Harley-Davidson Nightster 1200 issue: Rattling
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- Опубліковано 29 сер 2024
- May 20, 2012; my HD 1200 nightster has been having issues since i got it. its been into service dpt. 4 times now for the same issue and nobody can seem to give me a good answer. if you want to skip to the times when it dose it well enough for the mic to hear it go to: 5:44, 6:50-6:59, 8:10, 12:08, 12:40. the last two times are when it is the most intense. at min 15:00 I do normal acceleration and you cant hear any issue.
So, since this video still gets a lot of hits I should put an update. The bike was a lemon! The detonation was not caused by a fuel issue since even with high octane racing fuel the bike had the same problem. The techs at Harley never could figure it out and just replaced it.
using stock pipes ?
so the techs never decided what was actually happening? My 16 48 is doing the same.
Same shit is happening on my 16 sportster 1200 custom ☹️
Have the same bike and does the same thing,not loseing any power,,hell i dont know what to do with it,probly sell it if i can.
same here - you get get a follow up from Harley?
The motor is pinging ( pre-ignition )The fuel in the cyls are igniting before the spark plug fires off, these bike are set up with alot of timing during hard mid range throttle and inconjunction with the stock 1200 and 883 engines from the factory runs very lean to meet EPA standards so cyl temperatures are higher when running lean. The only way to minimize this is and it s worked for me is to only use 20/50 synthetic Vtwin oil and that will help keep the engine temperature lower and to only use 91+ octane fuel. Also only use Harley Davidson spark plugs, There 6R12 and the gap is 32-38in. however run the gap at 30 -32. I had the same issue on my 09 sportster 1200 when the out side temperature reached over 100degs here in Arizona. These are the steps I took to reduce the problem 90%.
The only way to fully cure the problem is to have the bike re-mapped by the dealer so they can dial in your timing and air / fuel mix little better. Perhaps try a oil cooler or a after market fuel ignition tuner, ! step colder spark plug. Have the dealer also check both o2 sensors.
I hope you still have the bike or already corrected the issue.
Good luck
So glad you made this video. I just bought a sportster making a similar noise. It sounds like something is loose and rattling. Probably the heat shields on the exhaust is my guess. Either way other yt comments have given me many things to try resolving the issue.
Hey. I come from a drag racing back ground... what that sounds like to me is detonation. The gas is exploding instead of burning... it's like beating the tops of the pistons with a hammer! I'm not sure what the compression ratio is on that bike, but higher ratio = the need for higher octane fuel! Try running a few tanks of the highest octane fuel you can find and see if that helps. If it's still pinging like that, try putting some octane boost in every tank of gas. If you find it gets better with higher octane but still does it some... get the dealer to check things like ignition timing, valve timing etc... as the timing advances, detonation will get worse! Just a little word of caution here... as soon as you hear that sound, slacken on the throttle... or I promise you, you will be picking up pieces of that engine from the road some day... Just my two cents! Nice bike though!
My Rattling turned out to be my kickstand! lose spring and it was rattling against the frame but it sounded like it was coming from the engine. Never overlook the obvious.
Did the spring rattle when you hit a bump or taking off in a higher gear at low rpm? I`m trying to find rattle tinging sound.
even cold you can you have weak lifters, they sound like there not holding pressure they call it bleeding down , my Harley did that , I replaced the lifters and no more noise. plus the noise that you here is a ping like TIMMING OR CARBON build up on the pistons or a over heating problem , stop doing that to your bike or your going to burn a hole in the top of your piston. I feel your anger , when a Harley 's not running right it can mess with you bad , I would start with better gas then go from there , try to relax , I would trade you my great running softail just to have your youth, don't let the small shit get you down , and it's all small shit if you still have your heath.
