yep, 2000 to 2400 rpm. I just crank the stereo up and it goes away.

 

Umm I don't notice anything too excessive as far as valve-train noise. It has a small block V8 valve-train sound that's perfectly acceptable to me? I'm really sensitive to that kind of noise after the racket my metric bike had and after that bag of bones this engine is musical.

 

Pinging and Valve Train noise sound nothing like one another.

As far as masking the noise with ear plugs goes; that's great if it's valve train noise - but if it's pinging I want to hear it so I could adjust accordingly, i.e., change speed/gear/rpm as necessary to eliminate, or at least minimize, the ping.

Valve train clatter (within reason) isn't causing any damage. The same cannot be said for pinging.

 

My 09 96" was quiet. My 11 103" drives me nuts at 27-2800 rpm. Unreal ticking at that rpm. Dealership says its the "harmonics"
Gary D.

 

AIR COOLED= noise... Harmonics along with no cooling fluid to insulate the sound of metal tapping metal is pretty much normal. Piston rattle on the other hand can be the culprit when specific rpm ranges are mentioned. I recently replaced the cylinders and pistons on my 09 110 inch for that reason. Bad from day one, 80 thousandths end gap on the rings from the factory with excessively loose pistons. the cylinders showed no absolutely no wear, just poor parts matching from good old Harley Davidson. The 2800-3000 rpm rattle disappeared for about $700 out of my pocket of course. Not always the reason but very common non the less.

 

Mine is EXACTLY as you describe and I do NOT love it.

 

you may not think that 2k rpm's is lugging, but your lifters, rocker arms, etc, are in protest to that statement. drop down a gear and the noise will magically disappear. =problem solved.

 

I think that the 103s don't like anything 2000RPMs. I was out yesterday and when I am above 2000 rpms, it's smooth as can be...decel and being 2000 and under, it vibrated and was a touch noisier. I think it's just like lugging my old Cobra....under a certain rpm.....it would rattle, clank and buck.

 

My 2012 FLHTCU has 6k+ mi on it and I've got the dreaded 'rattle'. It comes and goes and is especially noticeable when cruising @ 70 + in 6th gear. This rattle sounds like the shaker ball in a can of spray paint, and the pattern is random....at first I thought stones were coming off the front tire hitting the fender. This happens when the engine is not under a load, so I doubt its pinging. I've tried 93 octane Shell, Exxon, and cheap gas, and there's no difference.
I've racked my brain trying to imagine what it could be ....its like something in the valve train is "floating out" at certain harmonics.

Because this has been reported by so many 103 owners, I hope we'll eventually find out what's making this racket.
I can accept the noise if I'm convinced no damage is being done to the engine.

 

Noise is one of the toughest things there is to diagnose accurately over the internet without experiencing the noise first hand.


In trying to decipher if your noise is a ping or the valve train, some of your descriptions seem to indicate conflicting clues, i.e.;

• "... It comes and goes and is especially noticeable when cruising @ 70 + in 6th gear. This rattle sounds like the shaker ball in a can of spray paint, and the pattern is random... It comes and goes and is especially noticeable when cruising @ 70 + in 6th gear. This rattle sounds like the shaker ball in a can of spray paint, and the pattern is random"...

This description indicates to me the classic cruise range pinging that many new bikes exhibit.

But then you go on to say;

• "... This happens when the engine is not under a load, so I doubt its pinging..."

Cruising at 70 mph in 6th gear is a fairly significant load, especially if traveling into a headwind or going up a slight grade, so dismissing the noise from being a ping because the bike isn't under load is not an accurate assessment.


So far, I'd say you have a ping. But this next description says otherwise;

• "... I've tried 93 octane Shell, Exxon, and cheap gas, and there's no difference..."

When you say cheap gas, do you mean lower octane, or simply an off-brand 93 octane? If changing the octane, the ping should get worse with lower octane and improve with higher. No change would tend to indicate the noise as something other than pinging. Like valve train noise, although valve train noise is typically not so random as you have described, but rather relatively uniform and synchronus with engine RPM.

My best guess based on the information provided is that the noise you describe is pinging. The only thing that could indicate otherwise is your "cheap gas" sentence, although even that is dependent on the answer to my question - lower octane? Or simply an off-brand 93?