HOG HELPLINE Belts, Shakes, Sticks, and Bangs Got a problem with your stock H-D that your local dealer can’t fix? Well, put away that hammer, grab a pen, and let our resident pro get you back on the road! That’s right, frustrated ones. You can now get your perplexing problem answered with a simple snail mail or e-mail to AIM.
This month’s Hog Helpline starts off with Tim Case and his 2003 Road King. Tim has a question about adjusting his belt, and thankfully, it has nothing to do with his pants. Following Tim is Tim, Noyes that is, from up yonder in New Hampshire. Tim #2 tells us about the shake, rattle, and roll generated by his 2007 Dyna FXDB, so forgive us if we describe it as a bit of Noyes’ noise. Kyle Ericson out Californee-way is perplexed by the Case of the Vanishing Dipstick associated with his 2006 Street Bob. No worries though, our super cycle sleuth solves the mystery. And rounding out the pack is Internet Keith who swears that he’s getting a bang out of his 2007 Road King Classic. Obviously, Keith, you ain’t got a thang if you ain’t got that bang.
Anyone wishing to submit a question to our H-D expert should send in as much info about the problem and bike as possible, which definitely includes the bike’s year, model, and mileage, to Hog Helpline, c/o American Iron Magazine, 1010 Summer Street, Stamford, CT 06905, or e-mail it to ChrisM@AmericanIronMag.com. Ready for the disclaimer? Unfortunately, we can’t answer all of the questions that we receive or respond directly to the submitter, owing to volume. Select questions will be answered only through this monthly column.
Q: I have a 2003 Road King. Actually I’ve had several, and this scenario has always baffled me. Why adjust the rear belt cold (per the manual)? I do the adjustment at the tightest spot, 5/16” to 3/8” with the proper tool from Harley. After riding for awhile and rechecking, the belt is pretty tight. I’ve inquired at the local dealer and have never gotten a good explanation other than it hasn’t broken, so don’t worry. Should I start adjusting when the belt is hot? Any info would be helpful.
Tim Case
Via Internet
A: No Tim, don’t adjust the belt hot! If the belt is run too loose, it will try to climb up on the teeth of the pulleys, causing premature wear of the pulleys and possible belt breakage. You know when the motorcycle is cold, but it’s hard to say just how warm or hot it is after it’s been run. Therefore, the cold motor is the preference. As the pulleys warm up from use and engine heat, they expand, but the belt doesn’t. Thus the belt gets tighter. If you adjust to spec when cold, it will be right when the bike is hot. Keeping the belt adjusted and clean will keep you riding trouble free for many miles.
Q: My 2007 Dyna FXDB vibrates -- a lot -- but I’m not sure if it’s more than normal. At idle, the handlebars on the bike shake enough to ghost images in both mirrors. If I stare at an object in either mirror while sitting on the bike (with feet firmly planted on the ground) I can tell my whole body is vibrating. When I decelerate with the clutch pulled in, just as the rpm hit the spot before idle, the whole bike shivers. At normal traffic and highway speeds, the mirrors always show ghosted images, but I have to attribute some of that to wind and road conditions. The bike however seems to be semismooth at most speeds, especially in sixth gear at roughly 70 mph.
I’ve owned import cruisers and sportbikes dating back to the early 1980s and never had a motorcycle vibrate like this one does at any idle, speed, or deceleration point. My two local H-D dealers claim the same thing: “Harleys vibrate. That’s why they’re famous.” I said bollocks, and each dealer took my bike in for evaluation. One shop claimed to have replaced the front motor mount (why?), but to me, it looks identical to the original. The other shop went through the alignment procedure from start to finish, and though the alignment was not found bad to begin with, the procedure made no difference in the vibrations. This dealer’s techs adjusted the main drive belt because they claimed it was too tight (this was 100 miles after getting the bike back from the first dealer for my Dyna’s 1,000 mile check!). Now I feel disillusioned, a bit cheated, and definitely in a fog about what is normal and what is not for any bike, let alone my Harley. Is there a major design defect in the Dynas or with the new 96” engine? I read this as a common problem or neat little quirk, depending on different riders’ interpretation of what is normal. The trouble, as I see it, is that Harley’s so concerned with selling image (and add-ons) that perhaps it’s forgotten how a well-built motorcycle should ride.