Damn bro respect
I needed to hear that
You know ive asked a bunch of people who ride harleys, and work on harleys... and thats the way the machine sounds... its normal to all sportsters. hack, even my 1200N makes that noise most times. and i hear you about only happening while the aggressive acceleration.
its the machines nature... i wouldnt spend to much time worrying about it... it happend when i bought mine brand new... i put about 10K on mine so far and it still makes noise, and still runs mean..
great greaat bike
from my point of view, it's call "Engine knocking" ,fuel and air mixture are ignite,before the piston arrived to the TDC(top dead center) the maximum height for the piston in the cylinder,as far as i understand the new Harley,have injection system,you need to check if the motor have a "knocking" sensor like most of modern car have,and you need to search how to connect to the main ECU of the motorcycle and (the main computer how control every thing) ,in the car ,there is a plug that you hook cable and download all the info about the problem,it's call OBD-2,i assume on your Harley you have the same plug 'but with a different pin lay out . it's better that you learn by your self to troubleshooting and don't count on any tech.
sorry about my bad English,i just try to help
morris
israel
Just walk into the dealer, shake you head " aint fixed " put the key down on the desk and say " its coming back everytime till its fixed ".
It's probably the chain in the primary rubbing on the primary cover. I have a buddy who just picked one up super cheap to flip it and it had a similar kind of sound. We took the primary cover off and sure enough there was a spot that the chain kept rubbing against.
MrSXys WildRide nearly sure IT is
I bought an '09 Nightster last year. I noticed some pinging and rattling exactly like what is described in this video. My bike got so loud it would actually shut off in traffic. I brought it back for warranty work and they found a ring had popped off causing excessive piston wear. This was caused from a malfunctioning oil pump. Apparently common on the evolution 2 engine. I got a brand new motor dropped in. nearly $6k for $120 and no problems after 3k miles. I run Mobile1 SYN with Arlen Ness stage 1 and Vance and Hines Blackout 2 into 1 pipes with Stage 1 download from Harley. I get 38 mph in heavy traffic and i weigh 190lbs. Not bad!
wow!!! That's bad. I have had many bikes. I currently own a 2004 sportster and I can tell you that is most definitely not normal. It sounds like pre ignition which will grenade an engine quick like in a hurry. Especially as loud as that was at the 12:08 mark. It can be caused by different things such as lean fuel. too advanced timing, and high engine temperatures. Or any combination of those. Good thing you did not ignore like some suggested. Congrats on getting it fixed.
Mitch is correct. It is most likely pinging when hot. Use high grade gas 93 octane or better. Alcohol is a problem also. If you have a small local airport they might sell you some 100 octaine gas. The bike will run very smooth on this fuel and will prove you have a detonation issue. Harleys Are Not HONDAS. Every one sounds different and they are not as quiet or as smooth. Drive and enjoy it and when it blows biuld a better engine. Welcome to the HOG family! (sounds like a piston ratteling)
Louder pipes fix rattling =)
You need to change the belt its rattleing against the belt guard once it heats up. also could be belt tension.
I know this video is ancient in the internet world, however I'll add that my 2008 had this similar problem, especially on a hot day at WOT. Got a power commander V, and that seems to have solved it
The feller got rid of it. Don't blame him one bit, I currently own a 09 nightster that I love. It could be making engine noise that I wouldn't like to hear but with the pipes I got on it it's hard to hear anything else.
I had a rattling noise on my 09 nighster during acceleration as well. I eventually figured out that the drive belt was smacking the plastic belt guard. Took that ugly thing off and the problem was solved. I hope you get it taken care of.
@ Danny MacNevin, you took the words right out of my mouth, i watched this on my phone and couldnt comment, so i logged in on the laptop to comment and you beat me to the punch.
Glad to hear they fixed it for you. I found Harley has a great warranty.
My bike is doing the same thing. But sadly it isn't under warranty. Hopefully they can fix it without putting a new motor in it.
