I bought a 1973 FLH earlier this year. The bike is mostly stock and is in good condition. It shows 8,400 miles on the clock and owner says the miles are original. The bike had been sitting in a garage for several years and needed some attention. After several weeks of working on it (changing fluids etc) and replacing some parts I finally got it running. It runs strong and I am riding it regularly. Just one thing though. The engine makes a whining noise at idle that increases when engine rpm's are increased. It does this when I ride it or when standing still. Is this normal for a shovelhead or do I have the makings of a serious problem? Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks
mcain49

 

sounds normal.. my 72 does that..kind of sounds like a blower

 

Mine too.......not much, but enough to notice.

 

If the cam has been changed the gear lash may be a little too tight.

 

Thanks for the input. My whine is fairly noticeable and constant although it does seem to quiet down some after it reaches operating temperature. Sounds like it must be the nature of the beast for it to whine so I'll stop whining and keep on riding it.

Thanks
mcain49

 

i had a Andrews ab or bh cant remeber but the gear whine was annoying. kinda sounded like a sewing machine at idel . shovles used 2 or 3 different cam gear grinds some after market cams may not match up well

 

Shovels do have a slight whine but check your charging system to see if the noise is stator related.You also could check the primary chain to see if it is to tight!

 

I ve was always told that the whine means everything is tight and operating properly. The newer the motor, the more whine. I just installed a new S&S motor. You can imagine how much it whines

 

I think it's something with the later shovels. My pop has a 76 and at idle it whines. I have a 68 and I don't get the whine. He thinks it started when he changed cams. Could be a shim or 2 out.

 

I have a 75 Electraglide, like most of you, I have the whine and it bugged me. Mine sounds a bit like a sewing machine. I kept hearing that it was probably the cam as well. I don't profess to know anything about cams but some of my mechanic friends said that all those gears need to be replaced at the same time, and that maybe that had not been the case with my bike. Anyway, the two actual HD mechanics that both ride similar bikes said it is just the way they sound.

The real old timer mechanic told me to run nothing but HD 60W oil and suggested HD Formula Plus tranny oil. Did that recently and not only did it quiet (not do away with) the whine, the bike stayed a lot cooler. I had been running 50W (cause I was told to) and this old timer tells me I needed to drain it, replace it with 60W, run it for awhile and then do another oil change to get the lighter oil out of the entire engine. I'm gonna take his advice cause I think it has really helped already. But the bottom line is it's normal.