Sporty transmission, 2001 sportster S model, 9,000 miles

[geo]

 Just bought the bike and now having trouble upshifting only third and fourth gears. 1st, 2nd, and fifth gears are smooth as well as downshifts. Everything seems to be normal as far as clutch adjustment and fluid level. Anything I could check before tearing into the tranny? Sounds like a huge job.

[andyxlh]

have you drained the primary fluid and checked for metal flakes? did you adjust the clutch while the bike was cold as you should? have you checked the primary chain tightness? did you 'seat' the release ramp balls after you slackened the cable before adjusting the clutch by pulling in the lever a couple times? is it difficult to up-shift whilst moving (bad) or while stationary (pretty normal as far as i have experienced)? does it 'grind' into gear or 'bind' out of the previous gear?
I would think that it's pretty rare to have a transmission let go with that low mileage - how much of the bike history do you know?
cheers mate
best of luck
Andy
Sydney
www.youfreeweb.com/andysharleys

[geo]

First of all, thanks for responding. The bike community is the best; I was recently disappointed that the car hotrod community doesn't come close. I have 1200 miles the last time I changed the oil and adjusted the clutch. Checking the fluid I did notice some liquid metal floating in the oil. The problem is the gear binds out whilst moving. I know nothing of this bikes history except that it sat a lot! I'll change the oil readjust everything. Other problem is the electronic speedo sometimes tops out at 45 mph no matter how fast I'm going. Do the sensors fail like this or should I start looking for a bad ground? Thanks again.

[hdsporty481]

hi geo i dont know if you nhave  thifter forks in that i,m pretty  sure you do  when i took the tranny out of my 88 sporty the shifting forks were bent and thats what was happening to me  replaced the forks no more problem mine was doing it from 3 to 4th  at t65he time i did not know to check the forks hope this helps ya good luck ride SAFE sporty481

[andyxlh]

Yes the shifter forks could be a problem. As i remember the transmissions in the 5 speeds are made without shims on the ends of the gear shafts to adjust end play - the manufacturing tolerances were tighter. However I have heard of transmissions that have crappy shifts because the end play was not checked in the factory. This might be a cause perhaps. this topic is covered in a great book by Kip Woodring and Kenna Love called something like 101 projects for evolution harleys - or something like that, well worth buying.
Anyway, I agree that readjusting everything and changing the trans fluid would be a good idea. Make sure you use the correct fluid - formula + as i have been informed is the right one now...
remember that the magnetic drain plug always has a little 'fur' on it when you change the oil, it's the bigger stuff or lots of it that is a worry. If the change and readjust doesn't fix it, you might have to tear into the tranny.
cheers
Andy
Sydney
www.youfreeweb.com/andysharleys

[Coasty]

Remember folks the clutch  is a wet clutch and metal particals in the oil are normal.  The clutch plates do contain metal and wear every time you shift.  Here is  a link to my web site which describes how to adjust your clutch.

http://tinyurl.com/66dzd3

[hdbikedoc]

you could have a shift pawl out of adjustment makes shifting hard, could try to adjust before you jump into the tanny ,you must remove pri cover and set shift pawl (see manual) worth a try

[geo]

One thing I forgot to mention with this problem: it shifts fine when I'm cruising. When the RPM's get over 3,000 is when I have the problem. Maybe this is normal. It stinks if it is. I was drag racing a Honda cruiser and would have beat him if I could'a found third gear