Did you ever find out what it was
The mechanic working on my bike which is a 93 heritage softail just put in a new tensioner took it for ride still making same noise . He said to give him a couple of days and he will find it , has him baffled I have changed everything in motor except flywheels and clutch hub. I'll post here when he finds the problem
+gary williams Gary, yesterday I had taken my bike down to 1st Capital Harley-Davidson dealer in York, PA. after reading online someone passing by there stopped in with a the bike not running right while under warranty and as a customer courtesy they hooked it up to their computer at no charge and put in the latest download map and checked it out. Got it back and running for him for no charge. I called ahead and asked them about my sportster and yesterday they hooked it to their computer re-updated the latest download in case it may have gotten a bug in it, did some sort of fuel reset with the computer, checked the sensors and test road it. the tech there explained to me and confirmed that mine is pining when under load with a roll of the throttle once up to operating temperature wtih warm outdoor temperatures. he said harley has these set up very close to lean due to epa requirements and to keep them from pinging under these circumstances you need to be slow and gradual on the throttle. he did say however the extent that they are pinging should not damage the engine. he said he's been working on these for about ten years and they don't get sportsters back with mechanical engine or transmission damage. he said the biggest issue they get with these sporsters is the valve cover gaskets leaking. he said harley came out with a new gasket a couple of years back to deal with this problem. mine was just replaced by one my area dealers this week at 14,000 miles. he said also which i was told a long time ago on my old bike too that you should not run them with the oil level more than half way up the dipstick as being too full of oil can lead to the gasket leaking. finally what he suggested was to not worry about it for now while under warranty but if i decide i want better performance from it or i want it to ping less then to consider gettting a harley super tuner and either have them spend a half hour labor on basic tune download map to enrichen it a little throughout the ranges or spend an hour on their labor to tune it more specifically for me to better match my riding needs if i want some rpm ranges richer than others. he also mentioned to check the number on the oil filters i'm getting from the local shop here because there are two different types for the sportster and one of them filters is to resistrictively not allowing enough flow at high rpms. he said the proper black one for my bike is #63805-80a which is the same one that i have sitting here for my next oil change that i got from the local dealer so it looks like they have been selling me the correct one so the full noise must be from the pinging heat/lean conditions. the tech there also recommended a full stage one with air cleaner and pipes upgrade with supertuner for better performance but i don't need better performance for my riding, i'd just like the stock stuff to not be pinging and hold up long term when gearing down and opening the throttle for passing without wasting time in the other lane creeping past them. it was good to see this dealer (1st capital in york, pa. do so much with checking the computer map and sensors and the fuel reset along with the detailed explanation admitting that it is pinging since my local dealers would not put it on their computer and would just say it sounds like normal sportster top end noises so just ride it. let me know if you discover anything else about this issue.
It would be worth putting this machine on a Dyno and seeing what the A/F ratio is as measured at the exhaust. It simply may be too lean at full throttle and hot operating temps; re-mapping may solve it. If you can get it to stop or lessen with a tankfull of higher octane fuel, that's a good indication that the A/F ratio needs attention. Hopefully it's not the oil pump problem mentioned earlier in this thread.
It's the gas. This "rattling" is detonation. The pistons are rattling around in the cylinder because the gas is burning before it should. I have an '09 nightster and it rattles at operating temp under heavy load when i have crap gas. I always run high octane. When I was in Oklahoma and getting gas with zero ethanol, she rattled not at all. I use star tron enzyme gas treatment and when i get the mix right, she does not rattle.
I have a 2008 nightster and being totally honest I have never heard anything like this on my bike...but I do put one tank of high to one tank of low octane in it most of the time and I am in the u.k. so maybe our climate adds a bit of moisture to....I personally would recommend these bikes to anybody as they are so easily maintained , affordable and darn do they feel good underneath you to....
Yea, sounds like its pinging, due to low octane gasoline.
You can find out real quick if the engine is pinging, by going to your local race track and get 100 octane gas, then you'll know for sure if it's a fuel problem!
I have an 08' XL1200N, and it does not, do that. I bought it used, and the first thing I noticed about it was; the excessive vibration, so I tightened the final five belt (it was very loose) to spec's, and the vibration disappeared.
Sweet harley nighster you still have it
High octane fuel will pre-ignite when the engine is hot. It ignites at a lower temp. then regular gas.
I don't believe the valves are floating. Rattling is the piston rattling in the cylinder. Valve float is actually very rare unless there is serious slop in the valve train. I believe it's the ethanol because in Oklahoma, i got gas with no ethanol and she did not rattle. When i use enzyme gas treatment, she does not rattle. ( I have an '09 nightster).
Your lucky you caught the issue while it was still under warranty..
Alrighty, I mainly asked because I'm honestly a twig these days. Hence the reluctance to get a bigger bike.
Also thanks for the quick response, really appreciate it & your vlogs are pretty enjoyable. Keep it up man.
