When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
My left one rattles also. I took it to the dealer since they had worked on it recently, and their cure was to spray some WD40 on it [:@]
I'm going to go through the whole left side pipe and retighten everything.
The muffler rubber mounts in the rear wear out, and dry out very quickly due to the heat, they become loose, hard, rattle and squeak.
I diccovered a quick fix. First the mufflers must slide within the rubber mount. They move with the engine torque. Do not tie them down or something else will break within the exhaust system.
Remove the two small bolts and slide out the bracket on the rear of the muffler under the bag mounts. Lubricate the rubber bushing with silicone inside top and bottom along with the bracket you just removed. Reinstall the bracket upside down (you will need to force in) and line up the bolt holes. Snug down the bolts, be sure to use blue loctite. Rattle and looseness stopped, and the muffler can still move with the engine. Clean any excess silicone spray off the mufflers with acatone or mineral spirits. Keep the silicone off the floor !!! Put news paper under your work area. Trust me on this one.
Because the mounts are now very tight, you may notice a little more vibration on the *** end of the bike. (Thats what we need more vibration!) It will soon go away when the mounts wear in.
The muffler rubber mounts in the rear wear out, and dry out very quickly due to the heat, they become loose, hard, rattle and squeak.
I diccovered a quick fix. First the mufflers must slide within the rubber mount. They move with the engine torque. Do not tie them down or something else will break within the exhaust system.
Remove the two small bolts and slide out the bracket on the rear of the muffler under the bag mounts. Lubricate the rubber bushing with silicone inside top and bottom along with the bracket you just removed. Reinstall the bracket upside down (you will need to force in) and line up the bolt holes. Snug down the bolts, be sure to use blue loctite. Rattle and looseness stopped, and the muffler can still move with the engine. Clean any excess silicone spray off the mufflers with acitone or mineral spirits. Keep the silicone off the floor !!! Put news paper under your work area. Trust me on this one.
Because the mounts are now very tight, you may notice a little more vibration on the *** end of the bike. (Thats what we need more vibration!) It will soon go away when the mounts wear in.
Are you sure it isn't the baffle inside the muffler? I had the same problem and after posting on here several folks pointed me toward the solution due to my VH Oval slip on's. There was a common problem with the baffle not fitting snugly enough inside the muffler. In any event, hope you find the problem and get it fixed. Things like that drive me nuts.
Same problem here, left side was rattling. I'm on my hands and knees trying to figure out where this is coming from, bolts are tight and still rattling. I grabbed the muffler and it stopped. So I placed a hard plastic shim between the rubber bushing and the mounting plate for the two rear muffler mounting bolts and problem solved.
i used pieces of a beer can that i cut up as a shim.skinny enough to fit between the rubber and the bracket. you may need more than one piece to get the right amount of shim. gives the bike a little charictor too.
The mufflers on a dresser have to have the rubber bushing in the mount so that the muffler can move with engine shake. Shimming them or solid mounting them will cause problems.
The rubber in the mount gets hard from heat and causes the squeak or rattle. The rubber can sometimes be reconditioned using a few squirts of break fluid. Brake fluid, unlike WD-40 or other oils, is made to be compatible with rubber and will not cause deteriotion. It will lubricate, and sometimes restore some of the pliability to the rubber.
My buddy, a licensed mechanic, and I took the bracket off and put it in a vise and spread it just a bit so it would fit snug inside the rubber mount. Has worked so far. Both sides are snug in the rear.
On an '05 Ultra (or any dresser, I suppose?) anyone have a fix for the mufflers being loose or rattling at ther rear mounts (where that rubber fitting is in that slotted mount)....they seem loose but I see no way (other than jamming someting into the rubber thing) to adjust them.
them rubber things cost about 1.50,three dollars change em both.15 minutes,no brainer
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.
Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.
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.
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.
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.