When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Just returned from a 2 week roadtrip. We were really loaded down and riding 2 up. Had a lot of valve ping anytime I got around 3000rpm (which was right where I needed to ride). But the bike performed fine and got great gas mileage (averaged over 42mpg for the ~4000miles). When we returned home to Phoenix (it was 110 when we rolled into town) I made an appointment with the dealer to look at it. Seems HD has a new flash for this problem.
Both days this week riding home from work (22 miles cross town traffic and 107-110 degree heat) and not a single ping. Not sure what this upload all changed (fuel or timing or both) but it solved the problem
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.
Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.
Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's challenges aren't abstract; they show up in dropping shipments, shrinking dealer traffic, and strategic decisions that aren't yet translating into growth.