Only sure way to determine detonation is full throttle run and pull clutch while shutting off engine. Pull spark plugs and compare to charts. Detonation cant be missed to trained eye. Another cause is excessive spark advance. Any tech with basic, correct knowledge can diagnose correctly
My 2013 1200 Custom does the same exact thing! When in gets hot it sounds like a ball bearing is bouncing around inside when I accelerate! Only when it's hot though. I was told it was lifters or pre-ignition and that it was common in Harleys. Was told to have my fuel injectors adjusted to enrich the gas mixture.
I would check the exhaust shields, brackets, flanges bolts and flanges, the bottom bracket that holds the rear pipe. definitely sounds like it's coming from the exhaust system somewhere, not the engine. IMO
or C. their waiting for your warrantee to run out before they find your problem.... got myself 2011 48 love it sounds great. ride great, but it just wont stop giving me problems after problems. its very disheartening. hope you get your bike fix.
It the lean'ness of the Air and fuel ratio. When you add a more open exhaust and air cleaner, it gets a little worse.
Gary, I just got my bike back from the dealer I bought it from. After telling them the other dealer in York, Pa. confirmed it pinging they dug deeper to try to find the undelying cause of it. They told me they found it and rebuilt the top end. They said it had a bad valve-guide-seal that caused a carbon build up and hence the pinging. It also says on the work description of the warranty invoice that both intake seals were leaking. They removed carbon build up from inside of chamber as well as piston top and replaced all the valve-guide seals. Based on the parts listed they also replaced both piston rings. They also have listed that they diagnosed and fixed a noise in the primary. They list an o-ring, oil seal and gaskets for primary cover, clutch cover and chain inspection cover. It says they adjusted/tightened the compensator. I hope these repairs solved the problem. I won't know for sure untill the outdoor temps rise again around here. I think now its too cold out for it to do anymore pinging.
+rob in central pa. I just took my bike back to the dealer yesterday because even after they replaced the valve guide seals and the rings last fall now that i finally have warm enough weather to see if its still doing it i've found it is still pinging, it was pinging on a ride sunday and again several times on the way to the dealership yesterday. the service manager at the dealership claims their tech didn't hear it on the test ride but had verified it in the fall when i brought in paperwork from another dealer outside my area that claimed it was pingning. the local dealer yesterday did some diagnostics on it with someone at the factory looking at the computer's numbers from its history. he felt the numbers looked satisfactory so since their tech didn't hear it on his test ride they won't do anymore to try to eliminate the pinging. the warranty runs out in three weeks. and they won't make any guarantees in righting that its fixed or that it won't blow down the road on some future date. it looks like time to trade it on another make like an indian, victory or maybe one of the more mechanically reliable japaneese brands. unfortunaly harley's marketing hyped 2 year warranty is no better than the local dealerships that must address all warranty issues. harley will not deal with a custormer over the warranty it must all go through the dealerhips. so if you want a harley and the warranty to be honored make the dealerships you will be using are reputable and take care of their customers warranty problems. i'm done with harley davidson since it still has the pinging and the warranty about to run out with them denying the problem still existing and claiming they are satisfied since the numbers from the computer are acceptable to them.
Folks, if you read back a year, he go the engine replaced under warranty. That sound was sure not right/normal... Glad to read HD stepped up and replaced the engine.
Hi there,
had the same issue under hard acceleration with my 48 with the second Tank fill.So far I agree with Mustangaein.My Problem was a bad badge of Fuel.Since then only a minimum of 98 and she goes very well.No rattling anymore.
Hope this is Helpful
Man, I've been watching what people comments on your video because I have a similar problem with my 09 xr1200. In my case, there is a visible intake leak, and I took the bike to a mechanic to change the seals. I'm also checking for exhaust leaks, primarlly on the gaskets attached to the cylinder heads.
Sounds like it is an "advance timing issue" ie: the advance timing cannot keep up with the throttle. This can be an issue with the software in the electronic ignition or the current configuration will not allow for the quick throttle advancement. I have the same bike but have not accelerated quite as fast as you have. So far I have had no issues with my nightster and have 3100 miles on it.
