General Topics/Tech Tips Discussion on break in periods, rider comfort, seats and pad suggestions. Tech tips as they become available will be posted here.

XL883L transmission problem

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Jan 17, 2014 | 02:18 AM
  #1  
Str8chuter's Avatar
Str8chuter
Thread Starter
|
Road Captain
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 652
Likes: 7
From: Maui, Hawaii
Default XL883L transmission problem

OK guys, here goes - my 09 XL883L transmission has been acting up. 1st and 2nd gear work fine, but i can not get it into 3rd, 4th ,or 5th. this is the second time in the past 4 months or so that this has happened.

I try to lift the shift lever to up-shift and regardless of the force used I can not get the shift lever to move. It is almost like something is preventing the shift peg from being raised. My mechanic has been unable to duplicate the problem and is obviously unable to find a fix without experiencing the problem first hand. I tried stopping the engine and restarting it and thus far nothing has worked. The good news is that it has only happened twice in the past two years.

If any of you have experienced this problem, I would look forward to any suggestions or ideas that may have to correct this problem.

Thanks Guys...


"He Who Lives In Joy Does His Creator's will".
The Baal Shem Tov, Founder of Chasidic Judaism... ca 1750's
 
Reply
Old Jan 25, 2014 | 07:16 AM
  #2  
grbrown's Avatar
grbrown
Club Member
15 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 45,429
Likes: 2,898
From: Bedford UK
Default

Very strange! If you try to select gears with the engine off, will it go through the gears OK? Just rock the bike back and forth while making each change.

A possibility is that you are not releasing the gear lever fully between changes. The 'positive-stop' mechanism inside the trans has to be released fully after changing gear, so that the lever can return to the normal position, before the next gear can be selected.
 
Reply
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Strtspdlx
Primary/Transmission/Driveline/Clutch
8
Apr 18, 2022 11:12 AM
Gasolinegeorge
Primary/Transmission/Driveline/Clutch
2
Aug 29, 2017 07:28 PM
Jfish84
Dyna Glide Models
1
Aug 9, 2010 10:33 AM
Ludeykrus
Ironhead
3
Jan 4, 2009 03:28 PM
gmiklos
Dyna Glide Models
2
Apr 30, 2007 12:05 PM




All times are GMT -5. The time now is 09:39 AM.

story-0
7 Times Harley-Davidson Chucked Tradition Out the Window

Slideshow: Harley-Davidson built its reputation on nostalgia, but every so often, the company took a hard left turn into the future.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-20 11:18:19


VIEW MORE
story-1
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles

Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-29 16:50:35


VIEW MORE
story-2
8 Best Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever

Slideshow: Not every Harley gets it right, but these are the ones that genuinely earned their reputation.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-04-15 14:23:21


VIEW MORE
story-3
10 Worst Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever

Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-04-01 20:01:09


VIEW MORE
story-4
Killer Custom's Jail Break Is The Breakout That Refused to Blend In

Slideshow: Killer Custom's "Jail Breaker" build focuses more on stance and visual aggression than mechanical overhaul.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-18 19:20:32


VIEW MORE
story-5
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?

Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-07 16:15:30


VIEW MORE
story-6
Harley-Davidson Reveals Super Cool Cafe Racer Concept

Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's new RMCR concept revives the café racer formula with modern hardware-and it may be exactly the reset the company needs.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-04 12:23:37


VIEW MORE
story-7
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II

Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-02-24 18:19:44


VIEW MORE
story-8
10 Motorcycles You Should Never Buy

Slideshow: There is no shortage of great motorcycles to buy, but we would avoid these ten.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-02-19 14:50:51


VIEW MORE
story-9
10 Things Harley-Davidson Needs to Fix in 2026

Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's challenges aren't abstract; they show up in dropping shipments, shrinking dealer traffic, and strategic decisions that aren't yet translating into growth.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-01-13 18:33:17


VIEW MORE