What's a (SE) compensator?

[Adrianna Gabriella j]

Want some cheese with that wine? Seriously. The motors are built just fine at the factory. Then there's the 2-3% of people who have problems and get on the forums looking for help/insight. So to other forum readers it seems the problem is everywhere. When it in reality is not.

It doesn't matter if it's Harleys, Diesels, whatever, all forums seem to be the same (except Ford 6.0 diesel forums lol). There are the loud minority that have issues, making them seem far more prevalent than they really are.

Ride the thing til it breaks. Then fix it right. I've been beating on my bike, and I mean beating on it since the day I bought it. 11,000 miles and ticking no problems. So have two friends of mine. No bad vibes, no crunchy compensators, nothing.

I also know a guy that has a dozen late model Harleys for rentals. For whatever reason, he runs them til they have way too many miles, like 50-60k before he swaps them out. Never heard him complain about runout, compensators, lifters, cam tensioners, primary tensioners, whatever. And rental bikes do get a beating!

 

[jolligan]

...because you or some others you know haven't experienced it? Google "twisted TC96 cranks" or whatever plethora of sites supports that the issue has been reported more than a few times.

Better yet, since you're in Nor-Cal, call and ask any local Harley dealer, BC Gerolamy, RC Cycles, etc, about the issue and ask their opinion. They'll tell you that if you ever once visit rpms above 5800, let alone perform one burnout or quick take-off, the likelihood of twisting the crank is very real. Perhaps the frequency of incidents isn't an everyday occurrence, but the crank and supporting bearings are weak points in an otherwise fine engine.

I have not twisted my crank. My bike is currently stock and it runs fine, but I'm going to a 103 and I am bumping up the compression a bit. I have no intention of abusing my bike now as a 96 or 103, and when the time comes to have the work done, I'm definitely heeding the precaution of every builder with whom I've spoken regarding this issue by truing the flywheel and having the crank pegged and welded for peace of mind. I probably would never have a problem but I'm not taking the chance of fragging my motor.

Regarding cheese with my "wine": I prefer beef, as in beefing up my crank, thank you very much.