I got a 2015 Harley forty eight and it barely has 1200 miles on it, I broke it in the way the dealer told me. Just the other day I got on the free way and hit the gas all the way and I tripped out when I heard the noise as i opened the throttle all the way. haven't taken it to the dealer yet as its inly been afew days of it doing everytime I ride cuz Im worried im going to have pay all kinds of money to try and fix it and from what I've been looking up and ready dealers can't seem to fix it :(
you ever find out what the deal was? I have a 16 and it does the same
andyzdoesit if you have guarantee they should take care of all of it seems you bought it new
the noise at 7:00 sounded exactly like spark knock/ detonation. the main thing is poor fuel. if you are using less than 93, i suggest using higher with octane booster from harley dealer. marvel mystery oil also helps.. I use 91 octane and it seems to be fine but every once in a while I will get a small crackling when i open the throttle.DO NOT USE OVER 10% alcohol mixture in the gas...this could also be causing the problem If possible, try getting gas at 100% gasoline station
I WOULD SAY SOMEWHERE UP ON WHERE THE ROCKERS ARE,-THE SPRINGERS SHOULD BE UPGRADED,-(maybe å loose chain).is what my guesses are.nice to see it worked out for you.RIDE `N HAVE FUN!
ill let you know if they manage to fix it. frankly, mine is still under warantee so if they could replace the motor and everything else...if that dont fix it im taking it back under the lemon law.
Make sure all your bolts are tight. Motor mount bolts, Horn is secure and not rattling in the wind. Could be a broken bearing in your wheel??
I got a sportster 883 with a big bore kit and n4 andrews cams. My bike does the same thing. I changed the lifters no results. I know its the lifters cause when I changed them the noise went away but came back very shortly. I'm going to install adjustable rods to see if I can fix it
I had the same problem, and got rid of the problem by; getting "one step cooler" spark plugs.
(For example: factory calls for Champion RA8HC.
So I replaced with RA6HC)
Nice bike. It's sad to see they have issues.
Off topic: what gloves are you wearing?
My 07 1200C just started to make this noise at lower RPM. To me it sounds like something relatively thin whipping around making a "squeaky rattling" metal to metal contact coming from the front of the bike. I tightened down different things and I'm about to try lubing the front motor stabilizer rubber points. I read this on one forum and the explanation is drying out of the rubber.
I keep forgetting how loud my valve train is and thinking my valves are loud…… but shoot, nearing yours out of the dealer saying it’s all good I will never think that again.
I do hear the rattling you speak of…… what was the fix for it?
its hard to tell.but it almost sounds like pinging?try to upgrade your fuel and see if anything changes.it only makes the sound at the lower rpm of full throttle. and the first half of the gear.also let each gear rev to at least 4000 rpm before you shift.do not short shift
I did come across a video about this top end noise being fixable. Apparently something to do with the rocker mount and the spacing. There is a fix available for it. Sportsters have always been a bit noisy on the top end once they heat up. We used to call them "Shortsters" because we would have to stop on a long ride and let them cool down for a bit. Not sure if this is applicable for a sportster but here is the video link: ua-cam.com/video/07qgOR_0TOY/v-deo.html
check your oil pump there may be a slight blockage
when you give it throttle you may not be getting enough oil to the head hence at low rpm and smooth throtle there is no real issue
It sounds like detonation to me. You need to either have the timing gone over and/or have the fuel/air mixture remapped. Have you changed pipes or air cleaner at all? That can surely make a difference. Other than that make sure you are using the highest octane gas available. Not sure what they have where you live, but I always run Sunoco Ultra 93 octane. It may cost a little more, but you are only filling up a couple of gallons at a time so splurge a little, octane boost wouldn't hurt
Agreed. Detonation for sure. I posted similar comments as well. Sounds like the dealer is throwing parts at the issue. I had success also with enzyme gas treatment and running gas with no ethanol.
It sounded like the valves were making contact with the pistons!! I the bike was brand new you would have that sound to break in the motor!! But since they replaced entire motor and you don't have that sound guess it was factory defect!! Be safe on road bud!!
forget my last comment I just posted a long explanation about hrmonics and vibration causing something to rattle. but I see tht they resolved the problem with motor swpa
Son its a tractor. Welcome to the life of being a Hardly Ableson owner. Dude you are "Sons of Anarchy" tough.
no, its a piece of shit. got rid of that bike long ago and all the drama with it.
Saxon907 did you buy another harley?
HarleyFirestorm
hell no, it was literally in the shop more than in my garage. I'm done with Harleys. I ride a BMW GS now
Saxon907 I've had a lot of bikes, Harley can be a bit temperamental I have had two and now on my third, I think you just got a bad one with less then clued up dealers not helping the matter. I own a BMW as well, but that's being a pig believe me.
