I decided to pull the trigger and get rid of the compensator assembly all together. I had no issues with the stock compensator, other than its overall noisiness and clunkiness. After reading a lot of doom and gloom about the inferiority of the stock compensator assembly on the 2014 and up bikes, and evaluating replacement options, I just decided to eliminate it completely. I have noticed a few question here and there on the forum about doing something like this so I figured I would do a write up on it for anyone curious about making the switch.
I have a 2014 SGS with 14,000 miles that has a stock motor with the exception of a welded crank, cams, intake, exhaust and ThunderMax tuner. After reading numerous threads on eliminator sprockets going back several years I decided to give it a shot. My disclaimer to all of this, is that through all of my research, I read a lot about the crank and the potential of scissoring the crank. When I converted to gear drive cams I found the crank to be slightly outside the tolerances need which is why I ended up pulling the crank to get trued and welded. I also did the bearing swap while it was out.
Doing the swap was pretty straight forward using the service manual. I recommend using a primary locking bar vs a primary locking block since the compensator bolt requires a lot of leverage to remove. The potential of damaging the inner primary cover or tweaking a input shaft for me was too much of a risk using a locking block. The stock compensator bolt was pretty difficult to remove. Initially I tried with just a breaker bar and T-70 Torx but it would not budge. I strongly discourage a impact driver due to the possibility of knocking a stator magnet loose, unless you have a high pressure high torque driver. I used a MAP torch to apply some heat and soften up the Loctite and tried again. The bolt came out fairly easy. I also removed the tensioner, clip rings and clutch hub bolt per the service manual procedure. Once all of that was complete I pulled the whole assembly out.
The compensator eliminator sprocket I used is made by Twin Power and is a 34 tooth just like the stock compensator. It comes with instructions and the appropriate spacers/washers needed for install. I purchased it from J & P Cycle for about $184 shipped, and when compared to a new compensator it is a far more affordable option. There are several companies out there that offer eliminator sprockets in various tooth configurations.
After disassembly I inspected the stock compensator. It appeared to have normal wear and some odd coloring in a few spots but nothing that I would classify as deficient or failing after 14000 miles.
I reassembled everything per the service manual. The compensator bolt needs to be torqued to 175 lbs/ft, so make sure you have a torque wrench that goes that high prior to starting this swap. I put a torque stripe on the compensator bolt as well just to verify no movement when I opened it back up after a 1000 miles just to inspect wear etc. I installed a Hayden M6 tensioner while I was in there and set the shims per the instructions. Buttoned it all back up and filled it with the prescribed amount of oil.
My initial impressions were nothing short of amazing. I used to get a lot of vibration through the floorboards at highway speed which I no longer get. The bike feels like it is gliding it is so smooth. The engine still has the shake at idle but is silky smooth at all speeds. It is noticeably quieter during starting and shut down and especially at highway speeds. I would suspect there is a slight performance benefit as well, considering it shaves about 4lbs of spinning mass off, and it feels much more responsive to throttle inputs.
After 1000 miles I pulled the primary cover off and everything looked great. I like it so much I bought one for my 2004 Deuce and am going to do the swap on that this winter. My final disclaimer is that these are all my personal opinions and not backed up by any scientific research. Do your own research, decide for yourself. This setup has worked great for me, but may not be for everyone.
Excellent post and because I was once into photography I really appreciate good photos to describe your work.
I went through 4 comps on my 2011 Road King, I finally gave up after the latest one went in and started making noise shortly before I traded bike in. I never did understand the hopped up motor thing in these bikes. I am an old motorhead so couldn't resist reading the forums and jumping into my bike and building a somewhat budget SAE 124/121 107". Didn't last 3000 miles but it's the comp thing that gets me, how come no other bikes have these goofy issues, (or do we never hear of them)? Why do we need them if yours if fine without them plz?
Thanks
Someone correct me if I am wrong, but pre-Evo engines they used a solid sprocket design in the primary. From what I have read, over time the MoCo created the compensator to address rider comfort issues and to address the higher HP/Tq output of the more modern engines. All of that being said, I did some of my own highly non-scientific tests and found that the compensator didn't fully lock out until roughly 120-130 lbs/ft of torque. So logic told me that on a bone stock motor pushing less than 120-130 lbs/ft torque, that a solid sprocket would still be safe on a stock un-welded crank. Now all of this info I derived was static, in the dynamic environment of the real world with road conditions, bike loading etc, I guess it could cause torque spikes on the drivetrain that surpass 120-130 lbs/ft of torque.
Long term will tell if I made a smart decision or not. Perhaps the stock compensator was designed as a weak link in the drivetrain to protect the transmission. I don't know if the problem with the stock compensator is the epidemic that it is talked up to be on some of the forums, maybe it is maybe it isn't. I personally did not want to take the risk of my compensator giving out on some desolate highway miles from anywhere and risk spending $500 or more in parts/labor for lack of being home and having my own tools. On my 2004 Deuce I had the compensator nut come loose (luckily not completely loose) around 68,000 miles while cruising down the road to Sturgis. Luckily it was a simple fix on the side of the road with tools on hand, with no damage done to any component and only a little cosmetic damage to the inside of the primary cover. These newer bikes use some specialty fasteners like the T-70 Torx, a bit that I don't regularly have in my saddlebag tool kit and had to special order online.
And thanks on the photos, I am a simple guy made smart by photos.
I haven't checked thoroughly, but the comp certainly goes back to 1955. They were used widely throughout the industry especially on singles and twins, as transmission shock absorbers. Once crankshaft mounted alternators were introduced H-D continued with the comp, but some brands dropped them in favour of a rear hub mounted rubber damper system, as used on current big twins.
Evos are fine with the older design of comp, also used on the TC88s and they will deal with high output engines. It's not clear to me why H-D changed the design, perhaps because they are heading towards lower rev ranges for normal driving conditions and didn't want to alter pulley sizes in the belt drive.
i gotta tell you i have been thinking of doing this too. lots of discussion about here though. i wonder if anyone has hurt their lower non- welded crank ?
12-15-2016, 10:01 PM
14' SGS Compensator Eliminator Sprocket Install
