I've heard two different stories.

1. When they introduced the 96" engine and 6 speed in 07, they introduced a new comp that was insanely weak.

2. When they introduced the 96" and 6 speed the moco used the same comp as used on the 88 and 5 speed which is again weak.

In either case the stock Compensator in your bike is KNOWN to be weak and many folks have complained about starter knock or what have you. If you do a search you'll see what I mean. It has nothing to do with the Battery.

I forget but they have been chasing the fix for this for some time. The 2011 or 2012 bikes started coming with the SE compensator. Then that fixed it for only a short time and failures started all over again. They are on like the third revision of the SE comp still battling this problem and overall compensator failure (they get chewed up).

Note: Just because it's knocking does not mean your comp has gone bad yet. Only an inspection will reveal the condition of yours.

Again... these bikes knocked since day 1. It's normal.

lp

 

Another thing that will cause the clank is if the battery cable is not tight enough at the battery or starter side. You will notice it even more when the motor is hot. Not enough juice getting to the starter and it can cause the loud metal clank you hear. Some have even changed to a heavier gauge battery cable to deliver optimum voltage to the starter.

 

The compensator spring is weaker, My 2010 does it mostly when it's hot, and when I've not gotten a start with the first crank. I KNOW when I try the second time, it's going to kick hard,, My battery is fairly new, less than 7-9 months old.

 

it's such a PIA, this bike only has 500 miles on it. I just spoke with the original owner and he said it's done it from day one and he mentioned it to service a few times and they kept telling him it was normal.
I'm telling you this clank is loud and embarrassing but most of all it really annoys me when something doesn't work correctly and of course it's out of warranty.

 

The factory compensator seemed to be right at its engineering limit. Depending on how manufacturing tolerances added together, you were one of the lucky ones and it would last for 50,000 or more miles. If you weren't so lucky, it was inadequate before the first mile and made that loud bang when the starter engaged. There is a fair amount of talk about scissoring crank shafts on these engines. I was concerned that with the starter, the clutch, the primary chain and the sprocket part of the compensator building up inertia before the movement hits the crankshaft with a bang, there was a possibility of slowly jacking the crankshaft out of tolerance. I'm not an engineer, that is just a shade tree concern on my part. That sudden whack WILL destroy your starter drive, specifically the sprag clutch in the drive. If you change the compensator now there is a good chance the starter drive will give long, trouble free service. Tough it out for a few thousand miles and you will likely need to change both the compensator and the starter drive.

Your timing is good and bad. You will get the latest update in the compensator BUT the newest version no longer comes with the newer rotor which is required because of the bellville springs on the new comp rather than the old coil spring. The kit includes a little plastic oil catcher/funnel which clips and glues to the inside of the primary cover. So far, the recommended glue has NOT been included in the kit. There are several pictorials showing all of the steps involved including grinding off just a little of the inner primary case outer lip from the 6 o'clock position on the rotor to between the 9 and 10 o'clock position. You will also need a T70 Torx bit and a torque wrench with a range to over 200 foot pounds if I remember correctly. Sorry your early experience includes this problem but that is also the way it went for me. Good luck.