Motor has a lot of a top end racket....
Thread Starter
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Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 2,012
Likes: 53
From: Myrtle Beach,SC
Motor has a lot of a top end racket....
I don't remember TC88 Road Kings I test rode sounding like a bucket of bolts on the top end. HD says "it's normal of course" Every one I tried had a loose top end.
Even though I am under warranty I take the bike to my Indi who worked for HD as tech and I can watch him work. He said when he was at Harley he had an 11 and turned it back in because the top end was so noisy.
He told me REdline would help. So I am going to have him throw Red line in all three holes and see if that quiets it up since there is no adjustment.
I don't want this to turn into an debate on oil. ButONLY for those who use Red Line. Did you find this to help at all. He also said it would quiet the shift clunking.
He said since the bike only has 2600 miles I should ride it till about 3500 then bring it in to loosen up any gunk since I bought the bike a couple weeks ago with 2200 miles.
Even though I am under warranty I take the bike to my Indi who worked for HD as tech and I can watch him work. He said when he was at Harley he had an 11 and turned it back in because the top end was so noisy.
He told me REdline would help. So I am going to have him throw Red line in all three holes and see if that quiets it up since there is no adjustment.
I don't want this to turn into an debate on oil. ButONLY for those who use Red Line. Did you find this to help at all. He also said it would quiet the shift clunking.
He said since the bike only has 2600 miles I should ride it till about 3500 then bring it in to loosen up any gunk since I bought the bike a couple weeks ago with 2200 miles.
Road Master
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 1,151
Likes: 14
From: Seattle
I don't remember TC88 Road Kings I test rode sounding like a bucket of bolts on the top end. HD says "it's normal of course" Every one I tried had a loose top end.
Even though I am under warranty I take the bike to my Indi who worked for HD as tech and I can watch him work. He said when he was at Harley he had an 11 and turned it back in because the top end was so noisy.
He told me REdline would help. So I am going to have him throw Red line in all three holes and see if that quiets it up since there is no adjustment.
I don't want this to turn into an debate on oil. ButONLY for those who use Red Line. Did you find this to help at all. He also said it would quiet the shift clunking.
He said since the bike only has 2600 miles I should ride it till about 3500 then bring it in to loosen up any gunk since I bought the bike a couple weeks ago with 2200 miles.
Even though I am under warranty I take the bike to my Indi who worked for HD as tech and I can watch him work. He said when he was at Harley he had an 11 and turned it back in because the top end was so noisy.
He told me REdline would help. So I am going to have him throw Red line in all three holes and see if that quiets it up since there is no adjustment.
I don't want this to turn into an debate on oil. ButONLY for those who use Red Line. Did you find this to help at all. He also said it would quiet the shift clunking.
He said since the bike only has 2600 miles I should ride it till about 3500 then bring it in to loosen up any gunk since I bought the bike a couple weeks ago with 2200 miles.
Cruiser
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 220
Likes: 1
From: SW Washington
I just switched to Red Line the other day when the odometer rolled over 5000 miles. This is actually the bikes 3rd oil change in all 3 holes after running HD dino oils til now. All three holes got the appropriate oil. I changed one hole at a time and rode the bike for a while to see if I could detect any difference.
First I used the Shockproof Heavy oil in the tranny since I figured it would make the least difference. The result was marginal in my opinion, although it does shift a little smother and not as much clunking between gears especially on deceleration. It used to hit first gear fairly hard if I inadvertently shifted down to soon, and that is where the shockproof oil made the biggest difference. In general Im happy with this since it did make an improvement.
After about 150 miles I rode out and picked up some Red Line 20-50 for the crank case. In my opinion it made a bigger difference there then it did in the other two holes. While it didn't perform a miracle it did quiet the top end down alot. If I had to put a number on how much I'd say 30-35% less noise. I like the sound of that!
