I'm coming off of years of riding ironheads and shovels and those bikes sound like typewriters when warm but this 88 seems to have a lot of its own noise. More than I expected. Running Royal Purple 20/50 Syn. RP 75/90 in the tranny and formula in the primary. At highway rpms (2200+), I can hear a faint tick but nothing annoying, its all the other components in harmony. I have stethoscope and went around the whold engine while it was idling hot and really could hear much at all. I know what valve train noise is and this isn't it. It almost sounds like the brakes when you are rolling down the road, when they are slightly rubbing. The motor runs good and pulls strong. This is my first venture into the TC motors and yes they are far tighter than the irons and shovels I'm used to. Just wondering. Has anyone got a vid of theirs running hot up by the motor?

Randy.
2003 road king classic

P.S., 19,000 Miles, (32,000 Km) and as far as I know the tensioners are original but the stethoscope on the cone is actually really quiet.

 

Open the cam chest and inspect those tensioners inner and outer, but mostly the inner, mine wore out at 36km and a friends FXDX-T wore out at 39km

 

They can chatter a bit. I run Red Line oil which made a considerable difference. I have heard changing to adjustable push rods helps too, or shimming the rockers. On and On. Keep that primary chain tension in spec too!

 

I got my first TC88 in 2010, '06 model with about 8k miles at the time. I too had ridden Shovels for years and also an Evo for about 10 years. I was real surprised at the engine noise on the Twin Cam, very noisy to me. I switched from Harley synthetic to Harley 20w50 and it sounds much better to me. With windshield on and moderate pipes, it's still pretty "clicky". I've learned to deal with and just keep on keepin on unless there's a problem.

Head

 

I bought a 2000 Ultra Classic T/C 88 new and put 39,000 miles on it before touching the engine.
At that time, I had a "95" kit installed (with new cam tensioners) and with the exception of having the stator replaced shortly thereafter, the bike ran fine to about 76,000 miles.
At that time I had the S/E Hyd. Cam Chain Tensioner Kit installed.


I always serviced the bike (or had it serviced) religiously.


IMO, the T/C 88 (with the exception of the earlier models with the cam chain tensioner issue) was a good engine, with more power than an EVO, and even with the "95" Big Bore kit installed, it ran cooler and quieter than the T/C 96's.


I always used H-D 20w-50w "dino" oil and once I used Red Line 20w-60w for a trip to the southwest and I could hear a difference in the sound of the engine. You may want to give it a try especially when the weather gets warmer.

 

My '03 is my only Harley. This is the summer I bought it, it had 2k miles on it. It has 34k now. I had the SE Hydraulic Tensioner and Oil Pump Upgrade at 30k.

I don't hear any funny noises, but I have medium/loud pipes.
http://vid1206.photobucket.com/album...3881848910.mp4

 

80% of all noises and issues can be traced back to being cam chest related in the T/C.
Proper engine oil viscosity for the ambient temps,(as stated in the OEM service manual) an oil pressure spring or shim helps to kick up the pressure in the pre-hydralic cam plate bikes will both help.
Scott

 

As spoken from a very credible source. I can vouch for it. They are noisy critters. a lot of it is harmless but if you are looking to quiet things down the cam chest is where it starts.

 

They DO make a little noise while rolling, not applied. You're probably hearing that too.

 

My 88B runs like a scalded dog. My pipes are too loud to here anything other than them. It's a pure pleasure to ride and has proven itself to be the most reliable and toughest of all the HD engine types I've owned.