Hey everyone, I wanted to start off by saying that I appreciate everyone here and it is a great place to learn about bikes and make some friends. A little about me, always wanted to get a bike but could never afford it and always took care of my family first and never had enough cash for me. Well, two tours in the shit hole "Iraq" and back and my finances all in order and most of all still alive, I bought a 03' fatty. I love it. Am I BIKER or expert, definitely not. I just love to ride and most of all, I am proud to finally own a great piece of machinery like a Harley. I don't have much, but I finally have my bike! More to the point, I am somewhat mechanically inclined but still learning and always will be. I have the heel/toe shifter and when I shift, there is definitely a thunking noise. Its not real loud but I don't know how loud a shift should sound. The oil level is good in the chain case. There is no movement in the motor or knocking going on. The shifts are all good and never slip. Neutral is hard to find sometimes. Oh, the oil is 20/50. Is there anything to worry about or just a worry wart? I again, thank all you guys and gals for your help and wish you all safe riding. Thanks, Tim.
"Hard shift"
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The HD clunk is relatively normal, and some guys find a little relief in changing their trans fluid to 75w-140 synthetic lube.
As for difficulty finding neutral: Could be clutch basket adjustment, or even too much fluid in the primary can cause undo clutch drag in the fluid and cause the bike to be a little uncooporative with gear selection......or NO GEAR selection.
As for difficulty finding neutral: Could be clutch basket adjustment, or even too much fluid in the primary can cause undo clutch drag in the fluid and cause the bike to be a little uncooporative with gear selection......or NO GEAR selection.
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I don't use the heel shifter because I'm lazy sumbitch and it requires moving my whole foot.
When going from neutral to first instead of brutally stomping it into gear I can take my time & "worry" the lever into gear without a sound. Sometimes.
To get smoother upshifts I apply upward toe pressure on the shifter THEN pull the clutch lever and somewhere in the process all the spinning gears "find a home" and she'll slide into gear without a sound.
When downshifting, lightly blipping the throttle as you click the shifter helps the gears find a home.
Hope this helps.
When going from neutral to first instead of brutally stomping it into gear I can take my time & "worry" the lever into gear without a sound. Sometimes.
To get smoother upshifts I apply upward toe pressure on the shifter THEN pull the clutch lever and somewhere in the process all the spinning gears "find a home" and she'll slide into gear without a sound.
When downshifting, lightly blipping the throttle as you click the shifter helps the gears find a home.
Hope this helps.
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He's not being sarcastic. He's telling you to preload the shifter, and rev-match for down-shifting, because if you're shifting late, it'll make the trans feel rough, and then it's rider error, and not mechanical.
The trans was redesigned a tad in 1999, but it's still a little clunky when compared to some other bikes.
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Hmmm...I read my post again & didn't see any sarcasm nor was any intended. I really am a lazy retarded sumbitch.
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First of all, happy new year, may it brings you health, happiness, and all the rest..
that´s cool you came back from this shit hole man..
I would not be too worried about the clunking stuff.. Furthermore, oil is really up to what the ambiant temperature is where you live.. HD recommends rather a 10W40 if you are in a cold place. But at the end of the day, clunking is normal..
First time I had to struggle with the toe heel selector, was a bit lost too, but you´ll see that it´s just a habit.. I couldn´t find the neutral either.. Then you learn to deal with it..
Hey Tim, I just reviewed the postings, nobody was being sarcastic here... You ain´t seen none yet.. If they were going this way, you´d be the first one to know...
Take care
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Tiny Tim-
No apologies necessary!
I know what you mean about neutral being hard to find. It's hard to slip a Harley tranny into neutral while you're rolling to a stop @ a redlight or stop sign. If you're sitting still, slightly rocking your bike back & forth while toeing the shifter makes it easy to find neutral.
Hope this helps too.
Using heavier or lighter gear oil makes a small difference in false neutrals, missed shifts, and clunks but not much difference in the big scheme of things. Gaining the finess needed to work a primitive transmission is the key.
I constantly struggle to keep my greasy beasts running, that's why I use the id Harleytard instead of HarleyTech. Not trying to offend anybody with it.
No apologies necessary!
I know what you mean about neutral being hard to find. It's hard to slip a Harley tranny into neutral while you're rolling to a stop @ a redlight or stop sign. If you're sitting still, slightly rocking your bike back & forth while toeing the shifter makes it easy to find neutral.
Hope this helps too.
Using heavier or lighter gear oil makes a small difference in false neutrals, missed shifts, and clunks but not much difference in the big scheme of things. Gaining the finess needed to work a primitive transmission is the key.
I constantly struggle to keep my greasy beasts running, that's why I use the id Harleytard instead of HarleyTech. Not trying to offend anybody with it.
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