pebble noise

WOW, only 2500 bucks to fix a warranty problem. Bet the MoCo would love to hear that. Check the Lemon Laws in your state and start bugging the hell out of that dealer. Better yet, find another one. I really don't like these 'old school' dealers that pride themselves on the tattoos and hair length of their 'mechanics' rather than good customer service. Don't really care if your service manager is a bad ass or not.

When we bought both of our trikes from the same dealer (2 years apart) they downloaded new maps for both bikes freebie. When they go back for service, the first thing they do is check date and number of the generic load, and upgrade if there is a newer one. There are 6 dealers within 50 miles of our house, so I guess competition keeps them honest.
 
I know Harley Davidson doesn't want to hear this but i like the looks of the Honda trikes too.

If it is indeed pinging there is no excuse for it, the dealer needs to work with Harley tech services to resolve it. It would be interesting to know what the actual CCP numbers where from the dealers compression test.

FWIW I'm looking at the Goldwing, I'm renting a 2 wheeler for a couple days this weekend to see what I think. If I like it I may buy a 2012 or 13 and ride it a couple years 2 wheels to put miles on it before I trike it.
 
off course here, but,screwball u make alot of sense at times,so how'd ya get the name? my 2011 does it also,going up today to the dealer to see what they say.
 
off course here, but,screwball u make alot of sense at times,so how'd ya get the name? my 2011 does it also,going up today to the dealer to see what they say.

Old Vietnam call-sign. My initials are SB, and was called a "Screwwwww Ballll" by an old First Sergent (add very strong Alabama Accent) when I dropped my pants and mooned the fence line from the top of a 40' clearance pole. Couple of my idiot buddies heard it, and I became ScrewBall instead of Sierra Bravo. Thanks for asking.
 
If it is indeed pinging there is no excuse for it, the dealer needs to work with Harley tech services to resolve it. It would be interesting to know what the actual CCP numbers where from the dealers compression test.

FWIW I'm looking at the Goldwing, I'm renting a 2 wheeler for a couple days this weekend to see what I think. If I like it I may buy a 2012 or 13 and ride it a couple years 2 wheels to put miles on it before I trike it.

M3, I think working on a Goldwing would be a night mare, over a HD take all day to even get to the engine with all the plastic. Just my oppinion.
 
If it is indeed pinging there is no excuse for it, the dealer needs to work with Harley tech services to resolve it. It would be interesting to know what the actual CCP numbers where from the dealers compression test.

FWIW I'm looking at the Goldwing, I'm renting a 2 wheeler for a couple days this weekend to see what I think. If I like it I may buy a 2012 or 13 and ride it a couple years 2 wheels to put miles on it before I trike it.

Geeeze, do I get first dibbs on the harley parts??:Trike1:
 
M3, I think working on a Goldwing would be a night mare, over a HD take all day to even get to the engine with all the plastic. Just my oppinion.

I've worked on them, they do take a little more time but they are also like a snap together model with all the plastic body panels. The normal service work is actually quicker than doing a service on a HD. Only thing that really takes a little more time is changing the air filter, it's in there pretty deep.

I'm looking forward to pilling on the miles today and tomorrow to see what the wife and I think, in the past I've only ridden one around the block.
 
finally got the service dept to take it for a ride.as i figured,didn't hear any pebble noise.another thing i noticed yest erday after coming back from a 200 + mile ride was the left muffler is covered with black like soot while the right one is clean and shiny.wondering
 
finally got the service dept to take it for a ride.as i figured,didn't hear any pebble noise.another thing i noticed yest erday after coming back from a 200 + mile ride was the left muffler is covered with black like soot while the right one is clean and shiny.wondering

The left muffler has a restrictor in it to let let 70% of the exhaust go out the right ,So the left pipe tends to blacken up because of the restrictor.
Take a Dow stick and run it in each muffler and you'll see / feel the restrictor.
 
The left muffler has a restrictor in it to let let 70% of the exhaust go out the right ,So the left pipe tends to blacken up because of the restrictor.
Take a Dow stick and run it in each muffler and you'll see / feel the restrictor.

ok thanks for the reply.just talked to a buddy who races cars.says he has some racing fuel in his garage(107 octane).kinda afraid to try that.
 
ok thanks for the reply.just talked to a buddy who races cars.says he has some racing fuel in his garage(107 octane).kinda afraid to try that.

You don't want to mess with unknown race gas, it could have lead in it. When my brother raced we used Cam2 to start the engine and chase the methanol out of the blower at the end of the day, Cam2 was big time high in lead.
 
I think this trike of mine has a mind of it's own.Me and a buddy decided to take it to another dealer today.Try as i might i couldn't get it to ping at all,purred along perfectly.What i have been doing is adding Star-tron to it the last 3 fillups.Guess i'll just ride it a while and see how it goes.I know today i was really happy with it.
 
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I've had perhaps what you are referring to since we got our '11 one year ago. Comes from the front and clatters badly...not rhythmically...usually worse in hot weather. However we drove 50 miles last night in the dark (under 80 degrees) and still noticed it. Typically, this happens between 2800 and 3000 rpm....

Last night, while driving 75 in 6th gear, I held in the clutch. The noise, whatever it is....went away. So, I was wondering if there was something banging around in the transmission that might be hitting the side of the case...causing this noise? We are totally new bikers and don't know how to describe these noises to the dealer to help remedy. But this string of posts is the closest to what I tend to hear.

I'd like to put an audio recorder on the front and record this noise for dealer and others to hear. I bet that could help pinpoint something. Truthfully, it sounds like some metal thing is just going to snap and break. I always ask other Trikers I run into about it...many seem to say its normal or they have it too. Very puzzling thing to get to the bottom of. Certainly doesn't sound normal or right to me! Even my wife hears it from the back from time to time and she has a hearing problem.
 
If the OP's noise is anything like wonderment's I'd sure bet on something in the tranny too. "Pebbles" rattling around in a metal can is exactly how I'd describe the neutral rattle in my trike and of course it goes away when you pull the clutch in. To me true pinging is a different sound, but the pebbles thing sure sounds like something transmission related.
 

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