Finding neutral easy and hard
Cruiser
Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 166
Likes: 13
From: Beaufort, NC
If you are idling, and the bike is warm... You should be able to get into neutral if you blip the throttle, where your rev her up a couple hundred rpm with your toe under the shifter putting on a little pressure. When you blip it up, it should fall into neutral once the revs start to drop.
Gist is if the clutch doesn't fully dis-engage, then it's tugging forward against the gear set a bit even with the clutch pulled, as you are still in gear. When the force reverses from speeding up the engine, to slowing down, it takes the pressure off the shift dogs and lets them unlock, as they are angled so they lock together.
Other one to look at, is the fill level of the transmission... It is on the full line, when the dip stick is sitting on the threaded hole, not when it's threaded all the way in.
If the trans is fully drained, it'll hold a full quart on full, sitting on the side stand. But to fully drain it you've got to lean the bike over to the right far enough to get the last of it out.
My two cents is half the evo books have the stand the bike up, and fill to the full line, because if you drain it on the side stand as you can't put a quart in for the 5-6 ounces that are still in the case.
Then it'll blow anything that it doesn't want out the vent tube... But if you have it on full, sitting upright it's under-filled and shifts crunchy.
Cheers,
Zach
Gist is if the clutch doesn't fully dis-engage, then it's tugging forward against the gear set a bit even with the clutch pulled, as you are still in gear. When the force reverses from speeding up the engine, to slowing down, it takes the pressure off the shift dogs and lets them unlock, as they are angled so they lock together.
Other one to look at, is the fill level of the transmission... It is on the full line, when the dip stick is sitting on the threaded hole, not when it's threaded all the way in.
If the trans is fully drained, it'll hold a full quart on full, sitting on the side stand. But to fully drain it you've got to lean the bike over to the right far enough to get the last of it out.
My two cents is half the evo books have the stand the bike up, and fill to the full line, because if you drain it on the side stand as you can't put a quart in for the 5-6 ounces that are still in the case.
Then it'll blow anything that it doesn't want out the vent tube... But if you have it on full, sitting upright it's under-filled and shifts crunchy.
Cheers,
Zach
Cruiser
Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 166
Likes: 13
From: Beaufort, NC
Yep, and in 22-24 in a dry case for most evo's in the book.
Earlier 5 speeds were 16 ounces, but that fried throw out bearings and HD updated to an oil slinger to pick up oil.
At 22-24 you don't lose but a dribble of oil pulling the transmission side cover, which still puts the throw out bearing dry if you start up on the side stand.
Late model 88 twin cams, check on the jiffy stand not level, and have the same guts and dimensions as ours... same dip stick since 87. On my 94, that's a quart on full, on a level lot.
Only figured out that they go into neutral easier and shift less like agricultural equipment with more oil, because I had a transmission leak that was losing a couple ounces a day, on an NC to sturgis to glacier trip last year, and the tell on my bike that it needed more gear oil was it wouldn't go into neutral easily at all when it hit the add line, even with a throttle blip.
Earlier 5 speeds were 16 ounces, but that fried throw out bearings and HD updated to an oil slinger to pick up oil.
At 22-24 you don't lose but a dribble of oil pulling the transmission side cover, which still puts the throw out bearing dry if you start up on the side stand.
Late model 88 twin cams, check on the jiffy stand not level, and have the same guts and dimensions as ours... same dip stick since 87. On my 94, that's a quart on full, on a level lot.
Only figured out that they go into neutral easier and shift less like agricultural equipment with more oil, because I had a transmission leak that was losing a couple ounces a day, on an NC to sturgis to glacier trip last year, and the tell on my bike that it needed more gear oil was it wouldn't go into neutral easily at all when it hit the add line, even with a throttle blip.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 21,032
Likes: 12,560
From: South Carolina
Every year it seems like they change the process to check transmission level, and capacity...
For instance, an `89 Softail is checked with bike straight up, dipstick screwed all the way in, and it holds just 16 Oz (and the original throwout bearing is still working fine after 143,000 miles
)TedMan:
Read the service manual or the owners manual for your bike for the proper way to check the transmission oil level and method.
Last edited by Dan89FLSTC; Jun 19, 2020 at 01:33 PM.
Road Warrior
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 1,826
Likes: 87
From: Cookson, Ok
Try adjusting your idle RPM up a little at a time and see if it makes a difference. That worked on my '98 Ultra. The higher RPM seems to help the plates overcome the stiction from the oil. Your results may differ.....
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Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 15,705
Likes: 22,718
From: Farmington ,MS
IMO the number one cause of hard to find neutral is a primary chain that is too tight...adjust it to the middle of the factory spec...3/4" on the tightest spot on the chain...
Mine goes in like butter...always has...
Mine goes in like butter...always has...
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2015
Posts: 10,277
Likes: 7,756
From: West Central FL
Adjust your clutch rod by screwing it in lightly just until it stops then back it out 1/4 turn and lock it down. Then adjust your cable and that should do it. It did for mine.