Have a 2009 Tri Glide Ultra....when the bike heats up, after 50 miles or so, I have to "slam it" into gear and nuetral is almost impossible to locate......after the bike cools down for an hour or so, everything returns back to normal........any thoughts?
Hard Shifting
- Thread starter Mcwac
- Start date
Possibly your clutch needs adjusted.:Shrug:
Bingo... or the clutch pack is warping or you should try using a different primary lubricant or it could be all three.
- Thread starter
- #4
Hmmm...even though its a 2009,...it only has 3000 miles on it...I bought it with 2500 miles on it, but, I will have it checked out...thanks
Redline Shockproof Heavy in the tranny makes finding neutral a "piece of cake"!:yes:
+1 on that! And your 2009 is still pretty young with only 3000 miles on it. It aint broke in yet!
Please elaborate for me CRBandit. I had a hard too finding neutral on my 12' TG after picking it up and just figured it needs to be broke in.......
Thanks,
Rob
Redline Oils makes a product called V-twin transmission Oil w/ ShockProof. Available at Cycle Gear and other places or through mail order. This stuff looks like Peptol Bismol but it works well. It quieted down my transmission and reduced that "thunk" into first gear by 50% at least.
It's pretty tenacious stuff. I stood the funnel up in the bottle after use and it's still coated pink more than a month later.
It's pretty tenacious stuff. I stood the funnel up in the bottle after use and it's still coated pink more than a month later.
So is this something Harley backs or endorses? How come I have never heard of this stuff before? Man, I feel like a shroom on this forum!
I doubt HD "backs or endorses" this product as they sell their own line of lubricants. Those of you worried about your warranty may choose not to use it. You could contact Redline for their perspective on the whole warranty issue. As long as any product meets the labeling requirements set by HD, there should be no problem. Since I'm running an '09 I'm free to use whatever at my own risk. <br />
<br />
I will say that Redline trans oil is a remarkable product and based upon this experience I will experiment with their other oils as well. They're all as close as my local Cycle Gear store.
<br />
I will say that Redline trans oil is a remarkable product and based upon this experience I will experiment with their other oils as well. They're all as close as my local Cycle Gear store.
grapenuts,
Cool, thanks for the info. I'm not doubting the stuff is killer, just curious why I've never heard of it before. Shoot, I'm half tempted to run Amsoil Heavy Duty Marine grade synth in mine. That stuff (and Royal purple) is the king on the diesel circuit. And in the manual, it lists diesel oil as a acceptable replacement. So heck yea, I'm certainly willing to try something new in the tranny for sure, especially if it shaves five minutes off finding neutral.
Rob
Cool, thanks for the info. I'm not doubting the stuff is killer, just curious why I've never heard of it before. Shoot, I'm half tempted to run Amsoil Heavy Duty Marine grade synth in mine. That stuff (and Royal purple) is the king on the diesel circuit. And in the manual, it lists diesel oil as a acceptable replacement. So heck yea, I'm certainly willing to try something new in the tranny for sure, especially if it shaves five minutes off finding neutral.
Rob
+1
Harley, by law, can't dictate your lubricants for warranty purposes.
The redline shockproof is the only color pink I use. Superior product. More quiet transmission and smoother shifts.
Only drawback with the product is that it smells. The tranny vent is directly under the seat and on top of the tranny cover. It's that small bent rubber hose next to the starter. Due to the rear fenders and the aerodynamics the smell can only go up. You will get a sniff of what you may think is oil dripping on the exhaust. It's only the tranny venting normally. It's not noticeable on the two wheel bikes.
Well, it can't be as bad as me sometimes........:innocent:
I trust very few oil products. Syn 3 isn't one of them.
Amsoil, Moble 1 and Redline products work very well for me and I have great confidence in them. I haven't use Purple so I shall not comment on this but many do and they have confidence it this product also.
One of the luxuries of riding is smelling like a man during and after the ride. Although I don't mind the odor for a short time others around me may so... shower time after one cooling off root beer.
Ride safe... wiz out
Amsoil, Moble 1 and Redline products work very well for me and I have great confidence in them. I haven't use Purple so I shall not comment on this but many do and they have confidence it this product also.
One of the luxuries of riding is smelling like a man during and after the ride. Although I don't mind the odor for a short time others around me may so... shower time after one cooling off root beer.
Ride safe... wiz out
What's with this root beer comment unless it is a "Diet Root Beer" that you owe me. I have a very long memory for an OLD fella. By the next time I see you and Coupe the interest will be in cases.
What is the root beer comment unless it is a "Diet Root Beer". Remember you still owe me a Diet Root Beer.
