Harley FLH Engine Whine
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Road Master
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 943
Likes: 41
Harley FLH Engine Whine
I bought a 1973 FLH earlier this year. The bike is mostly stock and is in good condition. It shows 8,400 miles on the clock and owner says the miles are original. The bike had been sitting in a garage for several years and needed some attention. After several weeks of working on it (changing fluids etc) and replacing some parts I finally got it running. It runs strong and I am riding it regularly. Just one thing though. The engine makes a whining noise at idle that increases when engine rpm's are increased. It does this when I ride it or when standing still. Is this normal for a shovelhead or do I have the makings of a serious problem? Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks
mcain49
Thanks
mcain49
Thread Starter
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Road Master
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 943
Likes: 41
Thanks for the input. My whine is fairly noticeable and constant although it does seem to quiet down some after it reaches operating temperature. Sounds like it must be the nature of the beast for it to whine so I'll stop whining and keep on riding it.
Thanks
mcain49
Thanks
mcain49
Club Member
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 802
Likes: 3
From: Wisconsin
Shovels do have a slight whine but check your charging system to see if the noise is stator related.You also could check the primary chain to see if it is to tight!
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Stage IV
Joined: Jun 2010
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I bought a 1973 FLH earlier this year. The bike is mostly stock and is in good condition. It shows 8,400 miles on the clock and owner says the miles are original. The bike had been sitting in a garage for several years and needed some attention. After several weeks of working on it (changing fluids etc) and replacing some parts I finally got it running. It runs strong and I am riding it regularly. Just one thing though. The engine makes a whining noise at idle that increases when engine rpm's are increased. It does this when I ride it or when standing still. Is this normal for a shovelhead or do I have the makings of a serious problem? Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks
mcain49
Thanks
mcain49
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2nd Gear
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 6
Likes: 0
From: SE Illinois, in the beautiful "sticks"
Me Too
I have a 75 Electraglide, like most of you, I have the whine and it bugged me. Mine sounds a bit like a sewing machine. I kept hearing that it was probably the cam as well. I don't profess to know anything about cams but some of my mechanic friends said that all those gears need to be replaced at the same time, and that maybe that had not been the case with my bike. Anyway, the two actual HD mechanics that both ride similar bikes said it is just the way they sound.
The real old timer mechanic told me to run nothing but HD 60W oil and suggested HD Formula Plus tranny oil. Did that recently and not only did it quiet (not do away with) the whine, the bike stayed a lot cooler. I had been running 50W (cause I was told to) and this old timer tells me I needed to drain it, replace it with 60W, run it for awhile and then do another oil change to get the lighter oil out of the entire engine. I'm gonna take his advice cause I think it has really helped already. But the bottom line is it's normal.
The real old timer mechanic told me to run nothing but HD 60W oil and suggested HD Formula Plus tranny oil. Did that recently and not only did it quiet (not do away with) the whine, the bike stayed a lot cooler. I had been running 50W (cause I was told to) and this old timer tells me I needed to drain it, replace it with 60W, run it for awhile and then do another oil change to get the lighter oil out of the entire engine. I'm gonna take his advice cause I think it has really helped already. But the bottom line is it's normal.