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My 02 softail had the stock comp on for 75k miles and then I put on a belt drive primary. It looked brand new when I took it off. I still have it sitting around somewhere. It will be exciting to see what Baker has come up with as I am sure they have done their homework on this subject.
Here is a pic of my comp and the wear that came out at 30k. The wear you can see is why I refer to it as a wear item which it should not be.
Why cant Harley make this a 4 spoke sprocket and a 4 lobe cam or what ever its called. Seems to me that logic would suggest if you had 4 spokes on the sprocket and matching 4 lobes on the cam, there would be more surface area to spread the forces of the engine. It would also create less area for the comp to slide back and forth reducing wear.
Why cant Harley make this a 4 spoke sprocket and a 4 lobe cam or what ever its called. Seems to me that logic would suggest if you had 4 spokes on the sprocket and matching 4 lobes on the cam, there would be more surface area to spread the forces of the engine. It would also create less area for the comp to slide back and forth reducing wear.
Probably because it needs that space to "compensate" maybe?
Someone should make one made of some space age rubber or something. Would probably hold shape longer and last longer. I dunno. Something.
I believe most of the issues started when Harley started putting the SE comp in with the 103 standard. You don't see a lot of the 96" and smaller engines having these issues unless they upgraded to the SE comp, like I mistakenly did. Should have just left the stock non-SE com in mine. Now I'm on my 3rd SE type.
Mine needed replacement at 20k, I had put up with that loud WHAK! since about 15k. People from across the parking lot would look it was so loud. That was a weak spring issue.
What I still havn't seen or heard is some kind of answer about the rusty Red Fretting that was unheard of until the SE comps were introduced. Is it just a different kind of wear or what?
Copy/Pasted from a previous thread. This is what I saw inside when replacing needle bearings with GMR's Thrust Washer. As I already had the Compensaver Drip Tray installed before the TW was available.
I'm still curious as to what causes the rusty red fretting seen in the SE comps,
Could it be simply low cost/low quality material? Or because they are dis-similar metals doing an electrolisis kind of reaction? Or just a poor enough fit to wear quickly? This is what I saw in mine after ONLY 1500 miles. It was VERY WELL lubed by the Compensaver oiler tray. I had even wiped it with a rag, Then saw the stains on the rag.
Last edited by Smokey Stover; Dec 19, 2014 at 08:41 AM.
How about making one like the 5 speed version that never had issues?
True. That would require them to put the Chain back up against the primary inner wall like it used to be and installing a starter jack shaft extension deal like they used to have.
Probably not going to happen because then they would not make all the money they have been on SE comps, inner primary bearings, trans main shaft bearings, clutch bearing, chain tensioners etc, etc, and etc.
The entire primary has been pretty much crap ever since they moved the primary chain out to eliminate the starter jack shaft. My opinion.
Don't forget all the money on labor installing all that stuff listed. That is where the real profit comes from with this stuff.
I was looking at my comp I pulled out of my 02 softail last night and with the 75k miles on it it has far less wear than the S/E I pulled out of the 2013 with 30k miles. Forgot to get pics but I'll get some tonight. It's kind of reverse from how the S/E works. I am missing the spring as I gave to my buddy who had a bad comp in his 08 Dyna to replace his spring. His crank eventually grenaded at 78k miles and the bike was sold for parts unfortunately.
I blame the bad comp on the crank busing and coming right out of the case. This is one of the reasons I am obsessed with this comp issue. Regardless, my new setup is working like a charm. Nice and quiet, smoother shifting, silent starts as they should be. This morning after I got to the shop I started the bike 5 times while hot as that is when it clunked the most. Not a sound from it.
I never realized how loud my comp was until I got the new with the Compesnaver in the bike. It seems I became immune to the noises that it was making as I was so used to having make the sounds it did.
Here's to the Compensaver and many many trouble free miles.
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