Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[rod rifkin]

2011 cvo ultra road glide ..has valve train noise since new...just installed tts 575 cams ,tts race tuner , v and h x pipes,woke up this 110 but still have that valve train noise,,common with the 110s?  only 7000 miles...any one think by changing the lifters  it would quiet it down..  gatorman or s and s?  any sugesstions would help..thanks guys can email me direct or forum

[Jswerve]

2011 cvo ultra road glide ..has valve train noise since new...just installed tts 575 cams ,tts race tuner , v and h x pipes,woke up this 110 but still have that valve train noise,,common with the 110s?  only 7000 miles...any one think by changing the lifters  it would quiet it down..  gatorman or s and s?  any sugesstions would help..thanks guys can email me direct or forum

My advice if you want a motor without valve train noise the 110 isn't for you.

[screaminCVO]

I find turning up the stereo works!

[Jswerve]

I find turning up the stereo works!

Man you aren't lying. I have to do it or it drives me nuts! 

[r0de_runr]

Here is what I have learned:

1.  Valve Train Noise is louder when engine is fully heat soaked.
2.  Noise is more pronounced with older oil, and more so again with some 20w50 synthetics, less so with Dino.
3.  Not all bikes exhibit noise.
4.  Sometimes is is a combination of all four valve trains, creating a sewing machine like noise, sometimes it is a single (front exhaust) that clicks.

A.  When the noise is most prominent, take a motor stethoscope and see if you can pin it down to a single valve train.
B.  If it is a single valve train, is it located near the top of the tube, or the bottom?
---1)  If near the top, might be a pushrod hitting the tube.  Might fix by rotating top of tube, or reaming it out, or taking valve cover off and adjusting the rocker arm away from center of motor.
---2)  If near the bottom, might be a sticking or failing lifter.  Remove and replace.
C.  If it sounds like all four valve trains sound similar, it is just the nature of the beast.  Some are trying an automotive oil from Germany -LiquiMoly 10W60- with some luck.
D.  Most serious repair is to have the heads done, with premium valve components and premium lifters such as S&S.

I'm no mechanic, no expert, but I have read many hundreds of threads on this topic.  In many cases, folks live with the noise, amplified as it is by the batwing fairing or the RoadGlide fairing.  Seems you never hear complaints from bikes with no fairing or large windshield.

Routine, always there valve train noise does not seem to herald pending failure.  But the lifters (and some other valve components at a lesser rate), are failing at an early mileage mark, sometimes as early as 7000 miles.  Do the lifters with 850-1's or S&S Premium and rule out that early failure point.

I hope this helps..

Greg

[ultrarider123]

I'm sorry, couldn't hear this thread for all the valvetrain noise from Ginger......

Been loud all along.  I've owned many HD's (shovels, evo and twin cam) and this baby has all of them beat for valvetrain noise.  I just figure it's something the MoCo throws in so you know it's down there and as a reminder that you paid and arm and a leg for it.  It's a wonder they don't charge extra for the noise.

Unless it's lost power/oil pressure and/or smoking/leaking oil from places it ain't suppose to:  ride her

[Jswerve]

Greg I've done D, didn't help. It's noisy and I've learned to live with it. I'm going to ride the piss out of it until it blows up!

[Keats]

put straight 50W or 60W synthetic oil in engine.  Mine did not get quiet, but it did quiet down especially in that 2800 - 3000 rpm range that was the loudest.

[Jswerve]

put straight 50W or 60W synthetic oil in engine.  Mine did not get quiet, but it did quiet down especially in that 2800 - 3000 rpm range that was the loudest.

If I lived in the south I would but I won't do it up here. I ride in cooler temps. I am going to run the 10w-60 liquid moly next. Mine is noisy in the same range under a moderate load.

[2 ROSE]

I have not noticed any excessive valve/engine chatter. Maybe it is a product of the 110B...or the small windshield...or the mp3 player...or the V&H Big Radius exhaust...or maybe I am just hard of hearing...or a mixture of all the above. I figure as long as it runs well all is well.
2012 hd cvo convertible.

[phato1]

Here is what I have learned:

1.  Valve Train Noise is louder when engine is fully heat soaked.   Yup gets a little louder as it get hotter
2.  Noise is more pronounced with older oil, and more so again with some 20w50 synthetics, less so with Dino.  Mine's quieter when using Mobil 1 20/50 compared to the  HD SYN3
3.  Not all bikes exhibit noise.  I think most 110's do it's just a matter of how much
4.  Sometimes is is a combination of all four valve trains, creating a sewing machine like noise, sometimes it is a single (front exhaust) that clicks.  Yup there are several areas where the tolerances might stack up and conspire with the aggressive 255 cams to create acoustic chaos.

A.  When the noise is most prominent, take a motor stethoscope and see if you can pin it down to a single valve train.
B.  If it is a single valve train, is it located near the top of the tube, or the bottom?
---1)  If near the top, might be a pushrod hitting the tube.  Might fix by rotating top of tube, or reaming it out, or taking valve cover off and adjusting the rocker arm away from center of motor.
---2)  If near the bottom, might be a sticking or failing lifter.  Remove and replace.
C.  If it sounds like all four valve trains sound similar, it is just the nature of the beast.  Some are trying an automotive oil from Germany -LiquiMoly 10W60- with some luck.
D.  Most serious repair is to have the heads done, with premium valve components and premium lifters such as S&S.

I'm no mechanic, no expert, but I have read many hundreds of threads on this topic.  In many cases, folks live with the noise, amplified as it is by the batwing fairing or the RoadGlide fairing.  Seems you never hear complaints from bikes with no fairing or large windshield.

Routine, always there valve train noise does not seem to herald pending failure.  But the lifters (and some other valve components at a lesser rate), are failing at an early mileage mark, sometimes as early as 7000 miles.  Do the lifters with 850-1's or S&S Premium and rule out that early failure point.

I hope this helps..

Greg

And turning up the sound system definitely helps....just remember to turn it down once in a while to make sure the engine noises aren't getting worse - or to make sure no new noises start....like a compensator.

[Ozoneman]

I haven't noticed excessive noise from my engine.  I bought the bike a couple months ago and it only had 4,700 miles on it.  And now I have 11K, but I still don't notice the noise.  Is this a problem that develops later?

Previously I had a bike with a 103 engine that seemed to get more noisy after 20K miles.  At that point I put the old Screaming Eagle synthetic blend oil in it and that helped.  They don't make the oil any more, but I had found a dealer that had a few cases left over.  I still have 8 quarts of it and I guess I'll try it if I develop more noise later.

[North Georgia Hawg]

That's the nice thing about a Dragula! Hard to hear the engine over that thing...

I run Headquarters Black Ops lifters. They are the quietest lifters I've ever heard... or not heard.

I don't know what it is about the 110 engine specifically over the other v-twins, but it does seem to have more valve train noise than the others. I guess if you want a really quiet engine, you need to go with a modern overhead cam design that doesn't have all of these rackety metal parts banging around in it.

I guess Harley has stuck with this ancient 100+ year old air-cooled tractor engine design because all of us idiots just LIKE it and keep buying it.  LOL

Ken

[Money Penny]

I just got back from the blue ridge mountains.  My bike has 23500 miles and I have a tapping sound coming from the lowers by the cam cover.  It tapped really loud under the strain of climbing.  On its way to the HD. Shop  what lifters do you guys recommend if that is the case ?

[longlast]

Don't  ride north to redoes climbing noise ride south Recommended lifters, quieter ones if you can find them