Compensator

[Biffy08]

Post by btsom

You are right. The latest new SE compensator requires a new rotor?? Also the little plastic part that is to be glued to the outer primary. I don't think I want to glue anything inside the primary casing. You can buy a new chrome outer casing for big $$ that already has that glued part as an integral part of the casing (i.e. not glued). All these compensator problems should have (or be) a recall by Harley. They are jerking everyone around with all these fixes.

Agreed! heart:bigsmiley30::bigsmiley30::bigsmiley30: Can we file a class action?

 

[propflux01]

So when my Compensator from my '06 Ultra takes a dump, what do I buy to replace it with?

Seems all options are messed up...

 

[btsom]

So when my Compensator from my '06 Ultra takes a dump, what do I buy to replace it with?

Seems all options are messed up...

The SE Compensator kit came into prominence when the older design proved to be inadequate for the 96 ci engine. If you have a reasonably stock 88 your comp will probably last the life of your machine. From personal knowledge, I have no idea if the newer comp designs will fit pre 07 engines, though I would suspect they would.

The older style comps used a coil spring built into the rotor (flywheel with magnets built in) to provide the pressure on the cams which provided the shock absorbing function for the compensator. All of the newer style comps use bevel springs, not sure about the name, which are big washers bent like an umbrella which will flatten some under pressure. The old rotor is not compatible with these springs so a new one was included in the kit. The new comps did not lubricate well in the hub and cam face areas and that caused new problems with the new comps which you have probably heard about.

The latest design was aimed at the replacement market for the 11 and newer machines which already had the proper rotor for the bevel springs so a new rotor is not included in the kit and must be purchased separately for older model conversions. Among the improvements in the latest version are oil holes in the hub to help get oil into the area having fretting problems in the earlier versions. The plastic parts you may have heard about are designed to catch some of the oil being slung around by the chain and funnel it into the hub area so the new holes can deliver it to the hub inner area. The cam interface has been redesigned with wider faces so the load will be distributed over a greater area and the spokes on the sprocket now have ridges which will hopefully keep the cam faces more adequately lubed.

I'm not an engineer, just a shade tree mechanic. This new design looks good to me and I suspect it will be the final revision to heavy duty compensator. Only time will tell, however. If your comp gives up, the guys at the parts desk should know if the newest design will work on your machine, but you will need that new rotor for the new design comp.

 

[Jennmarr]

[QUOTEAll of the newer style comps use bevel springs, not sure about the name, which are big washers bent like an umbrella which will flatten some under pressure. [/QUOTE]


the springs used in the current compensator are called Belleville washers.

 

[Hoople]

Better oiling with the latest SE Compensator ($300) but you'll need the rotor that was in the older SE Compensator kit.
Looking at over $400 for everything needed, plus gaskets, lube and labor.

When I look at what you now get for $300 I shake my head. At least with the old $250 compensator you got a new rotor with fresh magnets which is always nice to have. With that, I could see $250 worth of parts.

I was up at the dealership the other day & the salesgirl says "you can save money commuting to work if you ride this bike".
Ya right.

 

[Jack Klarich]

[QUOTEAll of the newer style comps use bevel springs, not sure about the name, which are big washers bent like an umbrella which will flatten some under pressure.

the springs used in the current compensator are called Belleville washers.[/QUOTE]

Thinner versions are wave washers, they are spring steel and when compressed still hold outward pressure

 

[dolt]

The early and late compensators are not interchangeable.

There are aftermarket alternatives for the SE comp problem. The upgraded version seems to work fine for about 20K-25K miles and then the lubrication issue, or lack thereof, reappears.

Hoban Brother, AKA Darhorse, has a replacement in the works but don't know if it has made it to the market yet. A guy named Richard K has a prototype that he has in the patent process but has made several on request. BDL has a replacement but the results I have read have no been favorable.

The Compensaver is an aftermarket solution that looks like it would solve the problem but I don't have any personal experience, nor have I read much about it.

Compensaver - Home

Another option would be to convert to a closed belt drive.

There is an extensive discussion on HTT on the problems with the SE compensator as well as DIY tips to address the issue. Quite a read but very informative.

SE Compensator

 

[hardheaded]

The inner bolts are fairly substantial. Twisting one off would be far beyond the torque spec IMO. I have had mine in and out numerous times and have never had this fear. The outer cover bolts, that is a different story. The threads for those can pulled out very easily.

the outer bolt torque is only 18 ft lbs. that's not much