Lastly the primary got the V-Twin primary case oil, SAE 70W80. It made a very slight difference that I could notice. In my opinion this oil made the least amount of change of all three oils. Next time I'll try the 20-50 in the primary to see if it works better for my bike. I sure aint gonna dump it prematurely to satisfy my curiosity though. After changing both the primary and the tranny the big clunk you get going from neutral to first was reduced a little but not much. With the dino oils once in a blue moon the tranny would shift into gear with no clunk at all, but with the synthetics about every 5-6th engagement might be silent. Ill occasionally pump the clutch before putting it into gear, as an experiment, but it dont seem to make much difference. I may need to check the clutch adjustment since the HD tech was the last to screw with it when they done the recall work.
Overall I think there are less expensive oils that will work just as good. Im gonna try some of the others before I settle on what I think works best for my bike & wallet. Thats my opinion after about 300 miles of test riding.
First I used the Shockproof Heavy oil in the tranny since I figured it would make the least difference. The result was marginal in my opinion, although it does shift a little smother and not as much clunking between gears especially on deceleration. It used to hit first gear fairly hard if I inadvertently shifted down to soon, and that is where the shockproof oil made the biggest difference. In general Im happy with this since it did make an improvement.
After about 150 miles I rode out and picked up some Red Line 20-50 for the crank case. In my opinion it made a bigger difference there then it did in the other two holes. While it didn't perform a miracle it did quiet the top end down alot. If I had to put a number on how much I'd say 30-35% less noise. I like the sound of that!
Lastly the primary got the V-Twin primary case oil, SAE 70W80. It made a very slight difference that I could notice. In my opinion this oil made the least amount of change of all three oils. Next time I'll try the 20-50 in the primary to see if it works better for my bike. I sure aint gonna dump it prematurely to satisfy my curiosity though. After changing both the primary and the tranny the big clunk you get going from neutral to first was reduced a little but not much. With the dino oils once in a blue moon the tranny would shift into gear with no clunk at all, but with the synthetics about every 5-6th engagement might be silent. Ill occasionally pump the clutch before putting it into gear, as an experiment, but it dont seem to make much difference. I may need to check the clutch adjustment since the HD tech was the last to screw with it when they done the recall work.
Overall I think there are less expensive oils that will work just as good. Im gonna try some of the others before I settle on what I think works best for my bike & wallet. Thats my opinion after about 300 miles of test riding.
Thread Starter
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Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 2,012
Likes: 53
From: Myrtle Beach,SC
I plan to wiseguy, but not until the Indian has some street time. The Indian value will drop faster than this RK. It ain't worth no $23,000. . I am sure there will be some Harley riders who bought one and miss their time at the harley Boutique and will be looking to get back in the Harley fold.
I can wait.
I am beholden to no brand. I am not a walking Billboard for Harley Davidson. Nice bike but not the end all. I will leave that for you Pirate riders who Harley can crap all over and still get your money and advertise for with your classy Harley logoed Pirate Wardrobe
No T shirts not jackets....Just biding my time an if the top end of this bike doesn't quiet down with RedLine I will definitely be looking at the Indian sooner rather than later. I rode too many smooth running bikes in my life to deal with a clunky noisy motor.
In the mean time I like the bike. But I don't really love it. Clunky, noisy. Not something I would keep for the long run even if there were no Indian.
If someone offered me $16K today I would sell it...But in the mand time i will try some different solutions. Thanks for the suggestion though I am ahead of ya
I can wait.
I am beholden to no brand. I am not a walking Billboard for Harley Davidson. Nice bike but not the end all. I will leave that for you Pirate riders who Harley can crap all over and still get your money and advertise for with your classy Harley logoed Pirate Wardrobe
No T shirts not jackets....Just biding my time an if the top end of this bike doesn't quiet down with RedLine I will definitely be looking at the Indian sooner rather than later. I rode too many smooth running bikes in my life to deal with a clunky noisy motor.
In the mean time I like the bike. But I don't really love it. Clunky, noisy. Not something I would keep for the long run even if there were no Indian.
