Harley Davidson Forums

Touring Models Road King, Road King Custom, Road King Classic, Road Glide, Street Glide, Electra Glide, Electra Glide Classic, and Electra Glide Ultra Classic bikes.
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by:

engine loud when hot.

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Jul 16, 2017 | 05:54 PM
Share
  #1  
cajun1957a's Avatar
cajun1957a
Thread Starter
|
Road Warrior
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 1,252
Likes: 142
Default engine loud when hot.
Ok I'm bored and feeling like stirring the pot. I'm running 20-60 and when the bike is cold and for the first five or seven miles, the engine sounds awesome. Shut it down and have a coffee then it sounds like a typewriter. Ok I get it, its hot but with all the BS about viscosities staying the same why the hell is a cold bike with cold oil with a greater flow rate quiet yet louder if the oil when hot supposedly is a higher number. Thermal expansion of the engine and its internal parts, making things more loose? I'm missing something here but notice, I didn't mention brands.

randy
2003 RKC
 
Reply
0
Old Jul 16, 2017 | 06:20 PM
Share
  #2  
dawg's Avatar
dawg
Seasoned HDF Member
Shutterbug
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 28,476
Likes: 3,950
From: Vermont
Default
It's the coffee
 
Reply
1
Old Jul 16, 2017 | 06:22 PM
Share
  #3  
dawg's Avatar
dawg
Seasoned HDF Member
Shutterbug
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 28,476
Likes: 3,950
From: Vermont
Default
Metal parts and tolerances change with heat and can make it noisier. My bike runs great in cool weather, but is noisier when it gets real hot out.
 
Reply
0
Old Jul 16, 2017 | 06:36 PM
Share
  #4  
cajun1957a's Avatar
cajun1957a
Thread Starter
|
Road Warrior
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 1,252
Likes: 142
Default
dawg, exactly. I pull the windshield off so I don't have to listen to it and still bugs me.

randy
 
Reply
0
Old Jul 16, 2017 | 06:39 PM
Share
  #5  
foxtrapper's Avatar
foxtrapper
HDF Community Team
Veteran: Navy
Veteran: National Guard
10 Year Member
Top Answer: 3
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 6,186
Likes: 2,412
From: USA
Community Team
Default
Originally Posted by cajun1957a
...with all the BS about viscosities staying the same...
No manufacturer has claimed that.

What at they do claim, with multi-viscosity oils, is that it will behave one way when cold, and another way when hot.

Not that it stays the same at all temperatures.
 
Reply
0
Old Jul 16, 2017 | 07:22 PM
Share
  #6  
GTK's Avatar
GTK
Seasoned HDF Member
20 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 6,680
Likes: 602
From: South Florida
Default
Depending on the climate you live in you might be able to run a single viscosity oil which would damper a lot of engine noise.
 
Reply
0
Old Jul 16, 2017 | 08:11 PM
Share
  #7  
checkers's Avatar
checkers
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 5,016
Likes: 277
From: East Tn Foot of The Dragon
Default
I assume you have a twin cam 88?
Also google a forum sponsor Rockout Products
 
Last edited by checkers; Jul 16, 2017 at 08:13 PM.
Reply
1

Trending Topics

Old Jul 17, 2017 | 06:05 AM
Share
  #8  
cajun1957a's Avatar
cajun1957a
Thread Starter
|
Road Warrior
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 1,252
Likes: 142
Default
Foxtrapper, what I meant to say was that a 20-50 flows like a 20 when cold and 50 when hot, and thats deceiving. All oils thin out when heated yet it suggests when hot its thicker than when its cold.

randy
 
Reply
0
HD Forum Stories

The Best of Harley-Davidson for Lifelong Riders

story-0

7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles

 Verdad Gallardo
story-1

8 Best Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-2

10 Worst Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-3

Killer Custom's Jail Break Is The Breakout That Refused to Blend In

 Verdad Gallardo
story-4

Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?

 Verdad Gallardo
story-5

Harley-Davidson Reveals Super Cool Cafe Racer Concept

 Verdad Gallardo
story-6

Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II

 Verdad Gallardo
story-7

10 Motorcycles You Should Never Buy

 Joe Kucinski
story-8

10 Things Harley-Davidson Needs to Fix in 2026

 Verdad Gallardo
story-9

Southpaw Super Glide: A Left-Hand-Drive 1979 Harley FXE Built to Fit the Rider

 Verdad Gallardo
Old Jul 17, 2017 | 06:22 AM
Share
  #9  
grbrown's Avatar
grbrown
Club Member
15 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 45,429
Likes: 2,897
From: Bedford UK
Talking
Originally Posted by cajun1957a
Foxtrapper, what I meant to say was that a 20-50 flows like a 20 when cold and 50 when hot, and thats deceiving. All oils thin out when heated yet it suggests when hot its thicker than when its cold.

randy
That's not quite so! Oil viscosity is a confusing subject and we have demonstrated that in various threads around HDF over the years. Unfortunately there are also umpteen websites with 'stuff' all about it, which I'm not sure clarify things very well! When 50W oil is hot I'm not sure we can be confident that it is thicker than cold 20W.

This thread could run and run......
 
Reply
0
Old Jul 17, 2017 | 06:47 AM
Share
  #10  
Ex-Leftcoaster's Avatar
Ex-Leftcoaster
Banned
Joined: Feb 2017
Posts: 607
Likes: 107
From: Dark Side of the Moon
Default
Earplugs?
 
Reply
0



Advanced Search
Reply Closed Thread Share
Forum Jump

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 05:14 AM.

story-0
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles

Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-29 16:50:35


VIEW MORE
story-1
8 Best Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever

Slideshow: Not every Harley gets it right, but these are the ones that genuinely earned their reputation.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-04-15 14:23:21


VIEW MORE
story-2
10 Worst Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever

Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-04-01 20:01:09


VIEW MORE
story-3
Killer Custom's Jail Break Is The Breakout That Refused to Blend In

Slideshow: Killer Custom's "Jail Breaker" build focuses more on stance and visual aggression than mechanical overhaul.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-18 19:20:32


VIEW MORE
story-4
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?

Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-07 16:15:30


VIEW MORE
story-5
Harley-Davidson Reveals Super Cool Cafe Racer Concept

Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's new RMCR concept revives the café racer formula with modern hardware-and it may be exactly the reset the company needs.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-04 12:23:37


VIEW MORE
story-6
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II

Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-02-24 18:19:44


VIEW MORE
story-7
10 Motorcycles You Should Never Buy

Slideshow: There is no shortage of great motorcycles to buy, but we would avoid these ten.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-02-19 14:50:51


VIEW MORE
story-8
10 Things Harley-Davidson Needs to Fix in 2026

Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's challenges aren't abstract; they show up in dropping shipments, shrinking dealer traffic, and strategic decisions that aren't yet translating into growth.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-01-13 18:33:17


VIEW MORE
story-9
Southpaw Super Glide: A Left-Hand-Drive 1979 Harley FXE Built to Fit the Rider

Slideshow: Graeme Billington's left-hand-drive Shovelhead is as much about problem-solving as it is about classic Harley form.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2025-12-30 11:27:08


VIEW MORE