Noisy Tappets
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 24,656
Likes: 9,114
From: Snow Hill, NC
So where are you located as I am a newer Harley owner and I would like your opinion whether my bike is noisier than what it should be. You see this is the issue, as there is no standard way of quantifying what is excessive noise or not. Personally I think my bike is excessively noisy especially at 2700 to 2900 rpm but the dealer said they can't even hear the noise. This is discouraging as most people say just ride it till something breaks, but this is not acceptable for two reasons.
1. I don't like using machinery with an issue until it breaks I believe in preventative maintenance.
2. I want to take a cross country trip and with my bike but in it's present mechanical condition I don't feel confident with it's current mechanical state.
This bike has only 5000 miles on it and I find it's current mechanical state as unacceptable. Oh the dealer did offer me a fix for the noise, they offered to sell me a set of headpipes, mufflers, airbox and tune to mask the noise.
And I still believe I would still hear the ticking even with a louder exhaust.
What a racket Harley and these dealers are running.
1. I don't like using machinery with an issue until it breaks I believe in preventative maintenance.
2. I want to take a cross country trip and with my bike but in it's present mechanical condition I don't feel confident with it's current mechanical state.
This bike has only 5000 miles on it and I find it's current mechanical state as unacceptable. Oh the dealer did offer me a fix for the noise, they offered to sell me a set of headpipes, mufflers, airbox and tune to mask the noise.
And I still believe I would still hear the ticking even with a louder exhaust.
What a racket Harley and these dealers are running.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 2,090
Likes: 7
There is a lot of truth in what notgrownup says. The design of an air cooled engine is like a tuning fork for internal engine noises. And as many have said, you are sitting on top of the tuning fork. If you have a fairing, it will echo all those noises back at you.
But, in my case, my engine was silent for 30k miles. When I changed my cam plate as a preventative measure, I instantly gained unsavory noises. Now, several sets of lifters and pushrods later, I have a tolerable amount of noise. Most would say what I have is great. The design of the hydraulic tensioners is flawed, and aftermarket cams tend to have steeper ramps. These two things alone contribute tremendously to engine noise.
My advice to anyone experiencing what they believe to be excessive noise is this...
Sewing machine chatter is normal. A single or pair of clacks or ticks, that stands out from the chatter is not normal. Your dealer is not able to fix this. That's not a typo. They will only install the same parts that you already have that make noise. Hence 'they all do that' so unless you are willing to tackle the problem on your own dime, ride it, enjoy it, and don't worry about it.
But, in my case, my engine was silent for 30k miles. When I changed my cam plate as a preventative measure, I instantly gained unsavory noises. Now, several sets of lifters and pushrods later, I have a tolerable amount of noise. Most would say what I have is great. The design of the hydraulic tensioners is flawed, and aftermarket cams tend to have steeper ramps. These two things alone contribute tremendously to engine noise.
My advice to anyone experiencing what they believe to be excessive noise is this...
Sewing machine chatter is normal. A single or pair of clacks or ticks, that stands out from the chatter is not normal. Your dealer is not able to fix this. That's not a typo. They will only install the same parts that you already have that make noise. Hence 'they all do that' so unless you are willing to tackle the problem on your own dime, ride it, enjoy it, and don't worry about it.
Intermediate
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 43
Likes: 11
From: Norway
Rattle and tick - just normal?
Hi!
My Fatboy with stage 1 shure does tick when warm, it is silent at idle but what I call noise-ish at medium high revs. Came across a video on the tube which pretty much has the exact same valve noise as my bike;
Anyone think this sounds normal? I come from metric bikes for 19 years, so I am trying to get used to the Harley.
Oil is Pennzoil 20w50 - usually in the 45-55 degrees temp around here on average.
My Fatboy with stage 1 shure does tick when warm, it is silent at idle but what I call noise-ish at medium high revs. Came across a video on the tube which pretty much has the exact same valve noise as my bike;
Anyone think this sounds normal? I come from metric bikes for 19 years, so I am trying to get used to the Harley.
