1997 Fatboy 66xxx miles. When I down shift it'll go down a gear just fine but then when I try to go down another gear the shifter moves but won't go down a gear. I have to put a little upward tension on the shifter then it'll downshift. I tried adjusting clutch, cable, and the pawl adjustment in 3rd gear. Hell, even switched to redline fluid. It's driving me nuts. Sometimes I need to drop two gears and having to put upward tension on foot shifter before it'll downshift drives me mad. Any ideas on what to check?

 

Your clutch has a "spring plate" in the middle of the clutch pack. It is 2 steel rings held together with brass rivets, over time the rivets fail and fall into the clutch basket and will cause the symptoms that you are describing, its happened to me. You will need the tool to compress the spring and remove the clip to get to the fiber and steel discs. i bought the tool from Barnett and replaced my clutch pack with the HD Screamin' Eagle clutch pack that does away with the spring plate. Other have used Barnett clutch packs that also do away with the spring plate.

 

Sounds like your Pawl spring is still out a little.... Or the Pawl spring is getting weak... Does your shift arm on the trans return to center?

 

the splines on the transmission shift lever might be stripping out. i just replaced mine, it wasn't shifting right because it was getting real sloppy at the lever.

 

Yes the shift arm returns to center. I have the adjuster on the clutch bottomed out and backed out 1/2 turn. What's the tool you mentioned for the clutch pack? I rear somewhere that if I can put bike in air and up shift Without bike running that the problem isn't in the transmission? And truth to that?

 

umm...... you're forgetting the squirrel thing

 

Squirrel?

I checked the primary chain tension. I had over and inch of slack. I tightened it up to 5/8 - 3/4 cold. Rode to work. Now I can hit neutral every time right when I'm about to stop I can hit neutral easily. I usually stay in 1st at stops for safety reasons but good to know I can get in neutral now. Only thing now is if I'm cruising in 5th and I down shift to 4th then try 3rd the shifter moves but no gear. If I barely touch the bottom of shift lever I mean just touch it and then push down on shifter it downshift perfect. Then I can touch bottom again then it'll downshift again. I can do this all the way down to first. So weird that I have to touch the bottom of shift peg. And I mean touch, no tension. I know they prolly had that Harley fluid in the primary. That's the next thing I change. I've always had good luck with Dino 20-50. Maybe that synthetic stuff is doin sumn funny to my clutch plates. What y'all think about having to touch the bottom of shifter between every gear.

 

could it possibly be the spring that makes the pawl go down onto the shifter mechanism. Not the lever return but the smaller one?

 

Did you check this?

 

yes. Replaced bushings. Everything is tight. Could it be that spring that pushed the pawl down onto to shift mechanism. All I have to do is touch the bottom of shifter maybe move it 1/16 of an inch and it'll will engage where I can downshift.