2011 FLHX 'pinging'...Advice?
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Cruiser
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 230
Likes: 28
From: The Banks of the Olentangy
2011 FLHX 'pinging'...Advice?
Bought a 2011 Street Glide from the original owner (who bought it new in 2010) in late March 2013 with 2400 miles on the clock. The bike was bone stock except for V&H 4.5" HO slip-ons. In June I rode out to Colorado and was there for three weeks. During that trip there was a noticeable pinging from the motor due to the altitude and 91 octane/ethanol/**** fuel. Octane booster recommended by High Country HD fixed the noise whilst I was out west. Since i've returned to Columbus, OH the bike now pings between 2500 and 3000 rpm under load. Just had my local dealer download an updated stock FI map and that didn't fix it.
I've had 3 different HD dealers tell me that a certain amount of 'pinging' is normal, but in all my short 33 years i've been told that any motor pinging is bad. My gut says it's pre-ignition knock which would be a timing issue. I use 93 octane currently with no ethanol. Anybody had this issue? Advice? It's driving me nuts and I feel that a $20K motorcycle shouldn't sound this horrible when it's hot.
Note: There is no oil cooler on this model.
Note: this is my first Harley, but i've been riding all manner of bikes since i've been about 7 years old. Any help or knowledge would be MUCH appreciated.
I've had 3 different HD dealers tell me that a certain amount of 'pinging' is normal, but in all my short 33 years i've been told that any motor pinging is bad. My gut says it's pre-ignition knock which would be a timing issue. I use 93 octane currently with no ethanol. Anybody had this issue? Advice? It's driving me nuts and I feel that a $20K motorcycle shouldn't sound this horrible when it's hot.
Note: There is no oil cooler on this model.
Note: this is my first Harley, but i've been riding all manner of bikes since i've been about 7 years old. Any help or knowledge would be MUCH appreciated.
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 4,230
Likes: 477
From: Southwest VA
Bought a 2011 Street Glide from the original owner (who bought it new in 2010) in late March 2013 with 2400 miles on the clock. The bike was bone stock except for V&H 4.5" HO slip-ons. In June I rode out to Colorado and was there for three weeks. During that trip there was a noticeable pinging from the motor due to the altitude and 91 octane/ethanol/**** fuel. Octane booster recommended by High Country HD fixed the noise whilst I was out west. Since i've returned to Columbus, OH the bike now pings between 2500 and 3000 rpm under load. Just had my local dealer download an updated stock FI map and that didn't fix it.
I've had 3 different HD dealers tell me that a certain amount of 'pinging' is normal, but in all my short 33 years i've been told that any motor pinging is bad. My gut says it's pre-ignition knock which would be a timing issue. I use 93 octane currently with no ethanol. Anybody had this issue? Advice? It's driving me nuts and I feel that a $20K motorcycle shouldn't sound this horrible when it's hot.
Note: There is no oil cooler on this model.
Note: this is my first Harley, but i've been riding all manner of bikes since i've been about 7 years old. Any help or knowledge would be MUCH appreciated.
I've had 3 different HD dealers tell me that a certain amount of 'pinging' is normal, but in all my short 33 years i've been told that any motor pinging is bad. My gut says it's pre-ignition knock which would be a timing issue. I use 93 octane currently with no ethanol. Anybody had this issue? Advice? It's driving me nuts and I feel that a $20K motorcycle shouldn't sound this horrible when it's hot.
Note: There is no oil cooler on this model.
Note: this is my first Harley, but i've been riding all manner of bikes since i've been about 7 years old. Any help or knowledge would be MUCH appreciated.
Road Warrior
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 1,699
Likes: 2
From: Deltona, FL
Pinging in stock EFI Harleys is normal, when pulling on the throttle until the AFR can catch up with demand. Of course, by then you've usually rolled back off the throttle.
The problem is that the bike runs optimal AFR (14.2-14.7) regardless of demand up until you hit about 4500-5000 RPM. I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong with the RPMs, but the theory is the same. Once you hit a certain RPM, the AFR is set to either 12.5 or 13 to 1, depending on year and map. This is much richer than the 14.2-14.7 range the ECM can compensate with during normal riding conditions.
Now, if you bang the throttle open from let's say 2.5K RPM in 3rd gear, the AFR can only go as low as 14.2 to 1. That's still too lean for the demand you're putting on the motor, but it keeps the EPA off of Harley's back for emissions. This results in pinging, but it's very slight and short in duration. There are plenty of EFI Twin Cams on the road that haven't experienced any motor issues caused by the pinging issue. For most of us, the bigger complaint is the heat generated by the lean condition in stop and go traffic.
The only way to truly correct this condition is a tuner.
The problem is that the bike runs optimal AFR (14.2-14.7) regardless of demand up until you hit about 4500-5000 RPM. I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong with the RPMs, but the theory is the same. Once you hit a certain RPM, the AFR is set to either 12.5 or 13 to 1, depending on year and map. This is much richer than the 14.2-14.7 range the ECM can compensate with during normal riding conditions.
Now, if you bang the throttle open from let's say 2.5K RPM in 3rd gear, the AFR can only go as low as 14.2 to 1. That's still too lean for the demand you're putting on the motor, but it keeps the EPA off of Harley's back for emissions. This results in pinging, but it's very slight and short in duration. There are plenty of EFI Twin Cams on the road that haven't experienced any motor issues caused by the pinging issue. For most of us, the bigger complaint is the heat generated by the lean condition in stop and go traffic.
The only way to truly correct this condition is a tuner.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 2,007
Likes: 353
From: Ohio
My advice is to buy a good tuner software package like the SEPST, Power Commander, etc. Then have it dyno tuned by a qualified tuner. One is in Xenia Ohio at Buckminns HD. They use Dynojet equipment. I know it cost $$$. But in addition to eliminating pinging the tune really improved my bikes performance. Some say the smart/auto tune is just as good. I don't so. It's time consuming and the results are just so so in my opinion. The dyno tune is faster and much more exact.
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