REPLACING YOUR COMPENSATOR ON YOUR HARLEY? - Watch this before you install a new one.
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 พ.ย. 2023
- Before you install your new compensator into your Harley or if you have had to replace your compensator more than once, watching this video will provide you with much information and things to check before you install that new one.
- ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
My bike is not in need of service now and yet here I am gathering knowledge which is generously given to us. If I lived closer to Georgia you'd be my choice for service, may your success continue unabated.
He’s somewhere near Nashville Tennessee now I think
In my years wrenching in a shop as the lead mechanic, the BDL was the bulletproof solution for all my heavy wristed customers. I know of many drag racers who will only run the BDL. My “Total Solution” was a BDL Comp, Baker Attitude Adjuster, Barnett Scorpion clutch, and a fresh set of Baker innards and bearings for the tranny. Never had a failure in decades of work. I would tell customers that in the end of time, when all else has turned to dust, that primary and tranny would still be turning…
If you're putting more than one compensator on your bike the first question is; "are you over-compensating?" 😊
All jokes aside, thanks for another great video.
Kevin, After installing a Dark Horse compensator, I still had an issue with the engine chugging or misfiring at low rpm. I took it back for a retune and they found the O2 sensors had not been turned off after the initial tune and they were causing havoc at low rpm. After retune it is much better and I’ve changed my riding style to stay in lower gear when in town riding.
I've seen some issues develop rather quickly on the models that come with a dipstick installed just behind the handlebars😂
lol, good one, I have observed the exact same thing more often than not.
Another headache avoided due to Kevin. Thanks man😊
Words of wisdom. Thanks Kevin!
I use a baker ,the new one , very quiet and smooth. It’s a vaguely similar design to the original that came in my 2010 king . Only thing I found with it is it expands more with heat than the original so chain tension is tricky . To remedy this I used a Hayden tensioner . I also used a recluse clutch it’s very quiet too. Happy days .
Note, I did like the man o war but it exposed a lot of noise in my primary with original parts . Always good vids Kev ,cheers from Australia 😊
As always you show that you are a thinking man's thinking man.
I'm going to have coffee and it's Midnight to think some more of your thinking.
All the best to you and yours this Holiday Season.
Thanks Kevin, once again you answered all my questions and yes I will be getting a new dark horse compensator for my 2018 Deluxe.
Congratulations on the new shop.
You answered my question without even asking. If anyone made an upgraded comp for my '02 Dyna. I haven't had any luck finding one. Now I know why. Was just wondering for future reference. Very informative video. Thanks
Thanks Kevin you knowledge is very appreciated! I’ve replaced my compensator after I had the engine rebuilt from the bottom up…
SS crank and all the goodies after this small things started to break which was expected.
I have a BDL compensator for my softail. It's a rather simple and ingenious design.
great information Kevin thanks for another great vid 😎
Replaced my 07 Softail comp with the Darkhorse Man-O-War no issues smooth as ..
I noticed you still have Winder GA on the intro Logo.
Thanks again Kevin 👍🏻🇦🇺
Great information thanks so much.
Thanks man
I'm going to be into my 06 Electra Glide this winter checking all those items you went over.
My primary drive sprocket, clutch basket and primary chain are getting changed out for sure.
Bike has 53000 original on it and when I looked at it thru the inspection door it was telling me it was time.
After watching your first video on compensators and being I’m doing an engine rebuild I went right to the garage and checked mine. In my opinion it still looks brand new. 89 Harley full dresser 67,000 miles on it. I just gotta say I can see how all these newer better Harley’s cough cough just seem to be breaking left and right mostly due to everyone that has a Harley seem to think their on the Harley race team.
Thanks Kevin, I've got a 06 softtail and have had good service from my compensator. My friend, not so much !! His is o8 and he's had much trouble. I've tried to give him some similar advice, but you know how some us are. He rides pretty easy but he also has increased cubes and rides alot with his wife. I'll send him this video and hope he takes heed.
Tanks for your advice...i learn a lot thanks
Who said kevin , dose'nt know what he's talking about! 😤 you are a motor master. Mr. B. 👊
You are awesome!
I waiting on my Harley tech to bring my 2012 Road King Classic with 20,000 miles cause just started to make a very loud noise on the front of the primary cover have not started and I’m going to trailer it to see what’s going on!
I have also a 1999 Road King Classic that runs perfect!
I will ask my tech to check the crank and clutch shaft runoff.
Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge!
Always watch your channel and tell all my friends about you.
Thanks once again!!!
Yup, hard on and off gets things banging in there due to shock load. Changed the one in my 10 Roadking police with the SE and got better... as did my throttle control.
You sir are AWESOME 😎
You're Awesome Kevin, I Have An 07 Road King With 51K Miles My Stock Comp Was Still In Good Shape But I Still Upgraded To The Dark Horse Man Of War Comp For Peace Of Mind! 🤟🏼👍🏼
I get Shop Envy now watching this channel.
