At that mileage replace the cam bearing and lifters anyway. It will run forever after that.

 

i have a very similar problem to the one fester described
only my bike is a 1980 sportster (pre evo engine)...

since i got the bike about 3 years ago it has had this "ticking noise" that sounds like its coming from the front cylinder
i figured it was an old bike that sat up for years and just assumed it was nothing
however it has gotten progressivley worse over time
changing the oil had no effect on the noise

im not really sure the differences in the evo engine and the one thats on my bike...
so from your responses i can assume the noise could be a bad lifter, a bad rocker, or an exhaust leak
and i should replace the cam bearing and lifters regardless

i really think its more than harley mystique
so if anyone has any ideas of something else it could be please let me know


thanks

 

I went from "metric" bikes to an EVO. When I first got it I thought the rocker arm noise was so bad it was going to self destruct. I bought roller rockers and lifters thinking it would help...made no difference at all. 15 years later it still runs like a top, and I have gotten so used to the sound, I can't hear what used to bother anymore.

 

Appreciate all the replies to this thread. I went to look at the bike again and am close to pullin the trigger. I fired it up again and rode it for about 20 minutes. What I hear seems to increase in loudness after about 15 minutes and what I hear is a tack tack tack tack noise that increases-decreases with engine rpm. It is coming from the front cylinder, I think. It is not general valvetrain noise from all moving parts. It is most prevalent when slow cruising and letting off the throttle slightly. The owner is being straight with me, says that he too hears it and has replaced the lifters and pushrods with S&S adjustables, made no difference. No internal mods other than that. I think it may be normal Evo noise and once I convince myself of that, I'm going to buy it. Its a nice bike. Thanks all. And any other opinions welcome of course.

Forgot to mention the bike got a fresh oil change with 20-50 synthetic before I rode it.

 

My 93 has the same noise from the same place. I had an Indy check it out and he came up w/ nothing. This is an old grey beard that works on evo's mostly and ensures me it's normal. Now that I've baselined all the noises, anything new will draw attention.

 

Hey Grat; Your 80 Iron Head has solid lifters. Have you adjusted the valves? With the valves closed you should have no play up and down in the pushrod, but still be able to spin the push rod. Other than that, you may have a lifter that is a little loose in the guide. Timing gears are also a good place for clatter on those old Iron Heads. I would sure check the push rod adjustment first if you haven't already.

 

It may sound funny, but you might want to check the gas tanks rubber grommets. When they wear out they make the kind of noise you are talking about. I've got 87K on my 1998 FXSTC and I had a noise like that at about 20k. After some investigation I found the grommets were wore out allowing the tank and screws to tap against the tank & frame. The noise changed with the speed of the bike. I'd check that for a cheap fix.

 

WHAT? That's why I put on the straight unbaffled fishtails! Now I only hear those...

Seriously, Evos can make all kinds of racket - but new twinkies make racket too. My engine is pretty quiet so far (about 50K miles). I just put in new lifters and adjustable chromoly rods, which are said to be louder than aluminum rods - but I can't hear any noises that weren't there before.

Have you checked the exhaust gaskets? An exhaust leaks can produce a tick tick sound like that. I replaced the P.O.S. stock woven ones with solid copper ones. They seal really well and won't scrunch into the exhaust opening like the stock ones will.

 

That is exactly what my evo sounded like with synthetic in it. I went back to reg 20W50 dino oil and haven't heard it since. Worth a try wouldn't you think?

 

thanks for the feedback
i have not adjusted the valves yet
i just watched a video on how to do it, it seems alot easier than i thought
ill give it a try one day when i have some free time and post the results