I have a 2009 Tri-Glide and had the same problem but started using Red Line Transmission oil, it seemed to smooth out the shifts.
Everything said here is dead on the money, clutch adjustment, trans oil and primary fluid make a huge difference in the way a bike or trike shifts along with how easy neutral is to find. I've run Redline shockproof heavy for years in the transmission and have been running HD Formula+ in the primary.
Bikerbozo,
Yea, I think as soon as I get back from Bike Week changing fluids will be first on my to do list, if I can put that many miles on it. Although, would it hurt anything to change after say as little as 50 miles?
I did find some interesting data on the internet (Mr. Wizard should be proud of me, unless it's bogus) that substantiates what Mr. Wizard said about Mobile 1, and why another good choice would be Amsoil. Here is the link: http://www.synthetic-oil-tech.com/MC White paper-g2156.pdf
It seems Amsoil and Mobile 1 in the 20/50 flavor are neck and neck and either would be a great choice. What's interesting is, on the Amsoil site, they list a Severe Gear fluid as a choice for the transmission. I use this same product in the differentials of my 3/4 ton truck.
So, I guess warranty worries aside, going with with a 20/50 in the engine (under the circumstances of providing the best protection for our high heat engines) would be the best choice? I garage mine so cold starts are not an issue.
And as far as the tranny goes, Redline has a 80w with Shockproof????? Thinking again, maybe go with this 80w because of the high heat transmitted from the engine to the tranny???????? The smell is not an issue if it makes my life easier.
All thoughts on this take of things would be greatly appreciated.
Rob
Yea, I think as soon as I get back from Bike Week changing fluids will be first on my to do list, if I can put that many miles on it. Although, would it hurt anything to change after say as little as 50 miles?
I did find some interesting data on the internet (Mr. Wizard should be proud of me, unless it's bogus) that substantiates what Mr. Wizard said about Mobile 1, and why another good choice would be Amsoil. Here is the link: http://www.synthetic-oil-tech.com/MC White paper-g2156.pdf
It seems Amsoil and Mobile 1 in the 20/50 flavor are neck and neck and either would be a great choice. What's interesting is, on the Amsoil site, they list a Severe Gear fluid as a choice for the transmission. I use this same product in the differentials of my 3/4 ton truck.
So, I guess warranty worries aside, going with with a 20/50 in the engine (under the circumstances of providing the best protection for our high heat engines) would be the best choice? I garage mine so cold starts are not an issue.
And as far as the tranny goes, Redline has a 80w with Shockproof????? Thinking again, maybe go with this 80w because of the high heat transmitted from the engine to the tranny???????? The smell is not an issue if it makes my life easier.
All thoughts on this take of things would be greatly appreciated.
Rob
I'm new here and new to HD and am in a learning mode. I don't think I would equate the quite shifting necessarily with lubricating. If you added some saw dust to the transmission it would be a lot quieter. I would like to have it quieter and lubricated as well as I could. My trike "clunks" into gear and changing gear to gear but I am sure some of that in normal.
Do the bugs and smiley faces to the right of the message box moving bother anyone or is it just me. I feel I need to swat at something.
Do the bugs and smiley faces to the right of the message box moving bother anyone or is it just me. I feel I need to swat at something.
- Moderator
- #22
Lakeman some oils have a better lubercating properties and additives that help in the shifting department. HD's do normally clunk when being shifted especially going into first.
Lakeman,
Welcome to the unique and wonderful world of all things Harley-Davidson. To be honest with you, when I would ride my last bike (traded a 2010 VRSCDX for my 2012 TG two weeks ago) it felt like it wasn't even a Harley with how smooth and noiseless it shifted. I missed the "clunk", it is a signature as much as the sound these engines make. What I don't miss is how unbelievably easy it was to find neutral on that bike and how effortless it shifted from gear to gear. But it was a completely different transmission and clutch, designed for the track.
Now, this is definitely the place to be to learn how to achieve the desired results you (and I) desire. It seems like I just go from 1st to 2nd, and back again without there even being a neutral, over and over again, to the point that I want to shut the bike off and do it by hand. It doesn't help that I wear steel toe combat boots when I ride but then again, I tried the other day with some sneakers on and still had issues. I will be changing my transmission fluid as soon as I get the chance to do it.
I do hope however, the "clunk" never goes away, as this tells others you are shifting the gears on an engine that has been around for over 100 years!
Oh yea, the smiley faces and other moving object are common to forums and while some see them as a distraction, others (especially me) like to use them to help show emotions when words just don't do the trick.
Like this one, which is probably what I should use all the time :blahblah:
Rob
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