Oil is Pennzoil 20w50 - usually in the 45-55 degrees temp around here on average.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 2,090
Likes: 7
Exactly. The hydraulic cam tensioner have a small oil orifice. Very small. If you have thin oil, or older broken down oil, it will easily fill the tensioner and provide sufficient tension when cold. When hot, it cannot supply enough force to keep the engine quiet. That's why the older spring tensioner were called 'silent' tensioners and wore excessively. Lots of tension, not dependant on oil pressure. On the other hand (and I've discovered this through my own trials) thicker oil will have difficulty getting through that tiny orifice in the hydraulic tensioners and will be a little noisier when cold. But when the engine heats up, it does a better job of maintaining tension on the chains, and is quieter. Some may chuckle at my philosophy but if I ever change cams again, I will reinstall my old cam plate with new tensioner shoes and never give it a second thought. It was a good design, flawed only by poor shoe material. Lots of better choices out there now for shoes.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 2,422
Likes: 14
From: Fla
...A lot of what is described as valve train noise is not valve train noise; the noise is originating somewhere else.
True valve train noise is the result of lash in the valve train resulting from lifter bleed down or incorrect pushrod adjustment. I will agree that a good set of lifters and adjustable pushrods will usually go a long way to reducing the valve train noise.
There are other sources of noise that are often mistake for true valve train noise, like pushrods rubbing tubes near the top; straight wound valve springs making contact with the rocker box when high lift cams are installed; rocker arms contacting the internal webbing of the rocker box cover; worn rocker arm shaft bushings; aggressive ramps on some aftermarket cams; cam lobes contacting the crank bearing boss or the valve lifter boss when high lift cams are installed; valve lifters making contact with the underside of the lifter galley cover. So, if aftermarket cams, particularly cams with higher lifts are installed and changing lifters and properly adjusting pushrods does not eliminate the valve train noise, there are plenty of other places to start chasing the noise.
True valve train noise is the result of lash in the valve train resulting from lifter bleed down or incorrect pushrod adjustment. I will agree that a good set of lifters and adjustable pushrods will usually go a long way to reducing the valve train noise.
There are other sources of noise that are often mistake for true valve train noise, like pushrods rubbing tubes near the top; straight wound valve springs making contact with the rocker box when high lift cams are installed; rocker arms contacting the internal webbing of the rocker box cover; worn rocker arm shaft bushings; aggressive ramps on some aftermarket cams; cam lobes contacting the crank bearing boss or the valve lifter boss when high lift cams are installed; valve lifters making contact with the underside of the lifter galley cover. So, if aftermarket cams, particularly cams with higher lifts are installed and changing lifters and properly adjusting pushrods does not eliminate the valve train noise, there are plenty of other places to start chasing the noise.
EVERYTHING between is in the valve 'train'. And, EVERYTHING you listed as being "...other sources of noise that are often mistake for true valve train noise..." are actually noises coming from WITHIN the valve train.
Somebody had to say it. "HEY!"
Last edited by Def Mute; Jul 5, 2013 at 09:16 AM.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 2,422
Likes: 14
From: Fla
Hi!
My Fatboy with stage 1 shure does tick when warm, it is silent at idle but what I call noise-ish at medium high revs. Came across a video on the tube which pretty much has the exact same valve noise as my bike; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5V5gX...aqt0SROh1g36nT
Anyone think this sounds normal? I come from metric bikes for 19 years, so I am trying to get used to the Harley.
Oil is Pennzoil 20w50 - usually in the 45-55 degrees temp around here on average.
My Fatboy with stage 1 shure does tick when warm, it is silent at idle but what I call noise-ish at medium high revs. Came across a video on the tube which pretty much has the exact same valve noise as my bike; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5V5gX...aqt0SROh1g36nT
Anyone think this sounds normal? I come from metric bikes for 19 years, so I am trying to get used to the Harley.
Oil is Pennzoil 20w50 - usually in the 45-55 degrees temp around here on average.
I listened to this video all the way through. Even turned my sound up so I could hear it better...
The worst sound that came through on my end, was the wind buffeting. I did hear the engine whine a little when the rpm got into the higher ranges on that video, but it sounded quite normal to me. I'm old, and my hearing is not as good as it used to be, so I gave my best opinion on it...
Anyone else hear something I didn't?
Last edited by Def Mute; Jul 5, 2013 at 09:15 AM.
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Road Master
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 1,218
Likes: 0
From: Yakima WA
I listened to this video all the way through. Even turned my sound up so I could hear it better...
The worst sound that came through on my end, was the wind buffeting. I did hear the engine whine a little when the rpm got into the higher ranges on that video, but it sounded quite normal to me. I'm old, and my hearing is not as good as it used to be, so I gave my best opinion on it...
Anyone else hear something I didn't?
The worst sound that came through on my end, was the wind buffeting. I did hear the engine whine a little when the rpm got into the higher ranges on that video, but it sounded quite normal to me. I'm old, and my hearing is not as good as it used to be, so I gave my best opinion on it...
Anyone else hear something I didn't?
