i have mostly ridden non softail harleys. my wifes slim is really the first one i have spent any time on. it is a 2013 with se 204 cams, se ac, PV auto tune tune and harley screamin eagle pipes. its only got 300 miles on it and it's a cool bike.

i took it for a long ride yesterday morning to log a tune with the PV. is buzzes along pretty nicely. i notice that when I really jump on the throttle the motor really makes a different noise. not really like an exhaust leak - a little lower base than that. it also feels thumpy if that makes any sense. once i even out to a new cruising speed or come off the throttle, it goes back to buzzing along great. i can feel it on extreme acceleration to - but not when coming off the line with a slight aggressive launch.

is this just one of those things about the B motor or should i be slightly concerned. it did this prior to any of the mods also.

thx - tin

 

I know it would be hard to do, but, could you record the sound?

 

drop into a lower gear before you load the engine, see what happens then.

 

With only 300 miles on it I wouldn't get to excited. After another 1000 it'll seem like a different bike. Being that fresh, it isn't gonna like being loaded. Ride it easy till your 1k service and let it break in.

 

I had a buz that was driving me nuts, I was sure it was coming from the exhaust. It turned out to be my license tag vibrating at a certain rpm and rattling against the top clamp.

 

mine had a buzz at 1800 to 1900 rpms, it was the beer cans, it went away shortly before I got to 1000 miles.

 

thanks for all responses. not sure how to record as it's while im riding at high rpms under load. doesn't happen just in driveway.

same circumstance when dropping gears - i'm not lugging the engine either.

i will check exhaust and any other loose things.

i will be patient, it's just a new sound to me.

thx - tin

 

I just got a 2012 fat boy and I have noticed this same type of feel. It feels kind of "thumpy" or almost like a miss in one of the cylinders also on acceleration mostly above 2600 rpm or so. I haven't tried hard acceleration yet as I am still breaking in the engine. Also I don't really notice it feeling " thumpy" starting from a stop, but mostly when acceleration above that 2600 rpm mark. My gut feeling is what we are feeling are the power pulses as each cylinder fires due to the fact that this is a rigid mounted engine, and the engine crank balancers probably aren't as effective at higher rpm's. My previous bike was a 2012 FLHX SG with the rubber mounted engine, so it stands to reason i would be picking up on the different softail feel and this may be what you are experiencing also.

 

For all the years I've owned my bike, its favorite game has been "guess what this noise is, Uncle G." I've chased rattles, squeaks, creaks, buzzes, and thought for the last twelve years that this motor was on the verge of flying apart. It's amazing how a little rattle somewhere can be amplified out on the road.

 

same here. check thread out

https://www.hdforums.com/forum/softa...vibration.html