Hey guys,

Great day for riding in the Ozarks of Arkansas. Put about 300 miles on the springer softail of which about 75 were interstate at about 75 miles per hour average for a total of about 800 miles on the OD. After I got off the freeway on the local streets, I noticed the engine ran vastly smoother--very little valve train noise (of which I was pretty concerned about). Sounded smooth as silk. I swear it has a lot more power too.

Is this natural through the break in process? I have a BMW R1200GS which folks say doesn't get to its peak running efficiency until about 5,000 miles on it. Well, it's true. Is it the same for Harly motors? If so, I'm even more pleased.

Thanks,

Happ

 

I think it's true of any IC engine that they will smooth-out once you get the rings seated real good. This is my first HD so I can't speak from a broader perspective. Yet, I am approaching 500 mi. on the OD of my 96 CID and have noticed that the engine is getting smoother and seems to be getting torqier with each passing ride. My guess is that it's part of the break-in process. One other observation - the exhaust note is getting deeper, especially the gurgling on deceleration.

rleather