New to me, 2006 Ultra Classic, 103 Stroker, SE 258 Cams, SE Perfect Fit Push Rods, non-roller rockers. Bike has 20K on the clock and 12K on the Stroker Kit.

Bike cranks and idles easily. NO odd noises.
Bike runs great, pulls like a hot rod tractor. No loss of power anywhere and no oil use.
I have used a stethescope and the "scewdriver" method to listen to the bike and everything sounds smooth as silk.

You can hear the "rattle" with the bike parked and in neutral but no where near as clear and distinct as while riding it. I am sure the fairing is ampliflying the noise. While riding it I can put my gloved hand between the tank and the fairing and it covers it up.

Start up the road and about 2800 RPM's to about 3500 RPM's I hear a "Aluminum" sounding clatter or rattle, almost has a ring to it. Sounds like someone is tapping on the top of the valve cover with the thin end of a butter knife.

When you are in the rattle zone in 4th and 5th gear, if you open the throttle the sound goes away. I have hung off the side of the bike and the noise is not noticable. But, in the seated riding position the sound is coming up from between the tank and the fairing and VERY noticable.

I pulled the primary and checked the comp. nut and made sure the chain was tight.
With the tank on, I pulled the front cylinder valve cover top section and can see where the lower cover has been radiused for the springs (looking for spring rub) but cannot see all around the springs until I pull the tank. ALSO, I checked the top of the valve cover to make sure there was no contact there.

I drained the oil and dropped a super magnet in it - NO metallic Shavings.
Ran the oil through multiple layers of cheese cloth, no aluminum shavings.

I have pulled the fairing off and no rubs or broken braces.
I have pulled the heat shields off, nothing.



THOUGHTS????


My only remaining thoughts:

One of the springs is rubbing the lower valve cover.

The SE Perfect Fit Pushrods were installed wrong. It is my understanding that the intake and exhaust are slightly different lengths giving me some exhaust valve clatter.

I have a lifter going bad and it's showing up only in a certain RPM range.

 

My own 2 cents, the springs noise will be more like a buzz than a rattle, there move is in the range of 25 times per second at the 3000rpm range !.

Have you tried to test ride it with the fairings all pulled out ? if the rattle happens at this RPM range only when you are moving and not when you are parked, it could still be something other than the engine (I hope).

 

There are many sources of the noise you describe and isolating the source and/or location of the noise can be very difficult and frustrating and some valve trains are just noisy. Sounds like you have been thorough and disciplined in your search for the source of the noise. have you been able to isolate it to the front or rear cylinder or have you determened that the noise is coming from both? You didn't mention but are we to assume that the noise has been there since the stroker kit was installed? You did not mention heads; are we to assume they are stock? I have assumed that the heads are stock and that the noise did not present until the stroker rebuild.

If a valve spring was making contact with the lower rocker box, you should hear that contact at idle, not just between 2800 and 3500 rpm.

Why the SE Perfect Fit pushrods? Did you change the valve train stack up height by decking heads or thinner head gaskets? I don't know if the base circle of the 258 is smaller than the stock cam but unless the valve train stack up height has been changed, you should have been able to use your stock pushrods?

If the heads were decked, thinner head gaskets used and cam base circles are different, you need to do the math and check the calculated length against the actual. Stock pushrod lengths are:

Int: 10.375"
Exh:10.500"

I would focus on the pushrod length. Could be a lifter but if new lifters were installed as part of the rebuild; they should be OK. I believe the service manual suggests changing lifters at about 35K miles?

 

Sorry, the bike is new to me. I bought the bike at such a deal I could not pass it up.

I was able to check with HD and found the original dealer in Indiana. Spoke to them and they did the build at 8000 miles and had no record of any noise issues. I am assuming the SE Perfect Fit push rods made the most sense for this build since the heads were off.

I also forgot, the bike has Screaming Eagle heads. A friend with the same build refered to them as CNC heads.

The noise can be heard at idle, while parked but not as noticable.



And if I were a betting man, YES, the noise seems to be coming from the front head.

 

Of course the builder would not fess up to any noise issues. Still don't understand why perfect fit pushrods were used unless valve train stackup height was changed. If heads were just replaced, stock head gasket used and cam base circles the same, there is no reason for perfect fit pushrods. You could pull a compression test and work backwards from that to compare with calculated cranking compression; if higher, the heads may have been decked. But you need to know which heads to do that with some certainty.

There are several versions of the SE heads; do you have the PN? They are probably one of two sets that come to mind and both have huge combustion chambers; 95cc and 98cc. It that is the case, the 258 cams you think are in the build (253 is the cam that comes with the kit) have a very late closing intake valve and, in stock form, the build would have very low compression, which would indicate that the heads may have been decked to bump compression up to a level required for some performance.

Everything I have said is speculative not knowing the components of the build; however, I think it is important for you to find out exactly what you have while running down the noise issue. Perhaps another call to the dealer/builder?

I would assume that the noise has been there since the build. I would start by getting the PN off the cylinder head and pulling a compression check to try and determine the chamber volume. You need three figures to calculate the pushrod length that would be required:

1. if heads were decked; how much?
2. was a thinner head gasket used; what thickness?
3. what is the difference in cam base circle diameter; if any?

If you suspect that pushrod length may be the issue or a leaky lifter, you could intall a set of adjustable pushrods and a set of -99B lifter and see how that eorks out. SE tapered pushrods and a set of new -99B lifters would cost about $250, IIRC, from Zanottis.

I know I rambled but just throwing stuff up at the wall to see if anything sticks.

 

What oil are you using??
Scott

 

Harley 20w50 with Lucas stabilizer.

 

Took it down to the bare head, appears the valves were/are loose. The rocker should be firm against the valve. Mine in the front cylinder were both loose, maybe a few thousands almost like a solid lifter would be set.


But the story get worse.

 

Put it back together and turned it over and heard a loud "tink" sound. The intake pushrod did not seat back into the lifter but was on top somehow forcing the valve to open too far, contacting the piston.

Complete tear down today!

I am the undisputed KING of the Dumb Asses!

 

Sorry to hear that Gdog, but on the bright side, you can now check everything out before it goes back together.