Marbles in can sound is normal, not sure about your other noises.

 

Just questioning because read so many different things and to be honest I'm not sure what is normal and what is not on a HD as this is my first one. I actually have a ton of questions but will concentrate just on this one for now....


When accelerating in any gear a clacking or for lack of a better noise a light "hammering" noise that rises and descends with engine speed...pinging or noise from primary/compensator being amplified off my windshield and fork mounted lowers? The harder I accelerate the more it is apparent...has

when putzing around in low gear I hear what sounds like the "marbles in a can" noise especially in first gear...does pinging occur at such low speeds?


Just looking for clarification on this, thanks...fwiw it has done this since new and just under 5K now

 

pining is unlikely to occur at all times- you may just be hearing the clatter of the motor, and it does reflect from fairings/windscreens etc.
( you can use a stethoscope or a rod to conduct localised sounds from the motor to your ear--- listen to the valve train in the heads, listen to the lifters, pushrod and cams)

pinging is more likely to occur at sudden acceleration or pulling up a long grade- in which case it could be from too low a gear selected.
if the noise you hear occurs when accelerating then continues if you reduce revs, i don't think it is pinging

octane is all about controlling pinging- if in doubt try a higher grade of fuel or an additive.
if that solves it, then try usual grade of gas from another station rather than the one you've been using.

a chain in TX was just fined for charging "premium" prices for regular gas in premium pumps

the tuners or xieds many of us use are also to prevent pinging when we open up flow to the motor-- you are back to stock air cleaner now? in which case probably not pinging you are hearing

mike

 

Unless your timing is way, way off, you'll only hear pinging under load. It'll sound like gravel hitting the underside of the front fender. Being in too low a gear has no effect on this, it's all about having the correct mixture and timing.

The "marbles in a can" sound is generally primary-related.

 

Take off the windsheild--problem solved!

 

And the lowers.....

 

I've been hearing this on my bike lately. I went to a different gas station yesterday and will see if that might resolve it. Might also try a fuel additive. Seems I am also getting more popping from the exhaust, which is all stock.

 

The best I can describe pinging is a high-pitched metallic "rice krispy" crunch sound. Heard it described like this once and I felt it was spot on. Might not work for some folks, but worked for me. As others have mentioned, it only happens (for me) under load and when the motor is really hot.

 

Ive heard that rice crispie noise but only seems when I am going slow in a lower gear giving it some gas....hmmm I get a ton of decel popping as well

 

I describe it as pebbles in a coffee can, but the key is that it is irregular as pinging does not coincide with the perfection of the ignition cycle.

decel popping has many causes- essentially it is unburned fuel in the exhaust igniting.

check for air leaks into the exhaust tract, otherwise it may be tuning.

if you listen to a nascar race, you will hear the popping on decel they get going to a corner.
these are still carbed, and when the throttle is lifted the high motor vacuum pulls extra fuel into the motor ...
( like, super, super rich- the motor is running, the throttle controls the air, the air is blocked off, so fuel is sucked from the float bowl through all the jets and passages)

a bunch of extra unburned fuel is in the exhaust and when that meets air with oxygen in the pipes, it ignites.

so that's a carb and my carb bikes do that- which is nice, cause it lets traffic know at an intersection that I am arriving, maybe little flame at night.

on the efi bikes, when closing the throttle ( which again is an air control, we control the air, the bike controls the gas added to the air) the fuel should be tapered so as not to have a bunch of raw gas in the exhaust tract ( which is the tuning question, some devices are gonna just add more gas without being smart about what the motor is doing and the condition/ whether the motor is hot or cold can make a difference, a cold motor may have extra fuel in the mix and piston to cylinder tolerances are still loose full expansion has not yet occured)--- so the suspect becomes air leaking into the pipe close to the motor and the oxygen igniting what little unburned fuel is there.

in the case of the carbed motor the super rich stuff coming out is colliding with air coming up from the muffler tip, as exhaust pulses waves of fresh air are sucked in, between waves of exhaust being pushed out.

so look for a leak if this describes your problem, some use cigar smoke to look for a disturbance near pipe joints-- one of my pals uses a fitting which attaches to the muffler and he pressurizes the system slightly and looks for escaping air ( have to do this which the valves closed)

mike