sound that's almost like a hammer on metal. I recently replaced the front motor mount and while it was there prior to doing the mount, it has gotten significantly louder since.