Until they redesign the thing, you have to look at it like it's an expense like new tires. The thing will just wear out. But for the first 20K miles it's great. I ran mine for 30 to 35K before I changed it out again. It starts out making a little noise when you ride double and you start up a hill. At first you can give it more or less gas and the noise will go away. The trouble is the noise gets louder and and more often as you put more miles on it. After a while you will willingly pay the $300 to get rid of the noise.

Then you're good to go for another 20K.

 

I'll take my chances with the SE comp.

I only had 5000 miles on the stock comp and it was already banging and chattering.

With any gear system and no filtration clean oil is very important. I grew up in the automotive field and was a master tech.

I follow this rule in all of my new vehicles:

Change gear oils at 300-500 miles (you will find shavings), again at 1000 miles (less shavings) again at 3000 miles (usually no shavings). If I find shavings at 3000 miles I will change it again at 5,000 miles.

I have always done this in all my vehicles transfer cases and axles. Even though there is a magnet some metal can release from the magnet and circulate through the gearcase.

Following this method I have never had a failure of any type in a gear case.

Some may call this overkill but it works.

When gears, bearings, clutches and chains are breaking in they will create metal shavings. The magnet will not contain all the shavings all the time.

I plan to use this oil change method on the primary with the new SE comp. Maybe it will work and the SE comp will last for a while.

 

This is a timely issue for me. I am going to install the SE compensator. I posted this question in the tech forum yesterday and got a few responses.

Here's my question. The current SE part no. is 40274-08A. I imagine the "A" designates a change in the original part no. 40274-08. Was the change to address the fretting/oil deficiency?

One response I got on my other post was that the "A" version includes a washer with grooves, which may be to address this issue.

If there's no downside, then maybe I should go ahead and mill some grooves like those on the attached photo I jacked from another post.

Any info. on the "A" significance will be appreciated. Thanks, as always.

 

Good luck. Hope it works for you.

That doesn't correct the lack of lubrication to the race of the compensator, but if it buys you a little more time, then it's worth it.

 

WELL I have a slight vibration in my floorboards and my service manager says its the comp. But they won't cover it under warranty. He claims HD denied a claim on them and they had to eat the $250. So what am I to do?

 

They should be able to get approval from HD before they do the work.

If they won't do it, find another dealer.

 

Yea thats what I'm thinking as well. I hate too because the guys a Smith Bros. have been good to me but $300 is alot of money to throw away.

 

Yup If I was to buy a used bike that's the first thing I'd be changing.....

 

My s/e comp story. 2010 egc, 27,000 miles, stage one air, reinhart slip-ons. Mostly road miles and no racing. On a dark and stormy night....at 21000 my stock comp was making noise so replaced for s/e. Dealer charged me $150 to up grade. At 26,000 miles the s/e comp was showing excessive wear. Bike was in shop for warranty repair because it was making noises that dealer tech bared looking into. That resulted in replacement of; inner primary bearing, transmission main shaft bearing, clutch (cracked spline) and s/e comp. when the tech took a test ride he immediately brought the bike back. That s/e comp was not properly setting the end play on the crank and was pulling things out of balance. This was the dash A comp. Another new s/e -A comp was installed. Now after 2 1/2 weeks in the shop and less that 1000 miles later I have vibration in my feet and the comp sounds like a can of marbles. BTW every was covered under warranty. I am sick to my stomach and disgusted with the crap parts. Tech explanation was "bad batch" of bearings, comps, clutch, etc. WTF. Still under warranty and thinking I might wait for catastrophic failure. However, I'll probably go back to dealer and make sure they have another comp in stock before they kidnap my bike again. This time I'll demand a loaner. And, I've been looking at the Victory CCT. FYI I've had 8 new harleys in 14 years...mostly touring bikes and I do all my own periodic maintenance. Thought this one was going to be the keeper...guess not.

 

I'm going to stick with the stocker. I believe half or more of the compensators that were replaced probably were fine, with the starter being the problem. Not sayin, just sayin.