Has anyone ever got to the bottom of the primary/upper head noise on a hot engine at idle......Never got a firm answer...

 

Shut your eitms off and see if the noise goes away.when the rear cylinder shuts off you will get those noises.worth a try.worked for me.

 

I think the cure is a louder muffler combined with Formula+ oil in the primary and Rockout inserts for the heads, or trade in for a 2017 bike.

 

Last week I rode my 2016 FLHTCU from Albuquerque to Austin and back. While in Austin, I got stuck in some stop and go traffic with ambient temps around 90f. The EITMS was active at idle, and there was so much engine noise when active that I thought something must be wrong. I even pulled over to listen more carefully. After awhile, I began to think the issue must relate to air pressure difference between my home in NM (elevation 5500') and Austin (elevation around 700').

As I rode the 850 miles home and climbed back up the geography, I paid close attention to times EITMS came active. No doubt about it, in my mind: near sea level, my 2016 bone stock 103 is a LOT noisier at hot idle than it is at higher elevation. As I climbed back up, the power train got quieter and smoother, and not just during EITMS-active, but in general.

I used to hate that I lose so much horsepower by living a mile high. And it is very noticeable, the loss of power. But my engine is so much smoother and quieter up here I almost don't mind the power loss anymore.

 

Use Formula Plus or any synthetic except SYN3!

 

louder pipes or turn the radio up.

 

your service manager will tell you that's normal ride on