Valve train noise on a Harley is one of those things that riders either dismiss too quickly or panic about unnecessarily. The truth is somewhere in the middle — and knowing the difference between normal mechanical sound and something worth addressing can save you real money and a lot of unnecessary worry. Here's what's actually going on when your valve train is louder than it should be.

Here's how I read a dyno sheet, what I'm looking for, and what the numbers actually tell you about how a build is going to feel on the street.

The compensator is one of the most overlooked components on your Harley — and on M8 engines, one of the most dangerous to ignore. And the crazy thing is – most riders never think once (much less twice) about their compensator.