SE Compensator ?

[rbabos]

The new SE comp# is 40274-08A

I already threw one of those in the trash.  It was a POS!  And now I'm POed, because I threw the rotor in the trash along with the comp.

So...  I'm going to give the 2012 comp a try and see what happens.

Steve, if you get some time, could you explain shimming a stock comp in more detail?

I'm thinking the 11s had the SE unit and the 12s have the new unit.  Next time at the dealer...  I will look up this stuff.  The newest parts manual I have is for a 2010.

If I thought I could get a SE comp to last I would but I am putting 20K plus a year on my bike I do not need issues on my trips.   EXACTLY!!!

Well one thing that Ron and I spoke about was the amount of travel they have. So if you take a tq wrench you can bottom them out very easy. SO if they get to the limit of travel the idea is nothing more than stopping them from banging back and forth so easy. Add a shim to the stock shim pack. It will increase preload, but since there is very little room you are going to limit the travel. But again if you look at how far it is moving you can see they go from one  side of the stop to the other side.

So if you have a cush drive no reason you cannot go back to the old style and add a shim . The dyna guys and softail well not much for that unless you where to maybe get a after market wheel and convert it to a cush drive. That would be some fab work not going tobe a bolt on deal there.

We went off in a tangent in our conversation, which is not uncommon but after thinking about the stock comp and the shims you and I have done, I forget to mention it's a temporary fix. The preload will eventually fall back due to those small cam tips wearing down and them machining the pocket deeper inside the sprocket. Ok, so the natural thing is to go thicker on the shim. This is where it bites your ass. The splines on the extension shaft have a termination point where the extension shaft turns into the spindle for the sprocket. It will stop the cam from moving outward to make use of any further shim attempts. The sprocket will then rattle because the tips of the cam won't offer any dampening or stability for the bore - sprocket  fit. Mind you I have no way of knowing how long this would take, but there was only about 1/16" wear allowance before it was beyond hope.
I'm really frustrated with both of these poorly designed units at the moment, but do have a bolt on oiler setup in mind as a last resort. While the SE has a couple of issues,  both the stocker and the SE suffer from running dry. The only time the critical parts see oil is on a shutdown and maybe idle speeds which was the attempt of grooving to allow a bit extra in there to flood the bore and buy some extra time.  Drive it long enough it drys up, regardless. Once I get all the other projects done I may dive back in there and see if there's a way to run a gravity oiler tube to the back side of the outer bore. Hopefully the spirals in the washer are the correct direction to pull oil into the bore and then fling some of the excess accross the spoke contact points. If there's room, it could be a bolt on unit just about anybody could install. It's a big IF, though.
Ron

[HD/Wrench]

Well I have just over 26,000 now and its still going so if I have to buy a few parts at say 40K better than only getting 6k like the se version or less

Like I said good luck with the SE version as no way in hell would I install on of those on my bike, at least not the pre 12 version ,

[rbabos]

Well I have just over 26,000 now and its still going so if I have to buy a few parts at say 40K better than only getting 6k like the se version or less

Like I said good luck with the SE version as no way in hell would I install on of those on my bike, at least not the pre 12 version ,

Just checked. Got 14k on the present SE comp with the 113. Still silent and functioning ok. Must be that special lube blend I'm using.
Nothing wrong with your approach and with the ids , most likely a great combo. At this stage it's too much for me to convert my softail to ids and for now the SE has to stay. Hopefully with all the 120r's trashing these things MoCo will come out with a more durable unit. Just have to wait and see.
For what it's worth my parts guy says the 2012 comps are the same # as the previous -08A.
Ron

[HD/Wrench]

Sure Ron go ahead and hold out on the custom oil that you are using. Let everyone else tear up parts and you get 14K on yours and still going strong...  I wont tell anyone.. but if you guys start looking in the cooking section at the grocery store you are getting warm   

[rob71458]

If our cranks are welded and we are running the IDS, why can't we just "Potty mouth" can these comps. all together, and use a solid sprocket?

[rbabos]

If our cranks are welded and we are running the IDS, why can't we just "Potty mouth" can these comps. all together, and use a solid sprocket?

