Don't know if there's anything in this but in recent weeks I've noticed a noise when I accellerate hard on the bike, I've got a feeling it's coming from the primary case.  Noise sounds like a chain rattling, ie a high pitch rattle, kinda like glass breaking.  It happens when the motor is under excessive load, ie hard accelleration uphill for example.  The bike still runs fine.  From what I've read the more recent primaries have an auto chain tensioner but I'm not sure how this works.  Has anyone experience anything similar?

I had that with mine as well. I ended up adjusting the adjuster by hand. The Mechanic at Pro Street said get a long this screw driver and try adjusting it by getting between the housing and giving the adjuster a tap to get it to the next ramp. I couldn't get in the in the end and dropped the case completely. The chain was tapping against the top of the primary case where the mounting holes in the primary case are.

Another method I read in a forum is.

1. Take of hard in first gear to place strain on the chain and then back off and brake real hard with only the back brake. ( note Do not lock up the back brake as it will not adjust the chain tensioner.) Doing this a couple of times will take up the slack in the chain, the auto adjuster will click up another couple of notches and take the slack out of the chain. I gave it a go but ended up doing it by hand. Bit of a wuzz accelerating hard in first gear.. From what I read in the forum it worked for all of the blokes that tried it.

Hey mate

Could be a couple of things.  Here is a previous thread on the rattle.

http://www.hdforums.com.au/Default.aspx?tabid=71&forumid=24&postid=165915&view=topic

I adjusted the clutch, put some Redline in, flicked the tensioner with a screwdriver as below and all good now.......

 

Thanks dudes, sounds on the money, I will give it a go.

KC check your horn. You put on the fan a few weeks ago and moved your horn down to the front left down tube, where I put mine. Just a thought that your horn maybe just topuching the down tube or some other meat part on the bike and what you are hearing is the engine vibration through the bell.

Change it down a gear and see if its not pinking, a prob with older models lugging it up hills in 4th, but as i`ve been told before, what would u know u got a shovel.

kingy it possibly the chain tensioner does your bike make a loud clacking noise on start up sometimes ? and if you try and idle off in first gear does it sound really bad ? mine does if the revs arent up enough it sounds like a group of destruction gremlins trying to smash holes in the primary ...its very unnerving in my caes its the way the tensioner works on 09 ultra which is same i think for most models , does it really bad 2 up fully loaded .unless i give it 2/2.5 grand revs on take off and slip the clutch heaps it will slap like a 14 yr old with a playboy mag

hey scotty arnt these newer bikes ment to run on normal shitty unleaded ?? better than on high oct ....so i was told anyway

cheers scotty i agree about the downshift , i think theres a misconception that harley engines are luggers , but i feel they are more of a revvier engine than ppl think , i have noticed on the 09 ultra it likes being up a bit in the revs esp on the highway dont use 6th unless really moving 140 and up ...

Hi guys just been reading all your replys about noise from the primary. My 09 road king with 7800ks on it has just started to make a rattle noise over 65-70kph stops at about 110kph comes back at 120-130kph. Does it in 3rd gear mainly but is still there through all gears, stops when the is clutch in. Ive been in to see the dealer about it and tryed to explain the noise. They also suggested that it might be the tensioner as it sounds like a chain rubbing somewhere. The bike still runs great, just annoys the hell out of me, anyway I have it booked in mid Jan after I get back from Xmas for its 8000klm service. Will let you know what they find when they have a look.

Ok well I finally go the lowdown on this, I took the bike into PSHH Adelaide to see if they could sort the noise out under warranty as I was pretty sure it was mechanical.  After test riding it they agreed.  They ended up determining it was a loose compensator, once tightened the noise has gone.

I've got to give these guys credit, they looked at the bike without an appointment and fixed it the next day under warranty even though my warranty had expired a few weeks ago.  Good on em.

good to hear it wasnt anything to major and they fixed the issue almost str8 away .....makes me wonder if the same prob with our 09 ultra ....