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[HD Street Performance]

I know. An oversight
For the 110 guys this applies

[panhead1]

Those engine scopes make a fly spec look like the Rocky Mountains.
Probably best to start pulling it down, seeing how it is progressively becoming more audible, and nip it in the bud, before it becomes a monster.
Scott

It hasn't progressively gotten any worse.  Just had that noise after i put the motor back together.  It just had the usual valve train noise before i did the motor.  When i fired up the bike and rode it has sounded the same for the last 130 miles.  I just hate noises that aren't suppose to be there just can't figure out what it could be. 

Your right on those scoped you can see about any scratch or type of defect anywhere.  But i couldn't see anything in the cylinders.  So it gotta be in the heads or something in the cams.  Unless its some crazy monster that is hiding in the bottom end.  All i got left is just tear it down again and see if i can see anything i guess.  Just sucks none of the shops carry any cometic gaskets around here.  Not sure if i would want to try and reuse my mls gaskets again with 130 miles on them.

[panhead1]

I have been checking to see if i can find anything else out on what this noise is.  Even tried using a stethescope.  I don't really hear much metal to metal clicking anywhere on the motor.  Just a little valve train noise on the front exhaust valve.  Nothing else really anywhere.  What i noticed today was when its cold doesn't really make much noise.  But if you go for a ride after a few minutes you can start to hear more valve train noise but it is spotty.  It makes different types of noise depending on throttle position and whether decel.  Kinda strange.  I am reallly thinking it might be the lifters just not holding up. not sure what else could be making it do that kind of stuff.  Guess i am gonna try out an old set of lifters i have here and see if that makes any difference.

[prodrag1320]

just for sh*ts & grins,take a good look in the ex port,see if theres ANY oil present.we`ve seen a couple times where the ex guides were coming loose in the later heads

[panhead1]

I did look in the exhaust ports when i changed out my gaskets.  I thought too but couldn't see any oil anywhere on the valves or around them. 

[panhead1]

Changed out the lifters today.  didn't make any difference.  Guess i will take the motor apart.

[dlaws01]

I'm sure that if you consult with the service department at your local H-D dealership that you will find out that this noise is perfectly normal. 

[panhead1]

Ha ha.  That is so true.  i am just getting ready to ride to montana so i don't want to ride it till it breaks so i know whats wrong. 

[panhead1]

I am afraid i probably found my noise in the bike.  I can stick a .025 feeler gauge between the piston and the cylinder wall.  pretty sure they set the bore to .025 instead of .0025 like its suppose to be.  Gonna take the cylinders to a friend with a bore gauge and see what they are actually at.  If wrong guess there is a wasted set of cylinders now. 

[skypilot_one]

Ever get this figured out?

[cahdbiker]

Panhead1, sorry to hear about your problems. Your pistons should be at no more than .0025. I had a similar problem with a brand new S&S 107. Sounded like valve train noise from day one, but not that bad so I rode it for 2k miles after break in. At about 2 k miles it was banging like you wouldn't believe and honestly if I had to bet money I would say it was valve train noise (I have commented about this before). Also if you listened really closely( I also use a short piece of tubing for this) you could hear a small knock just off idle coming from the cylinders. I took it to a S&S authorized repair shop and after only two months of back and forth with my mechanic S&S agreed to pay him to pull the entire motor, take it back and redo it. It was under warranty, so it really sucks that they gave him and me the run around. Got it back a month later . S&S said they had their best man on it. It ran for 71 miles , but their best man forgot to tighten the rear jam nuts on the push rods. Back to the shop. 2k miles later the same loud noise. My tech (Bennett is  Long Beach Ca.) measured the piston to cylinder wall clearance. It was .0045 and .0050. S&S knuckled under and send my tech new jugs,pistons,rings, etc. He honed the cylinders to .0025. No noise at all. I would have lost that valve train bet. Anyways if you are getting a .025 feeler gauge between piston and cylinder wall the pistons are too loose and when they  hit top dead center they move from one side of cylinder to the other which I suspect is the noise you are hearing. I hope my dilemma sheds some light on your situation.  I am sure S&S products are mostly good. I probably just got a lemon or a inept tech at S&S.Let us know if the noise goes away when you set those pistons to what they should be. Sorry for the short novel. CAHDBIKER

I am afraid i probably found my noise in the bike.  I can stick a .025 feeler gauge between the piston and the cylinder wall.  pretty sure they set the bore to .025 instead of .0025 like its suppose to be.  Gonna take the cylinders to a friend with a bore gauge and see what they are actually at.  If wrong guess there is a wasted set of cylinders now.