Tim Noyes
Nashua, New Hampshire
A: Without actually riding the bike, Tim, I can’t say how bad your vibration is. The Dyna vibration isolation system will tend to shake pretty good at idle. The type of handlebars you have can amplify this condition and make it hard to see what’s in the mirrors. Concentrate on how it feels at cruising speeds. Do you have an aftermarket exhaust system on the bike? Many times a nonstock front exhaust shield will contact the frame and transmit lots of vibes, especially on deceleration. Do you have any other accessories installed that could be acting like a big tuning fork? A long sissybar or a tall windshield? Both of these can amplify the vibrations. How about the rear shocks? Are they set too tight, or are the rubber bushings in them bound or torn? The shocks are a solid connection between the drivetrain and the frame. If the shocks are bound up, vibrations will get transferred to you.
There is a possibility that your engine mounts are not installed properly and are transferring the normal engine vibrations to the frame. The Motor Company has a procedure for installing and aligning the mounts and stabilizer. It’s kind of a big job, one that should be done under warranty. Ask your dealer to have its service rep come out and ride your bike. If you can’t get any satisfaction, call customer service yourself and explain your situation.
Q: I was recently performing routine maintenance (oil filter change, primary and tranny oil change, etc.) on my 2006 Street Bob (20,000 miles) and encountered an issue that disturbs me greatly. After draining the transmission oil (which looked pretty normal to me) I noticed that the stick portion of the transmission dipstick had apparently broken off and fallen into the transmission. Being concerned that the dipstick could lodge in the gears while riding (I have no idea how long I rode the bike in this condition), I had the bike trucked to my local dealer for repairs. It was my opinion that it had probably fallen down through the oil pan since the dipstick had not lodged in the gears and not locked up the transmission (I’m not really sure if this is possible, but it seemed plausible). After tearing the bike down, my dealer stated that the transmission looked fine, and that since the dipstick was of a softer metal than the gears, the gears had probably just chewed up the dipstick and there should be nothing to worry about (the dealer didn’t drop the oil pan, though, as I requested).
Does this sound reasonable to you, or should I take the bike back to the dealer and insist that the pan be dropped to look for the dipstick? Another troubling aspect is that another Dyna rider whom I spoke with experienced the exact same issue. Doesn’t this sound like something that would warrant a Harley recall?
Kyle Ericson
Riverside, California
A: How did the transmission oil look? Was it silver or was it still clear? If the stick got ground up, the oil should be full of tiny particles of aluminum and should obviously be silver in color. If this is the case, the aluminum got everywhere in the tranny, including the bearings. The aluminum is soft, but it’s also abrasive and will wear out moving parts quickly. You could try changing the oil numerous times until it comes out clean. Keep a close ear on the transmission. If it starts getting noisy, stop and take it apart. My advice, though, would be to take it apart again and inspect all the parts. Change the bearings for sure, and look closely at all the other parts. The sooner you do this the better. If the dealer didn’t find the stick, it must have gotten chewed up. It couldn’t wind up in the oil pan because there are separate compartments in the same casting.
Q: I hope you can advise me regarding a concern that I have about my 2007 Road King Classic. When I start the bike, there is a loud mechanical bang that can even be felt in the handlebars. It’s akin to someone whacking the clutch housing with a hammer. I suspect it’s the starter pinion not disengaging properly when the engine starts. The dealer tells me this is normal because “of the big gears in there.” Well, this is not my first Harley (I’ve had my FXLR for 20 years), and I find this explanation hard to believe. I’ve also listened to a dozen other Twin Cams start up, none of which sound like this. One curious note, it’s not quite as bad when the engine reaches normal operating temperature. Any thoughts?
Keith
Via Internet
A: The noise you’re hearing is not the starter, but the compensating sprocket assembly. Because of the primary-drive ratio and the load on the sprocket, when the engine fires and starts to run, the springs in the assembly bottom out and cause the bang. It’s normal on the 2007s, and will not cause any problems. Some bikes seem to be worse than others. Your FXLR had a different gear ratio in the primary and a slightly different sprocket assembly that didn’t bottom out. There is a Harley Tech Tip that explains the situation. Your dealer should be able to show you a copy.
March 08 
Linear Mode
