I run 50w dino year round here in Arizona. It also quieted down when I loaded a richer map to my PCV after installing VHDD's, never heard a richer map doing that but it kinda makes sense. Now I just hear a noise the first 5 or so minutes till it gets warmed up, I think it's coming from the cam chain but I cant swear by it. In the winter time I can tell when the engine is too cold by that distinctive rattle. Before it was present all the time after it cooled down from a stop longer than 15 minutes.
I replaced my lifters and rods to see if the noise changed and it did nothing. Rods were not deformed or any signs of issues. I don't pay that much attention anymore, I extended my ESP so let it grenade. Most of the time I put my earphones with tunes on and giddy up.
I'm trying an experiment with my wifes new FX by using strictly dino oil and not switching to synthetic after it's broke in like I did with mine. There's no data to support it but synth oil made my bike louder especially the longer I ran it. The FX has a 96" on it also so it should be interesting to see if at 5k it gets louder like mine did. I'm leaning towards the thinner oil from synth having something to do with it but the jury is still out.

 

I have now purchased my 4th ultra limited and this one is far noisier then the last 3 !!! at around 2400-2600rpm there is a very distinct valve rattle.. It diminishes somewhat as it gets hot but never goes away..It is quiet when not being ridden and only makes the noise when going down the street under throttle. The dealer says all the bikes were "normal" Is this something that everyone is experiencing witht the 103 motor? I am getting so tired of complaining and getting the same ole answer.. If it is normal then why is it normal.. I have been on Harleys for years and this type noise only came around when the motor had a bunch of miles on it !!!!!!!!

 

I'm wondering if the noise I believe is coming from my primary might be what you guys are talking about. At idle, there's a rhythmic "thunking" coming from, what sounds like, my primary. To back up a little, I have a 2013 FLHR. I pulled the POS compensator and replaced it with the Baker Compensator. I also replaced the chain tensioner with the Hayden.
Back to the "thunking." When I'm at idle or at a traffic light, the noise is there. Yes, while it's in gear and the clutch pulled in. When I blip the throttle and get the RPM's up, it goes away only to return when the engine gets back to idle RPM. I use the 6-speed tranny oil, HD Formula + in the chain case and Klotz 25W-60 in the engine. This really is driving me banannas... I had a '11 Fatboy with the 96 Cu. In. engine in it. I'm seriously regretting trading it in for this better looking, but worse running scooter.

 

Here is what I found when my 2015 Harley Ultra Low was knocking and rattling. I took my bike to the dealer and told them I had a knocking sound at 2600 RPM and a rattling at idle. That kinda laughed and said that you're one of the lucky ones that got a noisy compensator with only 13000 miles on it. So I called several dealers and a few mechanics in our area and they really could not give me an answer over the phone. I called Harley Davidson to complain about my noisy compensator and they didn't know of any problems with the 2015 103 having bad compensators. Took to one other dealer and they pulled the primary cover and retorqued the compensator bolt and said everything looks fine. The bike started making noise at 11000 miles and had no problems before that. After 8 hours of searching on line for the answer and talking to dealers, I headed out to the garage in an effort to decide what to do and I found the problem.
The Ultra Low has lowers on it. I had the bike on an ATV jack and fired it up. The rattle at idle turned out to be a sloppy left foot plate bolt. I loosened the bracket and lined it better and it took care of the rattle at idle.
The knocking at 2600 RPM turned out to be a cover right in front of the shifter. It was the cover with 2 bolts that have torx bit heads on them. That cover created a knocking sound so bad driving down the road I could hear it always at 2600 RPM over the engine. On my bike I have glove boxes on my lowers where there are radiators on the Ultra Classic. The glove boxes acted like speakers and amplified the sound to make it sound like a knock. The are only two bolts and one tab that hold that cover on. The tab at the top of the cover goes into a little hole on the glove box and when I pulled the cover, the tab had been vibrating so bad it was almost worn off. I fixed it by putting a small piece of plastic chainsaw fuel line over the tab and foam tape where the cover meets the rest of the lower. No more knocking. I could not believe how that small tab rattling sounded like an engine knock. If you have questions or want me to sent pictures email me and I will sent them to you. Sounds crazy but it took care of the problem. It's great to have a quiet bike again!

 

Good job on tracking down your noises!

Others may want to check out my website... thousands of happy bikers world wide have found a cure there for their tapping problems

__________________________________________________ ____
For ROCKOUT information & purchasing please click HERE For all Twin Cams and Evo Big Twins & Sportsters

 

And Harley wonders why sales are down....................

 

The bushingless rods were a change made in the 2011 model year

 

yep ! harleys way of saving a nickle and f--king the customer.

 

My 2012 103 sounded like a room full of cheep sewing machines; installed the ROCKOUT rocker shaft inserts and the engine is now quiet. Check out their products, worked for me and several of my family and friends. YMMV.

 

Thanks man.


__________________________________________________ ____
For ROCKOUT information & puhasing please click HERE For all Twin Cams and Evo Big Twins & Sporsters