My 2010 Classic with the 96" would not do 6th gear at 55 very well at all. However my 11 Limited with the 103 has plenty of grunt to pull the bike in 6th gear at 55 mph. I dont see the point of even having a 6th gear if you are only using it above 65 mph.

 

On my 2010 SG I shift into 6th at or above 60mph or about 2000rpm.

The motor is not in it's power range but it has enough hummpph to accelerate without pinging/knocking or lugging. I also manage to make average 45-48mpg per tank. If I hold in 5th until 70+ or I run 80mph and above in 6th my gas mileage drops to 41mpg or less.

The ONLY time I DON'T shift into 6th below 70mph is when I'm running through some twisties and want the 'sweet spot' on tap. If I'm running 60-65mph in 6th and want the power (passing, etc) I just drop a gear.

 

I use 6th at 60mph or above on flat ground cruising(no load). If Im accelerating , on hills under load etc I dont go into 6th until Im over 75mph

 

2010 StreetGlide 96ci motor.....I never shift into 6th until I am running above 70 mph....its strictly a highway cruise gear for me......I try to keep the rpms between 2800 and 3200.....my motor talks to me

 

I bought my 2008 FLHRC already with V&H duals and stage one . the manual says to shift to 6th at 60mp . the tech at HD that did the pickup go over with me when i bought the bike told me not to shift to 6th till 70mp .. i tride shifting sooner but it feels and sounds like its lugging below 68mp . i guess i need a tach .

 

Your 103 engine should handle flat cruising at 60 mph no problem. Mine did when the engine was stock. After stage II with cams, It will cruise down to 50 mph on flat ground. Of course for acceleration or hill climb I down shift. You can hear when the motor starts to get "rattly", that you are too slow.

The cams make a huge difference on giving the 2012 103 much more low end grunt. The stock 103 has more low end torque than the stock 97. When my old 97 was stock, 65 mph was as slow as you could go with no rattle.

 

Just FYI, Harley did lower the gearing slightly in 2009. I had rented an 08 Ultra for a week end and put a bit over 1100 miles on it. You could tell what gear you were in because, at 2000 rpms, it would show 20 in 2nd gear, 30 in 3rd gear, 40 in 4th gear etc. I wound up with an 09 Ultra and it runs at 200 to 300 rpm faster at the same speeds. I remember the 08 bike feeling very sluggish in 6th gear regardless of what speed I was running. It would hold speed well enough (65 to 75 mph) but any significant acceleration was out of the question without a downshift.

My 09 Ultra is a big improvement over that 08 rental. Now, maybe there was something wrong with the 08 but it had less than 12k miles on it when I rode it and ran fine otherwise. As far as I'm concerned, the biggest difference is the gearing. I could roll on the throttle in 6th gear from 60 to 65 and the bike would accelerate nicely. It wasn't neck snapping by any stretch but it was useful. Of course, if I really needed to move, a one or two gear downshift is definitely in order but the bike does just fine accelerating from 60 or so in top gear with a gentle roll of the throttle. I have since installed FuelMoto's Stage 1 (Jackpots, AC, & PCV) and it's even better. It still won't win any drag races but the performance improvement was noticeable over pure stock.

FWIW!

Ride Safe,
Steve R.

 

That's what I was looking for, thanks - "I remember the 08 bike feeling very sluggish in 6th gear regardless of what speed I was running. It would hold speed well enough (65 to 75 mph) but any significant acceleration was out of the question without a downshift."

Nothing wrong with my bike at all, runs great, but I experience the same thing you described perfectly with that '08, that the bike is sluggish in 6th.

The slight gearing change on the '09 and later bikes seems to be an improvement so that's good to hear. I am used to the gearing on my '07 now, but it has taken me a while to get used to it.

 

My 2011 was like that when I first got it. Anything below 70 mph, and 6th seemed to be lugging. As it's gotten broken in (now have 1700 miles on it) it does better in 6th and I now can cruise the open road at 65 mph in 6th. It feels more freed up and things aren't as tight and runs better.

But these bikes will rev and run. I've been to 80 in 4th, and over 90 in fifth, and never hit the rev limiter.

So, just keep practicing. You're not hurting anything as long as you're not lugging it.

 

Your welcome!

At some point in the future, you might consider a cam swap. It's something I've considered for my bike but haven't gotten around to yet. I'm not looking for a bunch of top end power but have read a lot on this forum on cams that nicely improve the engines low and mid range torque which might be just the ticket for you in this case.

Just a thought!

Ride Safe,
Steve R.