Life story- I have a 2011 Ultra Limited. Regularly change liquids. 2 yrs ago I installed 551 cams, V&H pro pipe, power commander V, Arlen Ness big sucker. Been running great. Ride to Key West last year, ran great, but en route back had very strange wear pattern on new front tire (Pirelli Night Dragon), changed tire, no more problem there. Been cruising around town mostly uneventful.

Last month I installed new Michelins, changed fork Oil. Last week I rode to Las Vegas from south TX, VIA north to 40 in Amarillo and then westward. Around Lubbock I noticed a slight sputtering hesitation going up hills in 6th gear. Wasn't worried too much. Around the New Mexico border it was really giving me a fit and lost all power in 6th gear only when going uphill or accelerating.. we thought it might be bad fuel and changed plugs, they were rusty. Didn't fix it. I also tightened up the exhaust as I could hear and smell a small leak. No more exhaust issue, I think. Stopped at Albuquerque Harley and they said Power Commander V had failed and they were seeing that a lot. For $268 they were kind enough to download a new map. My bike was running great, full Power in all gears, but had a pop/occasional backfire afterwards, but did run great besides.

While in Vegas I ordered the V&H FuelPak FP3 that my buddy swears by. While riding back, in south Arizona, I start hearing a metal pinging noise. Sounds like tiny pebbles hitting my exhaust heat shields, but only when accelerating. This noise continues all the way home. Long about East of El Paso I start hearing a humming, very low vibration sound and what sounds like dry pistons or overly worked, I don't know. AND an occasional metal ding/plink coming from the area of the cams, maybe. but feel nothing and bike continues to run strong, albeit with all these new noises. You should also know that we were running hard, 90-100mph for hours, one gas stop to another.
Almost done.. when I got home I removed exhaust and installed new gaskets, changed all liquids (levels were good upon my arrival home).. I noticed the exhaust mid mount bolts were missing.. replaced mount bolts. FuelPak arrived Monday, installed that.. checked the bike over completely to ensure no more loose bolts,etc. took the bike out today to run the FuelPak and all the noises except the metal pinging are still there. Besides this being a long and drawn out story, any ideas as to what the metal/humming could be?

 

pre-ignition 'pinging" sounds like pebbles in a coffee can.


result of

too lean mixture
too hot combustion chamber
too advanced spark timing
deposits in motor acting as glow plugs
low octane fuel

or combination of any or all of the above

you'd have to look at all your settings

if the pinging comes on when quickly opening the throttle- 1st guess is that the spark timing is staying advanced and not retarding as it should when the engine vacuum drops

mike

 

Thanks Mike! Any thoughts on the humming noise? This is probably the most concerning issue

 

could well have been something loose on the exhaust which you already fixed.



the other cure is turn up the radio...and put tape over the check engine light!


I;ve been dicking around with the older V&H fuel pak- it's ok.
I will say the support guys have been patient with me and we kinda reached the limits of me/them/ the device after 6 setting revisions.
It's coming off- but that is the OLD version

Mike

 

Did ya check your belt tension, , can't really know the noise as you described, but belt can make some weird noise

 

Yep.. tension is good. All the noises are coming from the General area of the engine/transmission. Some noises seem to come from cam area, others seem to be the cylinder/pistons area.

 

As mike stated the one noise you described is pre-detonation. A pretty serious issue that you should get resolved before anything else.

The humming could be a tensioner. I would get a stethascope and see if you can pin point it when the engine is running. You would have to go into the cam chest and see if it is coming from there.

Overall these bikes are noisy and sound reflects in weird ways. What you think is a noise coming from the front of the bike might be coming from the rear and the sounds are just bouncing off of things. Chasing them down can be frustrating.

 

The humming could also be a wheel bearing or an inner primary bearing. Sounds travel around and don't always come from where you hear them when riding. Can you hear the humming parked and in neutral?

 

Check you have some clearance between the heat shields where they meet with each other and the clamps holding them to the headers aren't broke.

 

No.. only on the move.. but not to worry.. I decided to let the professionals look at it and traded it in for a new 2016 Road Glide Ultra.. problem solved.. thanks for the responses.