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[willyB]

I took my 2011 CVO Streetglide to my local dealer, Surdyke HD, last week and told them that the primary was making some noise. First one failed at around 10-15k miles. I also told them that a rear wheel weight came off (weight gone but sticky pad still on wheel) and dented my fender from the inside out, chipping the paint in 3 spots. I told them no rush, just needed it back by 9/5, since I am traveling a bit.

Got a call last night. Compensator replaced and already installed under ESP and they will be replacing my rear fender at no charge. Fender will take some time to get in, possibly 1-3 months, but I am a happy camper.

First because the replaced the compensator without any fuss at all. I told them it only gets noticable after riding on long rides on hot days. Second because I really expected a big NO on the fender issue.

Picking up the bike tomorrow evening and will let you know how the new comp progresses over time.

Hate the whole compensator thingy but I'm quite happy with Surdyke HD's "take the bull by the horns" attitude towards customer service. A big shoutout to NICK at Surdyke HD!!

[RayG]

Glad they took care of you.  I had an old post of my 2104 compensator failing a while back and it's really getting bad.  I ordered it & installed it last October.  I will try to call for the one year warranty to see if they will honor that.  I have changed my primary fluid every 3,000 miles so I can check for metal on the magnet.  I use ATF which is good for the clutch but not for the compensator.  If I go thicker it will not shift right.  I'm going to get the "Compensaver" from Steve @ GMR and may have to take out the Energy One clutch with the VP-92 which I really like and get a clutch that will allow me to use the fluid that works best for the compensator. 

Do you know which primary fluid you used before & the one that they installed when they did the new compensator?

As far as I know there is no way to abuse a compensator they either work or they don't.   

[willyB]

Glad they took care of you.  I had an old post of my 2104 compensator failing a while back and it's really getting bad.  I ordered it & installed it last October.  I will try to call for the one year warranty to see if they will honor that.  I have changed my primary fluid every 3,000 miles so I can check for metal on the magnet.  I use ATF which is good for the clutch but not for the compensator.  If I go thicker it will not shift right.  I'm going to get the "Compensaver" from Steve @ GMR and may have to take out the Energy One clutch with the VP-92 which I really like and get a clutch that will allow me to use the fluid that works best for the compensator. 

Do you know which primary fluid you used before & the one that they installed when they did the new compensator?

As far as I know there is no way to abuse a compensator they either work or they don't.   

I use Mobil 1.

I think it's just  a poorly designed solution to prevent torque pulse.  Gotta be a better way. When my old one was replaced quite frankly it didn't look bad at all but it made a bunch of noise.

GMR's compusaver is interesting but I wish they would come up with an alternative compensator design that doesn't require bolt on parts.

When this one goes I'm going to a belt drive.

[RayG]

I totally agree, the five older compensators I have don't look real trashed but they failed.  I wish I didn't have to add the Compusaver but for me it's not a matter of if it will fail it's a matter of it will fail and what steps do I need to takes to do to make it last more than one season.  The wise people on this site that have vowed to not purchase a new bike have the right thought process.  Do not buy until the MOCO makes changes.  That will never happen in my lifetime, so I have decided to keep her going since the $30,000 in 08 was a mere down payment at this point.  I did however yesterday I purchase a nice used (BLUE) 2012 Yamaha FJR to reduce the stress & mileage on the 08 SERK.  If you are going to own and put high mileage on a Harley you will need to be real lucky or do the mods to get you there.  For most of us it's to late.  Keep us posted on the life of your compensator.  Hope it's the last one you need to have replaced.

[willyB]

So I picked her up last night and rode it home the long way. About 60 miles.

First impressions:
- shifts much smoother
- easier to find neutral
- no clunk at start up
- no clunk at shut down
- "feels" more solid

I'm going to ride it for a while but at very low rpm idle (GMR 577 cams and idles around 900 rpm but will sporadically bounced down to 700 ish), low rpm takes off and low speed rpm riding it hear & feel the noticable clunk of the compensator working. Not sure if that is normal but you can tell when the compensator is working during the very low rpm conditions. The low rpm idle clunk comes in when the bike sporadically drops down only.

It's not the normal clunk. This clunk has a much more solid clunk. If you know what I mean.

Thoughts from those that have the new comp on a bike with cams that idle a bit lower?

[Cvostu]

Really nice they handled that fender as well.  I had the same thing happen a few weeks ago.  Dinged my rear fender from underneath.  Took it back to the dealer and they handled the whole repair for me at no charge as well.   Fender came out great and I was very surprised how easy it was,,    Nice to know there are some good dealers still out there. 

[willyB]

Really nice they handles that fender as well.  I had the same thing happen a few. Weeks ago.  Dinged my rear fender from underneath.  Took it back to the dealer and they handled the whole repair for me at no charge as well.   Fender came out great and I was very surprised how easy it was,,    Nice to know there are some good dealers still out there. 

