Hi,

My GF has a 2005 XL883 low which makes a lot of noise that sounds like very noisy tappets. It is not very noticeable at idle but is distractingly noisy at normal road speeds. The bike may have been standing for a little while before she bought it. She previously had a 1998 883 Hugger which sounded lovely and tight.

I am not an HD expert but given that she says it sounds like tappets what could be causing this excessive noise?

Is it likely to be an issue with the lifters and if so is it a big deal?

 

if it sounds like an angry sewing machine, thats kinda normal.

have the fluids been changed recently?

 

Yes. Fully synthetic Screaming Eagle oil and new filter only a couple of hundred miles ago.


So are the newer XLs that much noisier than the older models?

 

cant really comment on that, but i know on certain days i really hear my sewing away!!!

 

I know my 2012 sounds terrible, was told is normal. I've owned multiple bikes and have worked in automobile industry for close to 20 years, if we put out a vehicle with a engine that sounded like mine we'd having a line of unhappy customers 300 miles long.

 

I've had a 2002 Road King and a 2002 Softail that sounded the same as my 2001 1200S. 1 angry sewing machine.

 

My '06 883 did the same thing. "It's normal".

 

Wow. TBH I am shocked that an engine that makes such a noise is released by HD, like Ricketts said.

So does anyone know what it is in the engine that has changed from the earlier, far tighter, models? and is it rectifiable?

 

Synthetic oil will make the valve train a little noisier on a Harley, don't worry about it. JUST RIDE. I've had synthetic in mine for years and it has always been louder than the old dino stuff.

 

I am told that Valvoline 20W-50 Synthetic has reduced some peoples' sewing machine noise. Has anybody experienced that?