Infidel Dave
really? are fucking stupid or can you just not read? probably the latter considering your last comment which was kinda incoherent. I don't ride a Harley or an Indian. I wanted an on/off road ADV bike, so I got a GS
to me it sounds like the high RPM ( or aggressive acceleration ) has something rattling loose, has to be something that heats up alot for it only to be doing it when its warm like that. sorry you not haveing much luck i have a 2008 nightster and absolutely love it. put some V& H pipes on it and you wont here it anymore :). good luck man
Thats a good result. Its a shame it happened though. Did you ever get a response on what the issue actually was since tehy replaced the engine.
Are you happpy with it now :)
Note to self: Keep the 1982 Yamaha Maxim 750 with 67,000 miles.
Ouch I feel your pain. Make them pay!
Whats the update?
Lol, the CBR600 is an inline 4. 600 super sports are by far the most uncomfortable bikes made. If you want to ride for long periods of time or ride a lot in the city they are a horrible choice
I also had the same rattling noise in my 2008 Sportster XL1200. The guys from my local H-D dealership told that this was the symptom of knocking combustion and suggested to use high-octane fuel. Then I used 98-octane fuel and the bad sound disappeared immediately.
ps. I had that rattling noise using 95-octane fuel.
ps. Before changing the fuel I also tried another spark plugs (platinum Screamin Eegles) and it didn't help.
My sporty had kinda same problem ,it turned out to be the horn rattlingM
I'm very happy with my Thundermax.
If you want a Harley without the Harley issues, get a V-Rod!
Shounds like it could possible be your primary chain. I'm not sure but when under load the chain is being pulled tough't by the automatic chain tenisoner, which could be bad and your getting possible chain slap in the primary case. But not sure just suggesting.
Just from what you are saying, I'd say it's a classic case of pre-ignition. Your big inch, air cooled twin only rattles under a heavy load, at full throttle when it's at high temperature. I too have a 2012 Nightster, and accept that are gonna be some issues like this because it is a big cube, air cooled twin. The reason you don't normally get pinging in first gear is because the load is so light due to gear multiplication. Are you using 91-92 octane fuel?
Sounds like low Octane Fuel to me also !! Causing spark Knock.. I run 91 Octane and have no problems with my 1200. sometime stations put the wrong fuel in the wrong tank have the fuel checked and also the timing Checked again !! Good luck I have 4900 miles on mine with no Problems
That is pre-ignition!....
9 years and on, still the same issue I have on my Iron 883.
Hey, did i read that correctly? Your sportster has been making this noise for the past 9 years?
I have iron 2017 only 500 miles the same noise , thay sey that the normal , I need help
One of those shops that modify engines. In case they need to open it. Never take it to a HD dealer shop. I guess thats why they dont give you answers.
mine is doing same thing, when you are cruising, and throttle it you hear "ping,ping, ping". I think its "pre ignition". I was getting kind of pissed too. Been looking at new Indians and Hondas too, lol
i just got done riding and was fucking with that noise, kept deceling and accelerating to make it do that, lol. im wondering if increasing or decreasing gap on plugs or different plugs, or i have no idea. mine is definitely doing same thing
i turn the music up in my earphones in the helmet to make up for all the ugly Sportster noises, lmao
go for it, Honda Fury is a much better machine strong and smooth.
i hear the same noise on my road king.. thought it was low octane fuel..if it was a car that would be the case..
you right it's not at low rpm.please let me know..and i sold my vz1600 for this..😥
Could it be the fueltank front mounting bolt thats loose or the exhaust headers that need to be tightened. When parts are getting warm they expand and if the bolts arent fastened it will rattle?
Worth a try.
It sounds like a push rod. My fxr made the same noise for a while and I thought it was a loose bolt somewhere. Eventually it got worse and worse and started to sound like complete crap at all speeds and rpm's. when I finally pulled the motor and took a look inside the rod looked a banana. Be careful friend and don't wait around, get that shit fixed ASAP. Tell Harley to pull their heads out of their asses and fix it. Then don't go back to them for service, find a good local shop. Good luck dude
I hear the same sound on my 2010 Nightster when accelerating hard. Still searching for the right fix. Did not extend warranty...