Great information
Man-O-War Darkhorse compensator. Southern Oregon hydraulic chain tensioner. Dead quiet primary. Smoother shifting, better throttle response. 2015 SGS
Unrelated to compensator. What brand shop lights did you install in your new shop? Thank you. Your videos are amongst the best if not the best motorcycle maintenance and build videos on you tube. Thank you very much.
I own from new 07 Street Glide, 50,000 miles and never had primary cover off, think ill check it this spring even though it sounds and runs fine!
Hi Kevin, great video as always. Is it maybe time to update the location on your "Baxter's Garage" banner (at 1:14)? Still showing Winder GA. Cheers from Oz. 👍🇦🇺
I noticed that adding the dark horse sproket to a stock primary seemed to cause the stock clutch basket to fail. So my experience was that if you install the Man o War sproket you may as well upgrade the clutch, bearings and tensioner. I went with the full Barnett scorpion clutch and bearings along with the Baker manual tensioner.
With the man o war I now feel vibration in the floorboards and grips but definitely can notice the improved acceleration / throttle response
It seems the stock primary components were engineered to work well with each other, so if you upgrade a primary component such as the compensator then it throws off the balance and exposes the next weakest component in the stock primary
I still luv my Baker Comp !!!! Had it for 5 years now with no issues and Baker chain adjuster
Nice I’m about to install baker comp and baker chain adjuster on my twin cam
My 2020 Triglide only had 4k on it when I did my 131 kit. I changed to the dark horse compensator and a PSR manual chain tensioner as well as a AIM SDR V2 variable pressure plate just to be safe. I figured if I roached something in my primary it would cost more than the thousand bucks I spent on these parts. I did all the work myself and I won’t go into all the other parts I bought but all in it cost me about 11 grand for everything. I’m sure you know exactly what I got. Anyways I tried to be cognizant of the fact that if I forgot something it would remind me later. I didn’t replace the trans though as I feel I’m not out trying to pull wheelies and burnouts so we will see.
Good advice I think with some of these guys they just bang on there bikes to hard 👍
good video Kevin. one question though, the harley chain tensioner only tightens up. what are you thoughts, if you are able to speak on it, of the Hayden M-6 tensioner which has the spring loaded tensioner shoe. is that something that can help alleviate some of the concerns?
Kevin... great video. Thanks. Any chance you can do a video on how to adjust the automatic chain tensioner? I've found sometimes it too tight, never found it too loose. But I have no idea how to reset or adjust it to get the right tension. Thanks for all you do.
I am by no means a Harley guy, but I find many of your discussions interesting. IMO it sounds like the Harley's with the compensator need a harmonic damper. Maybe that's what the compensator is trying to accomplish, I don't know, but it might be a project for a company that makes harmonic dampers to do a study on the Harley engine(s) in question and see what they have to say. Your suggestions are no doubt good things to check as well.
Thak you Kevin.👍
Thank you for another dose of trustworthy information! I have an off topic question (maybe a video idea?)…. When selecting from the overwhelming cam choices out there, does it generally make sense to complement an exhaust that makes power higher in the revs with a cam that targets the same or one that compensates the void at lower revs to balance it out assuming you wanted balanced power delivery? Will a horsepower biased exhaust negate the benefits of a torque biased cam? Maybe too broad of a question with so many variables but some general guidance with respect to cam/exhaust pairing would be great if it’s even possible to summarize.
Wow Nice looking shop. Yippie
Thanks for extending the compensator debate-great tips to consider. After about 50K km’s my 08 FLSTC OEM compensator started playing up. I stripped it and reconfigured the Bellville washer spring pack, retorqued the compensator bolt and started using SYN 80W-140 in the Primary. I have now over 70K km’s on the odo and the compensator is still performing. Is it possible that the 80W-140 oil has contributed to extending the life of the original 08 OEM compensator?
Great video. In observation of your warm clothing, are you sure you chose the right place?😆 you look cold. Maybe install a wood stove since you have all that forest and warm up the place👍
I see Baker now has a 30 tooth compensator for the twin cam. That sounds interesting. No more lugging in 6th. It raises the rpm approx 400 rpm at highway speed. Baker says it’s like adding an extra “stage” to your bike. It comes with a shorter primary chain.
How about a short video for pre 07 compensator upgrades and conversion parts needed for guys running their 88’s to 103’s and bigger.
Great info. My bike is still running great, thanks. On another note I was wondering if you found a new company to make the Skunk Works timing covers? Have you ever thought of doing a Skunk Works derby cover? I would be interested in getting both. Thanks and don’t work too hard.
Like your opinion on the compensator eliminator or solid sprocket? I hear they eat up clutch’s.
This would be a video I would love to watch.
This video should be shown to all school kids everywhere.
"Concentricity!"
Slowly I turned.
