Here's a few problems that come up and where you might find the solution....

Difficulty Shifting.
When you need excessive clutch lever pressure to shift gears, it may indicate either a clutch problem or a transmission problem. If the clutch is at fault , you?ll notice symptoms such as grinding gears when you shift into low or first gear. In most cases if the clutch is at fault, a simple adjustment will solve the problem. If the transmission is at fault you will notice difficult shifting between other gears while the motorcycle is moving. this problem may indicate a bent shift fork or seized gear on the transmission shaft. When a shift fork is damaged, it will no longer fit properly in the grooves of the gear. to fix this problem, you?ll need to disassemble the engine and replace the shift fork. When a gear has seized on the transmission shaft the problem is usually caused by a lack of proper lubrication. As with the shift fork, you?ll also need to disassemble the engine to repair the problem.

Inability to shift gears.
Occasionally you'll find a machine that shifts into one gear, but won't shift into the next gear. This problem is often caused by the shift return spring which returns the shifting lever to its original position. You can usually repair this problem by replacing the spring. The spring is usually located near the clutch assembly. In most cases, you wont need to completely disassemble the engine to repair the problem

Strange Sound.
Unusual sounds may range from a low growl t a high pitched whine below I'll describe the most common noises which indicate a transmission problem. Any unusual noise coming from the transmission of a machine will require you to disassemble and carefully inspect for worn or broken parts

Constant Growling sound
A low growling sound usually indicates a bearing failure. when a bearing fails, it may cause a transmission shaft to move slightly out of position. When this occurs, the gears don?t mesh properly and produce a low growling noise. In these case not only do you need to replace the bearing, but you?ll most likely need to replace the gears as well.

Clunking Noise
An excessive clunking sound when the engine is in a particular gear while under load usually indicates broken teeth on one or more gears. In this case, you'll need to replace the gears, the shift fork, and the shift drum.

Jumping Out of Gear.
When dogs and slots become to rounded, the gears will tend to slip out of the holes when the engine rpm increases, and the transmission jumps out of gear. The shift forks may also become damaged from the excessive pressure they encounter as the transmission jumps out of gear. Therefore, when a transmission is jumping out of gear, you'll need to replace the gears, the shift forks, and the shift drum.


Source: http://ironheadsportster.com/

 

transmission while sitting parked leaked out half court of fluid on to floor.

has been parked in living room since Christmas then ridden 2hrs then parked 3 days w no sign of leaks.

then after parked one day was ridden 2 miles in 35 degrees weather then parked in garage w temps as low as 30 degrees for 5 days n on 5th day noticed half court on ground.
What would cause such a huge leak!!!!!!!!

 

The main seal on the output side is probably the culprit. Sitting inside a warm house the seal will be happy. Put it out in below freezing weather and it will shrink and harden enough to allow a leak at the output shaft (between the trans sprocket/pulley and trans). Because the bike leans to the left on the sidestand, the trans leans to the clutch side and will drain most of the oil in a short time. If the seal has a lot of miles on it, it will be even worse, you should replace it.
Hope this helps.

 

I know this thread is old but hoping for input. Got a 87 Electra. Shifts great until I decide to hammer thru the gears. Normal riding it shifts fine. It’s been like this for 5 yrs.
the problem is going from 3rd to 4th when hammered down racing it some times goes into a false neutral I’ll call it. Or getting lost in between gears. I’ve adjusted shifter pawl. I even tore it down and replaced shifter pawl. Gears look fine and forks looked good from quick inspection but I didn’t measure their thicknesses. I thought all was fixed until I had to put a twin cam rider into his place (which was in my mirror) once again 3rd to 4th false neutral happened. What am I missing? Could it be a shifter fork bent?

 

If the next gear is 5th after the missed shift.

https://bakerdrivetrain.com/collecti...nt=23522346307

 

Or find an OEM shift pawl and shift drum from a late model 5 speed.

Shifter pawl/shaft: 34972-02B

Drum: 33383-02

 

Will it work? I've not tried it..

I would think that you'd have to change the shift drum also as the pin spacing on the drum changed slightly.

 

Yes, the shift drum and pawl must be used together.

You can probably find them on the aucton website together for less than the Baker pawl.

I have these parts on my `89 Softail, they greatly improved the shifting.

Note, the shifter pawl requires a new shift shaft bushing (34979-00) to be installed in the case, or a spacer must be fabricated to position the pawl in the correct position. You can cut off part of a new bushing to use as the spacer if you don`t want to go through the process of removing and replacing the bushing in the case.

 

IIRC you also need to change the top cover and neutral switch. You might get away with spacing the switch but am not sure. I used the Baker stuff on 2000 FXDX before it was common knowledge about the change over. The baker shifter is a bit beefier than the later shifter.

 

Good catch Max, I also replaced the top cover and switch, but I have never bothered to wire it up.

Over the years I have developed the habit to rock the bike back and forth to make sure it is in neutral before I press the start button, and even when I know it is in neutral, I still pull in the clutch lever.