Not really my field but based on my gut feelings is that relying strickly on the cush drive with these agressive long duration engine pulses the ids will likely get beat to death in no time. The pulse is better dealt with over two areas, comp and ids for best absorbtion in a shared fashion. What might work to some degree is to reduce the comp sprocket to a smaller dia. For example the EVO 30 tooth, if you can tolerate the gearing change does work reasonably well with the ids. Not  as smooth as a comp but from what I've read acceptable. However , every one has different standards as to what's acceptable. Staying with the stock 34 tooth sprocket and going rigid would likely send it over the edge and be quite rough in the lighter load cruising ranges.  I think what I'm trying to say is the 34 tooth will amplify the pulse more so than the 30 tooth would. Don't think you'd like the ride Rob,  compared to a comp unit. I know the constant shudder would drive me nuts.
Something to ponder. If a bike is equipped with an ids , one would think the comp should last longer since in theory it's range of motion would be reduced and less wear would develop. I'm beginning to wonder if the opposite is happening, based on some of these really short life spans of 5k, and I'm 3 times that in milage with no issues so far on my non ids softail
Sorry to mess with your heads, it's just my nature.
Ron

[sandrooney]

I just installed the SE comp in my 2010 SG and with 25,000 miles the stock one still loooked great, no red rusty looking stuff like I have seen on some ( Harley Formula 1 since new ). My old shovels always had that rusty looking crap all over the comp. I hope the SE holds up. I just wanted to get rid of the bang when starting. If I have to replace every 20 to 30,000 miles so be it, still a lot cheaper than tires. Gas and oil alone to go 20,000 miles will cost you around $2,000. I think one would know if the comp was going south before any other damage was done I HOPE. And without having to replace the rotor what maybe an hour.

SR

[JimB]

Ive been reading this thread since the beginning .....

My 07 SG w/ 25K miles on it has banged & bucked since it was new... so after reading a ton of info, I decided to go with the SE Comp
On 09/01 I ordered p/n 40274-08A, it was back ordered but came in on Monday.
What I got was p/n p/n 40274-08, no -A , the date on the box is 08/25/11. I asked about the -A and was told... well, we ordered that & this came in

Ok..so anything I need to know  ?

Im putting it in this weekend... It cant be any worse than what I got now.
But... Ill save the old one just in case

[HDDOC]

From what I have read here it does not seem to be much differant. I putting an 08 non A in also Mon,  Doc

[HarleyFranco]

Fast,

I'd send it back and demand the A type.  IMO, the A type is more solid than the non A type.  Unless you want to spend another 200 bucks 20 to 30 k down the road.

Frank

[saddle tramp]

I'd agree, get what you ordered, not what they want to get rid of...

Fast,

I'd send it back and demand the A type.  IMO, the A type is more solid than the non A type.  Unless you want to spend another 200 bucks 20 to 30 k down the road.

Frank

[hogpipes1]

   :wtf:All this BS  & trouble with comp . sprockets  never had a bit of trouble with mine, no banging ,clunking ,noise at all.  i must of had the upgraded Verizon  it came with a plug in the pri-cover and a grease fitting in the comp. of course that was back when parts were made to last and customers didn't get the shaft and pissed off. 58 FLH PAN.

[JimB]

At a HD dealer, I get a personal discount of cost +10% on orders for my own use. The catch is I can not return anything I buy using this discount.
The day I picked up the SE Comp, my contact, the Parts Mgr, wasnt there so I took it. I have gone back & talked to the Serv Mgr, Parts Mgr & called a PHD Mech I know & they assured me that because of the mfg date of 08/25/11, I got the latest available at that time. Yeah it sounds like a load of BS but Ive known these guys for years & theres no reason for them to mislead me... Sometimes ya have to say OK... and walk away.

Like I said, it cant be any worse than the stock one is.

[sandrooney]

There is a way to tell. The shaft extension #2 and the sprocket retainer #6 are different on 08a than the 08. That part where the thrust washer slides on to the sprocket retainer is a lot longer on the o8a and it fits into the shaft extension. On the 08 there is just a lip on the sprocket retainer that the thrust washer rest on and it just butts up against the shaft extension.
SR