Hey all -

I have a 14 Road King with 10K miles (yeah, I know...I need to ride more!). I do as much of my own maintenance/upgrades as possible on this and other bikes I've owned. I've done OK with a wrench and my Service Manuals so far...no screw-ups.

I recently changed engine and primary fluids. Everything looked normal. I use Formula+ in the primary and Mobil 1 Syn, 20-50 V-Twin (or M1 Syn, 15W50) in the motor.

Looking for some advice as to when I should remove the primary cover and check the primary chain tension(?). I was thinking of checking it at 15,000 miles when I do the next primary oil change. The bike is starting/running file at the moment. (BTW...$36 for the HD primary cover gasket! HD's over the top on their pricing!)

I read that the new automatic chain tensioners tend to leave the primary chain a bit too tight. Has that been the experience of most folks who do their own maintenance?

Looking for recommendations as to what mileage point I should pull the primary cover and check the chain tension(?).

If I find the primary chain is indeed too tight, should I consider replacing the stock tensioner with a Baker or Hayden? I sure did like the manual tensioner on my 04FatBoy...it worked just fine.

I would appreciate some recommendations from those with 2014 or similar set-ups who have more miles on the clock than I do.

Thanks all...

Regards

 

....forgot to mention. The bike did have the 1,000 mile service done at the dealer. I bought the bike new.

 

I know you'll get a lot of different opinions on this. All I can say is that my 14 FLHTK has 83,000 miles on it and the primary cover has never been off. I've done all the fluid changes at the recommended intervals & used Formula+. Nothing unusual in the oil when it's changed.

 

and HD conveniently removed the primary chain inspection hole from the primary cover.

 

My 14 has 11.5K miles, just changed (again) primary oil yesterday using Formula+.
Sometimes my chain case seems noisy, mostly not, I figure the tensioner is doing it's job, no plans to inspect.

 

I like the OE Tensioner,, whenever going into the Primary,, the Chain Adjustment has always been spot-on... 60k miles so far...

To keep the Auto-Tensioner from "overadjusting" have the drivetrain up to operating temp before employing any engine braking...

 

This is a real good point, so it doesn't over tighten on a cold chain......
Thanks!

 

I've been unfortunate enough to have lost an IPB and a trans output bearing a time or two due to the auto-tensioner ratcheting up too tight.
If you start feeling something that feels like a rough bearing or constant hum/vibe that follows engine speed that's something you'd want to check for.
Usually gets worse as the engine heats up... (it's the chain tightening)

After using two different manual tensioners I finally just went back to using the auto-tensioner but used aircraft quality safety wire to loop it over and around the wedge/spring to lock it in place.
Now it has a little spring tension as it should but won't ratchet up unless I do it manually.

No issues so far in over 15,000 miles using this method. Cheap and effective.

 

Here's my recommendation. You need to ride as much as your life schedule, desire, health, local weather, and other responsibilities allow and not be concerned about what strangers online think of it.

I really don't give much thought about my primary chain. I heard they can run tight but I've never had a problem.

 

Tight *** = GOOD

Tight Primary Chain = BAD

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