oh man....started the bike after work yesterday and noticed that there is a knock coming from my primary. I also noticed that when I am in low rpms and I gas it, there is a strange sound coming from the motor. almost like the sound that come from crushing a soda can. very strange. I have dont some research and found that the knock is either the compenssator nut being loose or my primary chain tensioner is worn. Either way Ill be into a project this weekend. I called the local HD dealer and found out that my warranty expired on oct. 2nd....wouldn't you know it.....anyhow, has any one dealt with this issue? any advice? the service guy told me that i would need a special tool to tighten my compensator nut but only hd dealers can but this tool? is this true? doesnt really make sense.....anyway, I'd appreciate any help/advice i can get, Thanks!

 

There are no special tools needed other than a large Torx bit and something to wedge between the compensator and clutch basket. I used a block of wood...You have to replace the bolt if you remove it. It takes 150 ft lbs of torque so you need a big wrench too...

 

Before you tear into it ask the dealer and MOCO if they would give you goodwill warranty on it. Only a couple of weeks out of warranty so it can't hurt to ask.

 

Yeah, I tired that. they said all they could do is sell me an extended warranty. Oh well, I dont like other people working on my bikes/cars anyway.

Apparently my bike came from the factory with the se compensator kit, which is supposed to be the "better" kit. The parts guy I talk to told me that i need to check the springs to make sure they are still in spec, if they are out, then I need to buy a while new kit which runs for 299. I really dont want to spend 299 dollars on this part. I am going to tear into the bike tonight after work and see what is going on. Hopefully I can get away with just installing a new comp nut and torquing it to spec to solve my knock.

 

There is no comp nut. It is now a torx bolt (T70 if I remember...). To pull your comp, you have to pull the clutch basket too. The clutch basket is left hand thread. If you end up having to replace it, I'd look in to the Baker set up. I don'y have first hand experience but I have heard good things. If it happens to be your primary chain adjuster, they make them too...

 

Last time I thought I heard primary noise turned out to be my $550.00 2 into 1 pipe cracked apart
Back to 2 into 2.
Third exhaust and counting.

 

Tagging in for the after action report...

 

So I pulled the primary, checked the Tensioner shoe, and it looked like it was brand new. No wear marks at all. I was surprised that it looked so good after 18K miles. I checked the compensator sprocket for wear or missing teeth, and nothing. Reinstalled the clutch and comp and torqued to 160 lbs. Before removing the the comp bolt, I checked to see if anything was loose and nothing. everything was tight and looked to be sound. Before I started pulling the primary cover off, I tried to put my ear on the cover to see if I could hear any knocking and i didnt, i did notice that my valvetrain was very very noisy though. Now, I know that twin cams are noiser than past motors, but this sound had gotten noticeably louder when I switched from mobil 1 to amsoil. After putting the primary back together, I did an oil change and went back to mobil 1. Then I rode the the red bull straight rhythm. After about 20 miles, the sound from the top end of the bike was pretty much gone. I could not find any other sounds from the motor once the oil was changed. Maybe I was tripping, but im glad I opened it up and check. better safe than sorry i guess....

 

Good to hear! I know when I tried a full synthetic that I could hear a much more pronounced sound. My estimation from where it was coming from, like yours, was the value area. After riding with the fresh synthetic for a couple of weeks, it drove me crazy so I switched to Dino and the sound went away.

Now this sound was noisy, but it didn't sound anything like what you described. Hopefully that's all your was.

 

Glad it worked out for you. I hope you replaced the comp bolt. It's single use...