I'm fixing to replace mine. 2020 FXST, stage 1, comp started rattling at around 11k miles. Good ol Harley "quality"
My 02 Electra Glide standard but after many miles and 2 rebuilt engines the compensator needed replacing, but now it's back to normal again 😂
I have a theory that "lugging" also contributes to crankcase sumping along with a lot of other problems....They like the mid RPM range not the bottom.
Kevin, I have an S&S Crank and Darkhorse compensator installed. Is there anything that can be done to reduce the neutral rattle?
Hello Kevin
I watched both videos about the compensator I have only one question for what primary chain adjuster are you referring your customers to. I’ve heard about Haden Barker and of course H-D What do you prefer in your builds?
My friend idles his bike in low rpm after hot rodding his Engine up a little bit with new cam,pistons,cylinders, and heads so it will have that cam thump. I told him that’s bad on his cam and compensator. He didn’t listen he put in two compensators and a set of lifters in 12K miles.He would lug it around In first gear making a jerk just to get the sound at rallys. I idled his bike up and After 15K miles no problems I think it solved his problems. He was Hardheaded🫣
Man O War Motor Sprocket worked for me. Silent running and never looked back.
How do you feel about the "Hayden" spring loaded auto chain tensioner?
Would a fluid damper style compensator work ? Thank you.
17° this morning. a perfict day for a ride. Maybe Im the luckiest bastard ever . i kind of beat my bike its well over 60K and my automatic tensioner , comp,ect are fine. my biggest bitch about my bike is the shit wiring. Ive had to replace all the plugs on the gooseneck, it seems lately I get a new code of the week speed sensor, oxygen sensors, $%%#$%%%!!! haha
My 09 sportster 1200c has a solid gear i would say that why the spring plate in the clutch on them they call garnade plate say thats whats taking the compinsation lol
This mainly applies to '07 and above, I take it. I have '05 original 88
Would you say it's bad to shift without using the clutch? I assume that would add to the premature failure?
I replaced mine with a star racing billet ramp before I broke the stock one. But I also beat on my bike like it owes me money
Danke!
Thank you so much!
And lubrication, a shock area, needs something resistant.
How long are compensators usually good for? I’ve got a 2011 with about 20k miles. Still original compensator.
Man I'll tell you this you rock
I ride my 2016 street glide in the 2400 to 3500 RPM range. Is this considered lugging my bike?
How long should a compensator last in factory configuration. I have an 18 lowrider m8 with 20k and I think my compensator is started to give. Feels clunky and has a slight noise. Bike is completely stock minus slip ons
I like your videos and your knowledge. My only issue is that you seem to not like anything Harley does. Replace everything with over-priced performance parts. Right? Just leave the bike stock, do the routine services and you will be fine. I have a 2022 Road King Standard. 107 M8. Plenty of power and performance for me. I am not a racer, just a cruiser rider.
What's the remedy if you're crankshaft running out
How many miles do 08 compensator last in a 96ci to 103
I have a 04 and have replaced it only because it has been run loose.
What does a compensator failure look like. You know symptoms.
Sounds like that if it's a Harley it's coming to have compensator problems. I have never seen this problem on any other bike...
I would love to have the 131 screaming eagle motor $7999.98 is it worth it
I purchased the Man O War compensator. The tech that fitted was shocked at the amount of noise it was making. Wr tried all sorts of things, on ly thing was to tighten the hell out of the chain, which was a dangerous thing. I tried contacting the manufacturer but the only advice was, its a Neutral Rattle. End result was, i removed it and went OEM. don't waste your money unless you are racing the engine. Very disappointed
So just curious what do you consider a low RPM for operation?…. The way my dad told me, “If you can twist the throttle and there is an immediate reaction and increase in power to the wheel, you’re not lugging the engine”……on the flip side of that coin, if there’s no immediate reaction, you’re lugging the engine.
Does the sportster have a compensater
No
Could the sprockets be aligned in a way to minimize the runout between them? Or... potentially aligned to maximize the runout between them which would cause the "ever since you worked on my bike..." issue?
While you’re at it go ahead turn that idle down to almost nothing cause you wanna be cool and do more damage to the motor 🤦🏼♂️
08 UC with S/E 103 pro kit, stock compensator, original tensioner, S/E clutch plates, stock bearings, chain driven cams, original can chest and oil pump, 50k some times i feel like all these videos are fear mongering like the 6 oclock news and people replace perfectly good parts for no reason. Sure there are some failures like every manufacturer has but it seems like the harley after market biz is a gold mine and all these vids from specialty shops are cashing in.
What's your Tennessee address Kevin?
The big question is; Why is this only a problem with Harleys?, so every other manufacturer has a better drive system?
It must be the way Americans ride motorcycles. The rest of the world sees less damage or problems.
Got it. Leave it stock and don't ride it and buy a honda to ride . Got it 👍 jk