All right. Got a 2007 Ultra. Over the winter, had to change my starter because it went for a crap. I ended up leaving it too long the previous season, and it chewed my ring gear. One part number, so I had to buy the entire new clutch assembly. Hooray.

Anyways, had it installed by my mechanic along with my new starter. Put about 5,000 miles on it. A couple of hundred miles ago, I noticed a strange noise:

If I start the bike, while it's in neutral, there is no noise, other than the standard twin-cam sewing machine sound.

If I'm riding it, and pull up to the lights, for example, and put the bike in neutral, this engine noise gets incredibly loud. From what I can tell, this noise is coming from under my primary cover. It's not a rattling noise, it's kind of a howling noise. Similar to the noise the wheels on a semi make when you drive past one on the highway. That's about as close as I can compare it.

Worst still, it doesn't do this all the time.

Anyone have any experience with this? Have this happen to them? I'm thinking I need to adjust my clutch. That being said, I am having no clutch issues - bike accelerates as it should, and properly, etc.

Cannon

 

What's your tensioner look like? Some of them have been known to ratchet up and hang up. Take it out and play with it, put it back in and see if it corrects it.

 

Got it too.. I can't tell if it's getting worse or I just notice it more..
It doesn't seem to hurt anything - yet... Been doing it since new though...

 

Mine would do it when it got hot out. I went to down to Louisiana this spring and it got warm enough to show up. A buddy recommended to check the tensioner.

I pulled it apart and had 1/4" free play when cold. It should be 7/8". I have an '07 SG manufactured in August of '06 so I figured I had the original design. I ordered a new one and made sure I got the newer "B" version and put it in.

It hasn't got hot enough out to see if it's better, but I can tell you that 1/4" was way too tight.

 

I had the same noise on my (with about the same conditions you stated) about 2 weeks ago on my 2008 Ultra Classic. Took it into dealer and two things were bad: the inner race bearing was bad and the compensator. They fixed it and no more noise. The noise started when I was on a 5 day bike ride and about 700 miles from home. Fortunately, I finished the trip and made it home OK.

 

Mine developed the same noise that the OP described. Had it fixed under warranty. Turned out that the inner race of the (output shaft?) bearing was bad. I saw it for myself. Large parts of the race were missing! Not worn or chewed up. MISSING!!! Had to be a manufacturing problem. Looked like a metalurgy problem. I wonder if there wasn't a run of bad bearings that are or will be doing the same thing?

 

EXACTLY! I had the same sound and found the inner primary bearing was failing. The inner race had a section worn through and several rollers in the bearing were shot.

Take a look at my thread here:

https://www.hdforums.com/forum/prima...need-help.html

 

Yep, Steve. That's what happened to mine also. Except about 1/3 of the race surface was gone and in it's place was a very deep pit with rough metal at the base of the pit. I never did see the rollers so I don't know what they looked like. I did ask the service manager about them. He said there wasn't a scratch or nick on the rollers! I still say it was bad metal because it looked like it just disintegrated! Honestly, after seeing what the carnage was I'm amazed it wasn't a much worse sound with more of a grinding or growling sound rather than the noticeable whirring sound!

 

I had the same howl, whining noise in my 07 also. Definitely from the primary as I could pull the clutch in while in most gears and it would go away. But when I did this and revved the motor you could hear it. It was somewhat intermittent and has now gone away.
Pretty sure it was the auto chain adjuster too tight but now seems to have fixed itself.
I hope.

 

Chances are its the race on the inner primary bearing. HD had as problem with these and have since re-designed the bearing. Mine went out around 25,000 miles on my 07 Street Glide. I'd bet that is the problem. No big deal to have a fixed.