If someone offered me $16K today I would sell it...But in the mand time i will try some different solutions. Thanks for the suggestion though I am ahead of ya
Last edited by TenMidgets; Apr 4, 2014 at 12:06 PM.
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Thread Starter
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Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 2,012
Likes: 53
From: Myrtle Beach,SC
I just switched to Red Line the other day when the odometer rolled over 5000 miles. This is actually the bikes 3rd oil change in all 3 holes after running HD dino oils til now. All three holes got the appropriate oil. I changed one hole at a time and rode the bike for a while to see if I could detect any difference.
First I used the Shockproof Heavy oil in the tranny since I figured it would make the least difference. The result was marginal in my opinion, although it does shift a little smother and not as much clunking between gears especially on deceleration. It used to hit first gear fairly hard if I inadvertently shifted down to soon, and that is where the shockproof oil made the biggest difference. In general Im happy with this since it did make an improvement.
After about 150 miles I rode out and picked up some Red Line 20-50 for the crank case. In my opinion it made a bigger difference there then it did in the other two holes. While it didn't perform a miracle it did quiet the top end down alot. If I had to put a number on how much I'd say 30-35% less noise. I like the sound of that!
Lastly the primary got the V-Twin primary case oil, SAE 70W80. It made a very slight difference that I could notice. In my opinion this oil made the least amount of change of all three oils. Next time I'll try the 20-50 in the primary to see if it works better for my bike. I sure aint gonna dump it prematurely to satisfy my curiosity though. After changing both the primary and the tranny the big clunk you get going from neutral to first was reduced a little but not much. With the dino oils once in a blue moon the tranny would shift into gear with no clunk at all, but with the synthetics about every 5-6th engagement might be silent. Ill occasionally pump the clutch before putting it into gear, as an experiment, but it dont seem to make much difference. I may need to check the clutch adjustment since the HD tech was the last to screw with it when they done the recall work.
Overall I think there are less expensive oils that will work just as good. Im gonna try some of the others before I settle on what I think works best for my bike & wallet. Thats my opinion after about 300 miles of test riding.
First I used the Shockproof Heavy oil in the tranny since I figured it would make the least difference. The result was marginal in my opinion, although it does shift a little smother and not as much clunking between gears especially on deceleration. It used to hit first gear fairly hard if I inadvertently shifted down to soon, and that is where the shockproof oil made the biggest difference. In general Im happy with this since it did make an improvement.
After about 150 miles I rode out and picked up some Red Line 20-50 for the crank case. In my opinion it made a bigger difference there then it did in the other two holes. While it didn't perform a miracle it did quiet the top end down alot. If I had to put a number on how much I'd say 30-35% less noise. I like the sound of that!
Lastly the primary got the V-Twin primary case oil, SAE 70W80. It made a very slight difference that I could notice. In my opinion this oil made the least amount of change of all three oils. Next time I'll try the 20-50 in the primary to see if it works better for my bike. I sure aint gonna dump it prematurely to satisfy my curiosity though. After changing both the primary and the tranny the big clunk you get going from neutral to first was reduced a little but not much. With the dino oils once in a blue moon the tranny would shift into gear with no clunk at all, but with the synthetics about every 5-6th engagement might be silent. Ill occasionally pump the clutch before putting it into gear, as an experiment, but it dont seem to make much difference. I may need to check the clutch adjustment since the HD tech was the last to screw with it when they done the recall work.
Overall I think there are less expensive oils that will work just as good. Im gonna try some of the others before I settle on what I think works best for my bike & wallet. Thats my opinion after about 300 miles of test riding.
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Road Warrior
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 1,672
Likes: 17
From: Orange, VA,
My bike being older I am not sure if this relates, mine was noisy when I bought it used over a year ago, when I had the tensioners replaced I replaced the lifters with V-Thunder lifters by Comp Cams, I also put in a stiffer bypass spring, the cams and bearings were also replaced with SE 204 cams, all I can say is, after the work the bike is very quiet with very little engine noise now.
