HELP....I'm no mechanic
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 4,012
Likes: 298
From: Central Fl
I was totally off base....my problem was the exhaust pipe coming off the rear jug was missing the bolt at the top. 5 minute fix and I was on the road. Mechanic said the 103 is practically bullet-proof knew it wasn't a motor issue! 2 days of stress and worrying for nothing. I swore it was coming from the front jug!
I'm thinking more like pellet proof.
Stage I
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
From: Menasha, WI
noise after high heat
Had the same issue with my 2012 103 Classic. Ran fine the first 5k miles till got overheated in a traffic jam. It would never go away. Took to the dealer 9 times and they could never figure it out. Always came back with "the bike is in specs so it must be bad gas". Even though it did it with "their good gas" Dumped plenty of octane boost in it and still was there as soon as the bike was fully warmed up, and even did it with a hard throttle starting at over 3000 rpms. When I drove it real easy would sound just fine. Cured the problem by trading it off for a 13, but still very disappointed that HD could not find how to fix and would just give me the bad gas cop out answer.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 2,034
Likes: 128
Is this not the way it goes?
Anytime you take any piece of equipment or a vehicle in for repairs, the mechanic engages you in conversation about the product. He is looking for clues as to what you "think" is wrong. Somewhere in the conversation he gauges your mechanical aptitude and comprehension about the product. Within minutes he will decide (in his head) if you are full of BS or you actually know what you are talking about. If the problem makes reasonable sense to the mechanic, he will make an attempt to troubleshoot it. If he determines your problem to be unreasonable and a nuisance to him, he will give you BS answers to your questions. "They all do that", "that is normal", "why don't you leave it here and we will see if we can make it do it" and my personal favorite, "It is in specifications". It might burn a quart of oil every 1000 miles and the crankshaft is sloppy (but that is in specifications)?
At that point you need to load your stuff and take it somewhere else for a second opinion because you have gone about as far as this road is going to take you.
Anytime you take any piece of equipment or a vehicle in for repairs, the mechanic engages you in conversation about the product. He is looking for clues as to what you "think" is wrong. Somewhere in the conversation he gauges your mechanical aptitude and comprehension about the product. Within minutes he will decide (in his head) if you are full of BS or you actually know what you are talking about. If the problem makes reasonable sense to the mechanic, he will make an attempt to troubleshoot it. If he determines your problem to be unreasonable and a nuisance to him, he will give you BS answers to your questions. "They all do that", "that is normal", "why don't you leave it here and we will see if we can make it do it" and my personal favorite, "It is in specifications". It might burn a quart of oil every 1000 miles and the crankshaft is sloppy (but that is in specifications)?
At that point you need to load your stuff and take it somewhere else for a second opinion because you have gone about as far as this road is going to take you.
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 4,377
Likes: 647
From: Santa Clarita
Another good case for being able to lane split, eh? If getting caught in heavy traffic is a normal thang for you, once you get this sorted out, I'd certainly recommend researching and possible installing cooling fans, ugly as some of them may be... There are some on here that aren't ugly at all, and if I was in a state where I had to sit in traffic with my thumb up...mmmm, well...I'd install 'em, and I've only got an 88!
Advanced
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 88
Likes: 0
From: Highland Park, Il
If you find that it's detonation (which sounds like what your describing), I would sweat it until you fix it. While some pinging can be inconsequential, it can also lead to a catastrophic event. Could be fuel, timing, bad gas, a glowing carbon deposit.... That's what warranties are for right!? Let us know what they find!
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