So i bought a XL1200x sportster in the beginning of last month, just hit 500 miles on my bike and mine does the exact same thing on the high end. Seeing that its a common issue im just going to assume that it's normal. I used to put my ear real close to the motor bc i was worried maybe something was loose inside or the valves were hitting something. I'm gonna bring up this issue to my dealership and see what they say to me.
2OfficialTony-What did the dealer say?Is the problem resolved.
its the primary chain you hear....i've got exactly the same thing going on, on my new nightster...I went to the HDshop they looked at it and the chain has some clearance...thats the noise you here...i've asked if it was damaging the bike...and the answer is no...its "normal" my exgirlfriend has the same bike..i didn't hear it from her nightster...so some nightsters and i think the 2012? has some primary chain noise...altho I've asked if they can tied up the chain because its somehow loose..nope
yah, its called a warranty. i bought the bike to ride, not to sit in the garage or the dealership.
yes, and no...I started on a 07 ninja 250 after nearly 10 years on a dirtbike. the ninja is a great learning bike but if you have ridden before its going to get real boring real fast. if you can get one cheap go for it, but otherwise I would go with a bike you can see yourself riding for a wile.
They call that spark knock my friend....detonation.....they need to adjust your fuel/ ignition map before you wreck the engine. Tell the tech to throw it on the dyno and they should have no problem seeing where're your map has gone wrong
Did they think to check the advance springs in the ignition? But that probably has vacuum advance
Anyone find the fix to this ?? my bike is doing the same only not quite as bad as this one
false. any motor vehicle of any brand can have problems. its not a common issue, and my last harley had no issues. HD stands by their product and where more than happy to do everything to rectify the problem. it runs great now.
Yep...I had a couple of HDs, good solid depedable bike. And I rack up some miles and beat the hell out of them.
Im happy for you!
My Iron 883 started with same symptoms right at 1200 miles when I took it in for service
Sounds like a exhaust shield for sure, some sort of metal plating. Im guessing a missing bolt
You ever figure out what was wrong with it? I've got the same problem going on. I'm thinking it's because I'm running too lean..
Pinging, is not good, you did well to get it sorted, can come from overworking the bike initally, riding it too hard for too long and once it's done it's done
Well I own a 2007 Harley Davidson Sportster Nightster like yours and mine under heavy acceleration to get up to speed the engine rattles a bit nothing severe I'm told it's normal as I took it to my local Harley Davidson dealer and had the sales manager which is a good friend to my dad ride it to make sure everything is fine which was. And what grade of gasoline you are using in your Harley regular (85), mid grade (87) or premium (91) as you supposed to use 87 octane or higher according to the owners manual for it to run properly as I know I put 85 into my 2007 Harley Davidson Sportster Nightster when I first got it has I live in Colorado one of the states that 85 is still being used and my Harley stumbles at idle & has an engine knock (detonation) at high RPM's but when I switched to 87 it stopped.
well it was bad enough that the techs at HD replaced the entire motor on warentee. it doesn't make that sound for me anymore.
It's like a drivetrain glitch. Mine started yesterday it was the damndest vibration on acceleration. I hear it but I feel it more. It's not a motor issue. I checked belt. Motor in neutral. All good. Could it be an alignment issue? Bearings? I'm stumped.
What it is, is ore-detonation or spark knock. It is an air-cooled engine and it is quite common. Being only air cooled, it's very hard to eliminate this problem. The harley techs all know this is normal, and it will eventually take out your valves, and head gasket. Why do you think harley shops employ so many people? It isn't because the bikes work, that is for sure! You want the cure, upgrade and dump that harley for another brand. I am serious.
ether its running lean, over advance timing or over heating what causes ping knock also wrong fuel the Harley's are made to run on 90+ octane to keep the heat down on air cooled motors.
by the way I can hear it all the way through, not just open throttle.
change your gas octane , use high octane, I had the same issue, with my 1200, after 10000 miles will sound better
Aside from that noise, is the primary supposed to sound like that in general? My primary makes the EXACT sound while riding but there is no knocking or any other weird noises except the constant noise from the primary. When I accelerate it gets louder and deceleration the sound gets quieter. It seems to make that lawnmower type sound. Is that normal?