We all know that Harley introduced a new compensator with the TC96s and has more recently introduced the SE compensator. Can someone in the know kindly explain just how these two are different from each other, and from the TC88s before them?

Some pics would be wonderful! It would be great to better understand why these things seem to be a problem and we get so many posts on the subject.

Thanks!

 

When they came out with the 96" motor they changed the comp sprocket. I have attached pics of the old and new, as well as the parts breakdown for the new. As you can see the new SE comp has many more parts than the old. The new SE comp as you can see, has 3 different size disc springs. The old comp when under load from hot starts, will bang on the sliding cam because of not enough spring disc to take the load. This banging is from the sliding cam bottoming out and eventually will destroy the cam mating surfaces. Add to this any jack rabbit starts like hole shots or even hard shifting and this part takes a beating. Anyone even considering motor work, would be wise to replace this comp with the SE comp. Hope this info gives you a starting point from which to understand the issue.

 

Dave, that's excellent, many thanks. Strange that Harley should introduce a much more complex device than previously. Having owned British bikes, the old style cam was almost universal and served bikes and Harleys well for decades. The new one also messes us up for making simple drive ratio changes. It is now clear how it does that!