I got 103 pistons and 204 cams installed last spring in my 2011 96". Put on many happy trouble free miles. Bike started making slight knocking noise a while ago when under load, very hard to start when cold, (rattles like crazy till warmed up, hunts around town 25-35 mph range, seems fine on highway, one plug normal white color, other dark brown, idles poorly, tries to almost stall, primary chain slaps when this happens. Found a piece of metal similar to end of piston pin spiro lock on oil drain plug last change. The knock wasn't present when metal was found. Now do I have two things going on? Perhaps bad O2 sensor, (Steve Cole says to run data logger with my TTS and check O2 operation and how quick they heat up). Bad lifter. I have a comp gauge and haven't had the guts to test CCP yet. Thanks for the input folks.

 

What was the mileage when the possible knock started? Mine started in the high 5k and got worse. I don't know if anything the cams have to do with anything. Does it sound like marbles in a can sound under load and in higher RPMs? What do the timing tables look like in the RPM ranges your noticing the knock/ping?

 

Knock doesn't sound like marbles Tucci. Don't know how to describe it, sounds worse standing behind bike than when riding it. Many thousand miles were put on the motor after dyno tune, ran perfect up until a short while ago.

 

I know this is simple but how many miles on the plugs?

 

Approx 6-8000 miles I would estimate.

 

You might want to replace them and see if that possibly helps.

 

Marbles valvetrain. Knock is different,usually a fuel issue,pre-ignition is very similar and is more like a pinging sound.
I wish I could help you more op but without actually hearing it I can't speculate

 

I know, it's hard to describe and even harder to diagnose over these forums. I loaded the stock map back in, didn't change anything, still idles a bit off and hunts around town.

 

Sure sounds like bad plugs, even if they Reused the spiral ring locks and a piece broke off there should be plenty to hold it on...not much load on the sprial rings. Listen to the lifters after the bike is up to temp.

 

Do a CCP test and quit farting around and making a possible bad situation worse.

Do a datamaster generic O2 run with TTS NOW.
Do a datamaster spark data run with TTS NOW.

If you can get your hands on a leak down tester, get that and do it. Leak down testers kinda suck. Put the piston at TDC with both valves closed, get on the bike and STOMP on the rear break, then and only then turn the air on. If you have a leaky valve, you WILL hear air out of the intake OR exhaust pipe. If you don't have this dead nuts on TDC, the air, from the compressor, will try to force the piston down. Couple of tries, you will have it. Cannot find one? Google Matco tools and buy a Matco brand leak down tester.

After you do this stuff, post back up. Do the generic O2 test first. THAT will tell you if O2s are still working, but I get a bad vibe whenever a 'brown' plug is mentioned.

To record these data types... go to datamaster, instead of hitting V-Tune data, hit record data. after you name what you will call it, the data recording box will pop up, on top, hit select data type, do a 'geberic'. Do a generic O2. Do a spark. From those recordings, it will be easy to see if your O2 is 'bad'. ANd whats going on with the knocking, IF.... if it is spark related.

PING DOES sound like either Marbles in a can (Shredding Rubber above has it wrong), or... sounds like pebbles are hitting the underside of the front fender. These sounds are when you are ON the bike going down the road. Anybody with a Harley can differentiate lifter noise from all the other stuff.

My guess? You are losing a cylinder. Brown plug is burnt oil. Oil fouled the O2 sensor so its gotten 'worse'. Benn there done that. Who installed the cylinders? Did they do more than just check ring end gap? Did they check if it was completely round with bore gauges? I went thru TWO S&S 106 kits (junk) [ third S&S kit... S&S bored it out to a 107 (+.010 pistons) by hand and THAT ran great] before I wised up and quit installing what folks sent me, without MY checking these measurements myself.