Starter "Clunk"
Thread Starter
|
Road Warrior
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 1,344
Likes: 173
From: Watertown, CT
Starter "Clunk"
'10 RK has new SE comp. installed. When starting warm there is a very loud bang in the middle of the cranking cycle unless I leave the bike in gear to start than it is normal. Your thoughts ,please. Thanks
Cruiser
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 132
Likes: 1
From: South Carolina
Me too...
I also get this on my '10 Ultra with stock compensator occasionally on a warm start. However I have never tried starting it in gear. My first HD so I just thought it was one of those things they did. Subscribed!
Thread Starter
|
Road Warrior
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 1,344
Likes: 173
From: Watertown, CT
I understand that there is some clutch friction so I depress the clutch lever a few times and rock the bike to break the discs apart but the "clunk" is extremely loud and sounds as if something is going to break. It might just be the comp winding up to the end but it sounds terrible.
Advanced
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 64
Likes: 0
From: Kitchener, Ontario
Dealer replaced the stock compensator yesterday with an SE compensator. Apparently its a "kit" now because of how many have been replaced. Made a huge difference in the starting sound. So far, so good.
Thread Starter
|
Road Warrior
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 1,344
Likes: 173
From: Watertown, CT
My '10 RK only has 7k miles on it and it is a new SE comp. Guess I'll yank it apart when the snow flies. Heard something about heavier springs , guess I'll look into that because it doesn't make any noise if I start it in gear with the additional drag, so maybe a little more tension on the comp will fix it.
Trending Topics
Cruiser
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 136
Likes: 0
From: Round rock
My buddy had that problem on his e glide. Dealer told him it was the starter. We replaced the starter clutch and it fixed the issue.
HD Forum Stories
The Best of Harley-Davidson for Lifelong Riders
Jason Momoa Is Turning Classic Harleys Into PHEVs
Verdad Gallardo
Harley-Davidson Fat Boy Becomes a Dark, Decepticon-Inspired Custom
Verdad Gallardo
6 Weirdest Harley-Davidsons Ever Sold to the Public
Verdad Gallardo
7 Times Harley-Davidson Chucked Tradition Out the Window
Verdad Gallardo
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Verdad Gallardo
8 Best Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Worst Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever
Pouria Savadkouei
Killer Custom's Jail Break Is The Breakout That Refused to Blend In
Verdad Gallardo
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Verdad Gallardo
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 4,464
Likes: 2,919
From: Oklahoma
My experience is that the old comp makes a single loud bang when it bottoms out, like hitting the engine with a hammer. With all of the talk about "scissoring" the crank shaft I changed to the SE comp early on. The failure of the starter clutch usually sounds like a grinding noise, most think it is the starter gear not meshing with the ring gear on the clutch basket until they see that the teeth on both are undamaged. I have never heard anyone describe the starter drive failure as a single noise like a bang, but I suppose it is possible. I had to change both the compensator and the starter drive. I figure the bottoming of the original compensator hammered the starter drive to an early failure. I can't imagine what would make the bang sound with the SE comp installed unless one of conical springs has failed leaving the comp to bottom out like the earlier design. If that happened, I would think that having chunks of spring steel floating around in the primary case would cause other problems.
