My 15 Street Bob started making a noticeable clicking noise when cold then started sounding sick. Took it to the dealer under warranty (4700 miles) and they replaced all the lifters. What the hell would have caused that kind of failure after only 4700 mile??

 

Accountants and stockholders are why those lifters fail; I've read of many people posting on different forums having lifter/tappet issues on newer HD's. They're outsourced to who know's where now, it's the bottom line that matters; I've been lucky with my '13 but I fully plan on new S&S lifters/tappets when I do my cams and heads very soon...

 

I had the same problem with my RK at around the same miles. After being tired of all the noise I tried experimenting with conventional oils. I decided to run conventional for 500 miles to see if anything changed. After 300 miles or so the engine all of a sudden quieted down. Using synthetic oil has been know to cause excessive bleed down of the lifters because of how thin the oil gets. What kind of oil are you using?

 

I am using HD syn3.

 

on a few occasions, on a cold morning, have one that clicks a few seconds. still have I believe a lifter noise between 22-28k rpm, have installed rocker lockers. am thinking this winter to also replace lifters with the s&s.

 

Unfortunately times are tight and out sourcing parts are not helping the HD image.
It's all about cutting cost.
SS high performance lifters are the way to go.
Half the fun of owning a newer HD is rebuilding it to the way it should of been made in the first place.
If you want a bike that is going to go the distance you need to improve it .
I hope to have mine for over 100K,