Got to studying my son's service manual for his 11 Road Glide Ultra and noticed the compensator is NOT exactly the same as my SE unit. In fact, the picture makes it look somewhat like a pre-11 compensator but with the beveled washer springs rather than the coil spring. Additionally, the cam appears to have a rather small spline surface for the job of transferring engine force into the sprocket. It does appear that the cam spline area is more open and should get adequately lubed over the somewhat sealed off design on the SE unit. My SE Comp has about 20k miles on it now and I am about to remove it to do the little slots to improve the lube situation in the hub. Should it be damaged, I will then be in a quandary as to which comp would be the best replacement for a stock 96 engine. Has anyone had the 2 units in their hands and had a chance to make a side by side comparison and make a "guestimate" as to which one would be the most trouble free over the long haul?
'11 Compensators
- Thread starter btsom
- Start date
Probably with "they all do that"! :laugh
Guess I was fooled by the perspective in the line drawing in the '11 manual. Took mine out and did the grooves with the dremel thing and I hope that will get oil in where it needs to go. Mine showed some fretting in close to 20,000 miles. the sprocket spoke/cam interface showed some roughness rather than a nice smooth wear surface. I put some shallow lengthwise groves in the spokes in hopes that will improve oiling on the cam faces. Refilled the primary with 5W 40 Shell synthetic engine oil and hope that will perform similarly to ATF but have more durable film strength. 20-50 always seemed to "glue" the clutch plates together for that loud clank going into gear the first time. I'll check with my engineer son and see if he wants his done when his device gets to 5k miles.
Hoople
Account Removed
Had a bad experience using Formula+ ?
There's more that can cause that than the 20/50 oil. Improper level in the primary or an improperly adjusted clutch will cause it more than the 20/50 oil will. When the oil cools off after sitting overnight , it's not uncommon tha any oil will cause that clunk on the first engagement. Hold the clutch in for a few seconds before shifting into gear when you first start it cold and it will minimize the clunk. After the engine is up to temp, it shouldn't be a problem if all else is correct with oil level and adjustment.
My experience is just the opposite. ON the cold start, holding the clutch for several seconds allows the transmission with the cold lube to drag the clutch to a stop and no clunk when going into gear. When hot, the trans spins easily and won't brake the clutch to a stop no matter how long the clutch is held in. Haven't had the Harley + in the primary since 5000 miles and I really don't remember how it performed. The thinner stuff in the primary seems to transfer more engine roughness to the frame than did the 20-50. This is just the second day, will advise on further observations. After 3+ years, I am familiar with recommended clutch adjustments, fluid levels and the rest.