Hard to find nuetral

[randyman]

Anyone having trouble finding neutral?  My 2017 FLHTK has 10000 miles on it and it seems like its getting worse.  I killed it in Sturgis traffic last week and found the clutch switch also doesn't work.  I have noticed it is easier to find if I bend down and try by hand.  Bike is all stock except Rekluse Clutch.  Talked to Red Line Oil Rep he said to switch away from the 20W50 to their 75W140 Shock proof Oil and my problem will be gone.  I do not have a local Red Line Dealer but I do have Amsoil available.  Does anybody have this experience?

[klammer76]

Anyone having trouble finding neutral?  My 2017 FLHTK has 10000 miles on it and it seems like its getting worse.  I killed it in Sturgis traffic last week and found the clutch switch also doesn't work.  I have noticed it is easier to find if I bend down and try by hand.  Bike is all stock except Rekluse Clutch.  Talked to Red Line Oil Rep he said to switch away from the 20W50 to their 75W140 Shock proof Oil and my problem will be gone.  I do not have a local Red Line Dealer but I do have Amsoil available.  Does anybody have this experience?

Are you running 20w50 in the primary or transmission? I don't have an M8 but I never run 20W50 in the trans, I run gear oil. Mobil 1 75W90 or 75W140 for more years than I can remember. This year I gave Spectro platinum for 6 speeds a try seems to be good stuff also. I would switch out to a quality gear oil, 75W140 like the rep said. Have you checked with Rekluse?

[randyman]

Rekluse said I'm fine with the 20W50 in primary.  I think I will switch to Amsoil 75W140 Skock Proof this week.

[Hossamania]

Check the amount of fluid in the primary. An overfilled primary will cause clutch drag, and there have been many instances of fluid transfer from the transmission to the primary on the '17s.
Measure it when you drain it.

[klammer76]

Rekluse said I'm fine with the 20W50 in primary.  I think I will switch to Amsoil 75W140 Skock Proof this week.

OK, then you are using 20W50 in the primary not the transmission. As Hoss said, check the amount of oil in the primary. Don't know if I would use a 75W140 in the primary.

[98fxstc]

Anyone having trouble finding neutral?  My 2017 FLHTK has 10000 miles on it and it seems like its getting worse.  I killed it in Sturgis traffic last week and found the clutch switch also doesn't work.  I have noticed it is easier to find if I bend down and try by hand.  Bike is all stock except Rekluse Clutch.  Talked to Red Line Oil Rep he said to switch away from the 20W50 to their 75W140 Shock proof Oil and my problem will be gone.  I do not have a local Red Line Dealer but I do have Amsoil available.  Does anybody have this experience?

Make sure anything you put in the transmission is compatible with your clutch.

[moose]

as Hoss said check the level there is a thread going on migration into the primary which will do exactly what you have

stop everything and do it now  drain separately so you can measure

[Hossamania]

Formula Plus works well in the primary, and will work in the transmission as well. It is clutch friendly if you do have migration issues.

[harttoo]

You are going to find Your primary overfull and Your transmission low.Stick with Formula Plus in both.Your original owner's manual gave no options except Formula Plus. Who reads those anyway?

[les]

A couple of things helped finding neutral with my 2011 RK.  First, I installed the Baker shift drum.  That helped a lot.  Until then, finding neutral was a hassle even after years and tens of thousands of miles.  During that time of waiting for the tranny to get better I made many adjustments, tried different kinds of fluids, etc.  Nothing helped.  The Baker drum made a big difference.

When I recently built my 124" I put in a set of SE clutch plates (full stack).  That improved finding neutral (and the first gear klunk/learch) even more.  Everything continues to be good finding neutral under all conditions and I no longer get whiplash when I put it into first.

[randyman]

Drained 38 ounces from primary and 24 ounces from transmission.  Talking with dealer about next steps. 

[randyman]

Dealer is getting parts to replace clutch switch and fix oil transfer.  I don't know what the parts are.  Refilled everything with proper levels shifts great and finding neutral is easy again.  Need bike for road trip next Friday so hopefully dealer can get it in and done by then.  If not it looks like my 2003 Ultra will be making the trip.

[98fxstc]

Dealer is getting parts to replace clutch switch and fix oil transfer. I don't know what the parts are.  Refilled everything with proper levels shifts great and finding neutral is easy again.  Need bike for road trip next Friday so hopefully dealer can get it in and done by then.  If not it looks like my 2003 Ultra will be making the trip.

This will be interesting

[Scooterfish]

If it`s a long trip I would get the 03 prepped.

[Jim Bronson]

Tranny fluid should be pink. 

[FSG]

If it`s a long trip I would get the 03 prepped.

I'd be taking the 03   

[randyman]

The run around has begun.  Harley Mother Ship wants to check it again in a few thousand miles and the clutch switch is on backorder.

[happyman]

The run around has begun.  Harley Mother Ship wants to check it again in a few thousand miles and the clutch switch is on backorder.

hope all is good!

[teknition]

  Do they have a bunch of grade 9 auto class students running their engineering department? There are only so many holes between the 2 cases that oil can migrate thru. Doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out the solution. Finding neutral on my bike (2018 Fatboy stage 4, 117 CI) sucks from the get go as well. Coming from a metric bike, I find this new to me 1st Harley pretty crude as far as shifting and rotational engine/primary/trans noise goes. When I get on the throttle it sounds like half the combustion is happening in the front exhaust pipe along with decel popping and a gas cap that rattles like a button on a "Potty mouth" house door. I would have thought that a company that has been making bikes for 115 yrs could handle engineering a gas cap, but I was wrong. Had to smack it with a screwdriver and hammer to "engineer" their crap. (Thanks to those that have posted the solution to the gas cap rattle, it was driving me frigging nuts.

[Pirsch Fire Wagon]

The run around has begun.  Harley Mother Ship wants to check it again in a few thousand miles and the clutch switch is on backorder.

I was just about to reply to a further up post about the Dealer.

They actually have a Communication instructing them to do just what they did - Fill it to proper level and reinspect it in 1,000 miles.

FWIW, this is an ongoing issue as I'm sure you are aware.

Some of the other suggestions are to run the Transmission just at the full mark and not a drop over and the other is from eons ago, only fill the Primary to the Bottom of the Hub.

I have also talked to a few who enlarge the Vent hole slightly in the Top Cover Gasket. Apparently, that actually seemed to help they said.

Hope it works out for you.

[Pirsch Fire Wagon]

Do they have a bunch of grade 9 auto class students running their engineering department?

Well, as a matter of fact....... There is an article in a Bagger Magazine with the new line up beginning next year. It states "Harley-Davidson has given sole control to the Design Teams..... Here we go. They'll look like space ships before long! 

[Hunter14]

Maybe they Hired Arlen Ness, And he'll but them out of business like he did with Victory...

[hattitude]

Maybe they Hired Arlen Ness, And he'll but them out of business like he did with Victory...

I know Arlen Ness is well respected. I have a friend who met him and said he's a very cool, down to earth guy... but...

Almost everything he makes I find hideous looking...

I just don't like his designs....!

[Mainecat]

This might help--

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aw4QVmldQKI

[rbabos]

This might help--

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aw4QVmldQKI

Oh please let him work on my bike . NOT.
Ron