When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Just finished my winter upgrades...SE heads and HQ024 cam, rehoned cylinders w/new rings....got about 75 miles on it now breaking the rings in. When the bike is warmed up there is a whine; I know this must be the cam, didnt swap gears just left gear that came on it. My concern is Im also hearing a chugging noise ( not sure if its intake or just valve train )at certain rpm levels. Im not sure if this is cam related. Has anyone ever experenced this or tell me where to start looking
Bike is a 97 FLSTS....installed new cam but didnt swap cam gear. The cam whin is very noticable and the chugging , I cant tell where its coming from. Its occuring after the bike has warmed up and at certain rpms.....I also changed heads to a set of new SE. I hope its not a head gasket
The wine noise....sounds like the gear wine to me since that was not changed out. The old FXRT I use to own had the gear wine, I bought it new and it did not have the wine. After looking in my service log, that bike did no develop the wine until 67,000 miles. The wine did not pose a problem or a driveablity concern....it just stayed that way.
Could you possibly have an electrical wine? I have noticed that certain bikes develop a wine if a part of the charging system is failing or has failed. A failing stator can make a wine noise as well. I would just check the charging system and make sure it is working.
The chugging noise...check for any vacum leak and check the VOES.
Lastly, does the wine go away when the clutch is engaged or disengaged?
Did you make sure the end play on the cam was within spec? You didn't mention weather or not you replaced the cam shaft bearings or installed new roller lifters.
My 87 FXR had a whine from the day I got it and ran strong the day I sold it with 53,000 miles. A stator is the only mechanical failure I experienceds. The whining noise bothered me for the longest time so I had two dealers look at it, change cam gears and don't recall what else they tried.The bike certainlywhined but betteryet - it really"screamed."
I greatly regret ever trading it in on a 97 FXDWG. It was the best of the seven HDs I have owned.
Can't help much, but my 93 EVO developed a 'whirling' noise after it's last (and final) visit to the 'expert' shop that worked on it. They were only supposedto replace the cam cone gasket.
Bike never had that particular sound before, and I've owned it since new inApril 1993. Of course the shop owner said, "I don't hear anything."
Slideshow: Jason Momoa's latest restoration project blends 1920s Harley-Davidsons with modern electric technology, creating some of the most unusual hybrid motorcycles ever built.
Harley-Davidson Fat Boy Becomes a Dark, Decepticon-Inspired Custom
Slideshow: Killer Custom's latest build relies on styling changes rather than performance upgrades, giving the cruiser an entirely different personality.
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.
Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.