The dealer (Surdyke HD) where I took it, thinking this was the dealer where I had the tire installed, told me yesterday that MOCO requires me to take it to the installing dealer for the repair.

This is really not a problem since Nick at Surdyke did all the leg work and handed me all the MOCO reference info.

We talked for and while and both think it's kind off chitty that MOCO said to take it to the other dealer because, as MOCO told him, "the installing dealer needs to share in the expense".

MOCO allows every dealer a bit of a slush fund for things like this so the installing dealer won't really be hurt by it but they won't allow Surdyke to use their slush fund on other dealers previous work issues.

My opinion. The dealer obviously installed the wheel weights correctly as the sticky pad is still ON the wheels. I think MOCO should pick up the entire cost at ANY HD dealer since it was their defective part that caused the damage. How do you blame a dealer if they obviously cleaned the wheel and installed the weight correctly? Not to mention sending a customer to a different dealer.

Nick's a great guy and we had a little fun bashing the other dealer in front of his buddies because "Nick was sending me to them".

[Cvostu]

I was able to bring it back to the dealer that sold me the tire and did the install.   They took care of the whole thing for me,,  I thought that was great and couldn't be happier.  Never had one bit of a problem with them and made this so painless. Not sure if the dealer closer to where I live would have been so helpful.    Stuart

[willyB]

Took the bike and paperwork up to the installing dealer, Gateway HD. Easy peasy. They didn't even blink about it. They said they will be ordering the fender on Tuesday and should take about 30 days to get.

The wife and I had a great time watching the rider's training class while there. Most of them were doing great. But one guy, YIKES!

He only dropped it no less then 5 times and looked like he had never see a clutch and throttle before. I suggest he take that class at least 10 times before getting out on the road.

It was funny and horrifying at the same time. I wish him good luck and be safe.

[willyB]

Weekend update.

The 2014 Compensator appears to be very clunky. Rode in the annual Hotrods & Handlebars rides yesterday. Rode all day long treating the machine special so as not to make the new compensator clunk all the damn time.

Hmmmm!

[mark]

The dealer (Surdyke HD) where I took it, thinking this was the dealer where I had the tire installed, told me yesterday that MOCO requires me to take it to the installing dealer for the repair.

This is really not a problem since Nick at Surdyke did all the leg work and handed me all the MOCO reference info.

We talked for and while and both think it's kind off chitty that MOCO said to take it to the other dealer because, as MOCO told him, "the installing dealer needs to share in the expense".

MOCO allows every dealer a bit of a slush fund for things like this so the installing dealer won't really be hurt by it but they won't allow Surdyke to use their slush fund on other dealers previous work issues.

My opinion. The dealer obviously installed the wheel weights correctly as the sticky pad is still ON the wheels. I think MOCO should pick up the entire cost at ANY HD dealer since it was their defective part that caused the damage. How do you blame a dealer if they obviously cleaned the wheel and installed the weight correctly? Not to mention sending a customer to a different dealer.

Nick's a great guy and we had a little fun bashing the other dealer in front of his buddies because "Nick was sending me to them".

So, if I live in Georgia and go on a bike trip to say California, and while I'm there, need a tire...then on the way home throw a wheel weight, I have to return to Calif. to rectify the situation?  Not very user friendly for the customer.  I wonder who thinks up these procedures at HD?

[willyB]

So, if I live in Georgia and go on a bike trip to say California, and while I'm there, need a tire...then on the way home throw a wheel weight, I have to return to Calif. to rectify the situation?  Not very user friendly for the customer.  I wonder who thinks up these procedures at HD?

i agree. But at least they are going to replace it.

[willyB]

Welllllllllllllllll!!!!! Bike is back at the shop this evening. The new compensator is a POS.

Any ideas folks?

[willyB]

 UPDATE

Bike was supposed to be finished up yesterday. I told the I needed it Saturday. No bigey.

Called this morning and was told it's not done. They clearly hear the noise, took it apart and everything looks good. As they said: "like all these damn compensators".

They are now waiting for MOCO to provide direction. MOCO did ask them to measure the crank and the unload height of the thrust washers.

We got to talking about the issues with he compensator and they said they get 3-4 of them a week. They even had a new 2014 demo Streetglide with 20 miles on it that is doing the same thing. The dealer said that the current compensators are a way to prevent them from ruining the crank because they know their cranks are weak!

Any thoughts folks?

[fastfreddy]

wish i knew the fix, when i was at the rally i stopped at black hills HD and talked with some one from BAKER, he stated that HD made these newer compensators heaver witch was not the thing to do, and thats making there issues worse (noise). also says they are working on making their own but no idea when it would be for sale. im on my second one this season and my factory warranty just ended so hope BAKER has theirs out sooner than later