Have a new 05 Fatboy with 700 miles on it. I have noticed a noise that sounds like piston slap in the engine. I also hear a clanking noise when I shift. Are these noises normal or are they something to be concerned about.

 

All harleys with few exceptions clank or clunk when you shift unless you get the right timing with the trans/clutch.The motors are noisy to say the least because you're sitting right on top of it with all the pushrods/lifters and pistons closeby.

 

Hey Baggy,

My new 05 Fat Boy is in for its 1k service as we speak and I asked
then to take it up the road for a blast just so they could assure me that
all the clicking and clanking and whirring and humming that I hear is
all normal.

I'm sure it is. This is my first Harley so all the sounds gotta get me worried that
something is wrong with it

 

I bought my '04 Fat Boy on July 1st last year and have just over 8000 miles on her now. If I didn't have to spend so much time working, I've have a lot more on it! As others said, the clunking when shifting is normal. Practice some more with your shifting though and you'll notice you can make a smoother shift and quieter shift. It's funny about the engine noise though, some days when I ride my engine sounds a bit noisy to me while other days it sounds fine. I think you're probably fine, just the nature of the beast.

Enjoy yourself, I've had a blast on mine since day one. It's my first bike in close to 20 years (rode a lot back in my 20s) and I still can't believe I waited so long to buy it.

Dave

[IMG]local://upfiles/2639/4271C8ED2D784EEFAA6F902C678A11AE.jpg[/IMG]

 

Thanks for the replies. I thought the noises might be a normal deal but needed reassured. My thinking is a lot like yours Davo, why did I wait so long to get the bike. I wander what all they do on the first service Chunks. When I picked up my bike they told me that the first service would take 4 hours to complete. They must take a pretty close look at it.

 

Got mine back from the 1k service and
the guys said that its running perfectly normal.

All the noises I'm hearing are completely normal

Now I can relax

 

I too was concerned about noises on my 04 fatboy..
I think these twin cams (especially the carb versions) are even a little more noisier than the old Evo's.
I had an old rebuilt evo with 40k miles on it and my new TC 88 is louder...
I attribute the noise to the cam setup which I'm hearing is a big can-o-worms of a subject with lawsuits and all kinds of other stuff on the earlier TC 88's.
I know of folks swapping out the chain setup to an aftermarket S&S or the like gear setup, changing the cam etc.

I'm not going that route just yet with a fairly new bike and am not so sure I'll ever do that.
My suggestion is keep 'er oil changed religiously.
I actually went to the Syn3 (mixed opinions on it I bet) but I really thought it quieted the motor down a good bit.
Runs like a 700 lb sewing machine!

 

The softail Twin Cam 88B engines are balanced. They have 2 counterbalancers, a chain and necessary hardware to smooth out vibration. I'm sure this added equipment makes it own special sounds that you would not hear on a Twin Cam 88 Dyna or Touring. I've got just a little over 3000 miles on my 05 Heritage and haven't had any problems.