According to HD owners manual you should be shifting at 15, 25, 35, 45 and 55 mph into 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th gear respectively. Downshifting is recommended at 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 mph from 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th. At these speeds you are way under 2000 rpms.

 

Phuk the manual...and listen to your engine. It will let you know when and where it is happy. When you hear the engine ping...add or subract fuel, advance or retard the timing, or find the appropriate gear; don't just say the engine sucks. Anyone who's upgraded and rebuilt these engines will tell you not to run them under 2500 in 4th, 5th, or 6th. You will be lugging your engine. I have 2 07's, an Ultra and a Deluxe. Both transmissions like more rpms rather than less and are very smooth and quiet. Both have SE/AC's, aftermarket pipes, and the SE Race tuner. Both run very strong.

HD owners baby their engines too much. They all seem to be worried that more rpms will reduce the engine life and reliability. Not the case. The preverbial line in the sand for piston speed where these engines start having isssues is 4300 ft per second. On a 4" stroke, that is 6500 rpms. On a 4 3/8" stroke, that is 6000 rpms. In the right gear and right rpm, these engines run cooler as well. I was in Vegas last week on the strip in stop and go traffic for 45 min. The Ultra's oil temp never went above 240*. These things leave the factory tuned and running like crap as the MoCo attempts to get its 1920's technology engines to comply with 2007 EPA restrictions. Writing the check for the bike is just the beginning of the investment it takes to make the experience enjoyable. It's kind'a like that 1st new home you bought. No yard, fence, window coverings, ect. You evetually had to pony up to make it liveable. Pretty sad when you've allready spent 20K; but then again you just spent 20K on an antique. It really is a fixer-upper!

 

I wasn't implying that you had to follow the recommendations. You can believe what ever you think works and ride your bike any way you want. It only serves as point of reference for what HD considers reasonable. If the bike runs poorly under these conditions than there is a problem.

 

I agree with you that there is a problem when you run your bike as instructed by the manual, and it performs like crap. I guess I've become jaded with respect to the competance of the local dealership's service depts. I also believe that the MoCo is very lazy when it comes to proactively addressing and providing solutions to known issues. In light of this, I've opted to address them myself as best I can. If and when the MoCo gets its act together and remedies the problems, I'll be the first in line for the replacement/recall service. But, don't hold your breath; their track record stinks, and is probably the reason they continue to make their bikes friendly to work on. They are hoping their customers will fix the problem so they don't have to.

Have you had a chance to see this statement put out by our friends?

TT258 – August 9, 2006

Primary Drive / Starter Noise Complaints

Several dealers and customers have commented about a “clunking” noise coming from the
primary housing during start up. Most dealers suspect a loose compensator because the
noise seems to come from the front of the housing. Customers tend to associate it with a
starter issue like improper starter drive engagement into the clutch’s ring gear. In fact the
condition they are noticing is what is referred to as “Starter Knock”. This is a normal sound
and condition for all 2007 Twin Cam models.

Changes in the primary drive system increased the diameter and inertial effects of the
rotating components (clutch and sprocket assembly, ring gear, and engine sprocket). Also,
the engine control system is calibrated to start the engine as quickly as possible (short crank
to run times) and to run up to the predetermined engine idle speed as quickly as possible to
provide very positive starting.

Because the engine fires and then runs up to speed very quickly, there is a large torque input
and instantaneous speed differential between the engine and spring loaded compensator
mounted between the engine and the driveline. The compensator is there to dampen the high
torque spikes inherent in a large displacement V-Twin.
Because of the increased inertia in the rotating components in the driveline, their rotational
speed cannot increase as fast as the engine, so the springs in the compensator momentarily
bottom and results in the sound that you hear.
The same sound exists in the 2006 Dyna models, but to a lesser extent. The increase in
displacement to 1584cc increased the torque spike and speed differential in the 2007’s and
causes the sound to be more noticeable.
There is no damage associated with the compensator bottoming.
Identifying characteristics of this condition:
1. It may be intermittent, as it is dependant on the start up conditions and how quickly the
ignition and engine RPM occurs.
2. It will be a single event. Once the starter is disengaged or the compensator is loaded
the sound will stop, unlike a loose sprocket assembly.
3. The condition may be more noticeable on Touring models due to the shorter primary
drive (shaft center to center distance) and associated shorter chain run. The extra
body parts like fairings and saddlebags also tend to reflect powertrain sounds upward,
towards your ears.

 

Me thinks nails hit the nail square on the head, lol. I ride with guys that think it's cool to shift 1-2-3-4 as fast as possible, keep the rpms way low (like under 2k) and they think that sounds really cool. I can't convince them that they are lugging the engine and that it was never intended to be run this way, i.e. at such low rpms. Now, with the long stroke 96" and the six-speed, the "cool" riders are lugging these engines even worse.

Not a bash on all '07 riders/bikes, as there probably are a few bad apples (bikes) out there, but I'll bet most of the "problems" with the '07's are caused by riding style and expectations that v-twins should ride like a Honda Gold Wing. If that's what they want, then go get a Gold Wing.

 

Of all the posts on problems, most seem to come from new to harley or new to the ultra owners, ultras have always sounded more noisy because of all the plastic crap bolted to keep your feet dry, the explanation on starter clunk sets my mind as ease cause it makes sence to anyone who knows engines, long as it doesnt kick back and almost break your leg like a 63 pan, its fine with me.

 

Yes you better get a laywer to get that clutch cable adjusted ..........

 

Very good. Where did you find that statement?

Sounds like they have a potential solution to the starting clunking problem now that they have identified the cause. I hope they can do the same with the drivetrain noise. I suppose they could of suggested that you don't you the starter and instead push it down a steep hill. That would be along the same line as don't shift at the recommended speeds if you are experiencing a mechanical drivetrain noise.

Many times the first defense is to claim user error.

 

Damn....I'm so upset I can't contribute to this thread.

I have yet to experience any tranny noise. Actually, the bike is too damn quiet.

So much so the only thing I can hear going 70mph is the faint tapping of the valves.


Wow, I must be one of the 1% of 07 owners that have nothing to complain about, other then the pain in my face and cheeks from the constant smile I have riding the bike.


If you want a bike you can't hear you should of bought a goldwing.

 

I found that pdf. document posted on both Harley Tech Talk & V-Twin Forum.