I am having a problem with the shifting on my 1985 FXRS. It is usually fine until it warms up. It started as not being able to downshift. The lever goes up and down but the lower gears do not click in. Then a few seconds later, it works fine.

Today I had a couple of instances where the bike would be in 3rd and the shift lever would go up and down but not click into higher or lower gears. Again, a few seconds later and it was fine, but I had to start from a light in 3rd gear. Then I tried downshifting and it worked.

I recently bought a derby cover on eBay and installed it to find a puddle under the bike at the store because the derby cover was warped. I bought a new cover and filled the primary oil to the level of the bottom of the derby cover hole.

There looks to be a little oil on the clutch lever at the transmission as well, but the level here looked full. It was between the lines with the bike upright and the cap/dipstick resting on the surface of the transmission fill, but not screwed in.

What am I missing?

 

Check the linkage, especially the shift lever on the transmission, they are notorious for coming loose on the shaft, and your description sounds like a loose shift lever...

The lever should be absolutely tight on that shaft, no wobble or looseness whatsoever.

If all the linkage is tight and not binding, I suggest you remove the top cover from the transmission and check the shifter pawl, look at the big spring and make sure it is intact.

Here`s a pic of the transmission with the top cover removed:

 

Thank you for that - especially the image. The lever does have a little play in it, but I cannot tighten it any more. That bothers me. But if that was the case, wouldn't it be loose all the time and not just after the bike warms up?

I have been trying to research issues like this but the responses invariably never answer the actual question, which is "what are the symptoms of low clutch fluid?"

Everybody tries to help by saying it shouldn't be low, check for leaks, adjust this or that, but never give actual symptoms. Where I have a small leak at the transmission, I have to be losing some oil. I assume it is from the clutch seal there, but I will have to investigate further.

 

The symptoms of low fluid level in the primary are probably zero, unless you run dry.

In my first response I neglected to say to first make sure the clutch is adjusted properly, don`t forget to perform the diaphragm spring adjustment first, it is outlined in the factory service manual.

 

This is the third time this has happened and the reason I ask about low fluid.

When I add fluid, the shifting issues just about disappear. Then it will start having issues with downshifting and after a while, upshifting. If I want to downshift, I have to nudge the shifter up a little, then down, and it will drop down. Once I add fluid, the shifting issues disappear.

I know zero about working on bikes and while I appreciate the information given here, I hesitate to start messing around with the bike since most Harley dealership service departments do not even touch bikes this old.

The nearest dealership that I trust is 43 miles away and requires me to leave the bike for a minimum of 7-10 days due to part availability, if necessary. It makes getting rides back and forth pretty tough.

 

If you have to nudge the shifter up then it is plainly clear like Dan said that you have a shift pawl issue... Pull the cover like he said or maybe even start by adjusting the shifter pawl properly according to the fsm... The springs on the shift pawl allow the pawl to reset in the proper position on the drum so you can shift..