Do you jab or WOT once in a while? If you do, you bike will ping no matter how well tuned your bike is especially for the street. If you happen to be in 5 gear riding 40mph and do a WOT, you will get pinging. That is what happened to me in my experience. I called up the dealer and was told not to do that and drop it down a gear to keep the revs up

 

Ping sux for sure! But my bone stock FLHTCU has never pinged once in 32k miles, in heated city riding at 106f two-up, or anywhere else.

I do keep my revs up at all times, probably more so than most HD riders because I had been taught that lugging is bad for the motor, and besides I love the sound of my 103 at 5krpm.

Another thought: some rattles coming from loose stuff can sound like ping.

Also, if op always or mostly buys gas from the same station, try other stations and buy the best freshest gas possible. Some stations may sell stale gas they bought cheap.

 

This is definitely an engine ping... tried lots of different gas on our 1700 mile trip. I don't lug on the engine. But i'm not running it like a rice burner either. Never roll into the throttle much unless i'm between 2500 and 3000. I'll run 5th down to 45, but only if I'm coasting along.


Keep in mind that i've experieinced this ping at 60+ mph in 3rd gear. Roll off and back on... still there. Not right IMHO.

 

Look, I'm really being honest here, you need to get it tuned. HD has your engine running at least near 14.7 afr which is very lean, this of course is for epa. Will they run, sure, will they ping, maybe, will they produce the most power, nope ! Your engine will run cooler, better and you can get rid of that ping by getting it tuned.
Look up PowerVision and see if there are some good tuners in your area or go to Harley Tech Talk and ask if there are someone they'd recommend in your area. Also it here too.

 

I've noticed that occasionally when accelerating on my stock '15 Limited when it's around 100 degrees and everything's up to op temp. I just shift down a gear and keep goin'.

 

14 RK, I suspect something with the liquid cooled bikes and a dealer incapable of figuring it out as you are not even close to riding in hot weather.

We have hot summers here, months of 90+ and as of right this morning getting packed up and ready to head home to South Carolina, we are in the Smoky Mountains near Pigeon Forge.

Been a blazing hot week and we get home today it will be just about 100 degrees again.
IN over 18,000 miles, I never had the engine ping, not once and this week for the first time I logged oil temperatures of over 270 degrees in stopped Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg traffic. I also have an updated Jagg oil cooler with 10 rows vs HD 6 row ...

 

That's what I'm saying too. There is something wrong with the OP bike, and any other bike that pings all the time. Yes any motor will ping occasionally especially in hot wx, but really almost never. And again, like the previous poster, my 2016 FLHTCU bone stock in every way even the pipes and tuning, has never pinged once. 32k miles and going.

I've had the bike all over elevations, from sea level up to where I live near 7k feet. Never a ping. I believe this is normal, no pinging.

So I would maybe argue against some sort of "upgrade" fixing the problem. It most likely would make it worse, and maybe harder to diagnose. First, fix the problem in stock config, before using non-oem stuff. And suspect any changes you've already made away from bone stock.

 

I rode to Highlands on Saturday then stopped at Dry Falls and the heat was brutal when you left the Mtns for sure. We ate at Brevard I think and it was 95 degrees and then we went to the Blueridge and across the Smokeys through Gatlinburg and then Pigeon Forge and the heat was brutal, 97 I think.
Back to the OP's issue, remember the Wet-Heads have more compression and they would be more out to ping than yours, especially on 91 octane. Could be something else but I still say that the lack of 93 octane and stock afr is causing this issue. I would let the dealer or a good indie take a look first though to be sure.

 

Thanks guys... If it ever stops raining here, maybe I can get it back out.

 

You are only 3 hours away from Chad "Wide Open Cycles". Great tuner. He fixed my ping monster when the dealer failed twice. He moved to VA and opened his own shop there. I highly recommend him.

I know this seems like a chore to get the bike over to a good tuner but not having to deal with that crap is priceless and you'll wish you did it sooner.