Hi!

I took the first ride of the year this past weekend and I experienced two inconveniences. First things first, I changed oil and installed a freshly charged (and new) battery on Friday and fired it up. It went very smooth and no issues there. After having had it on for a minute or two I shut it off and parked it in the garage.

The day after it was time to fire the bike up and get going. I started it, let it idle for a while and then shut it off to see the oil level. I poured in some oil and started it, let it idle and then shut it off again. (Don't ask me why).
Now, the third time I try to start it it just wouldn't go. The battery gave power for sure, the start engine did it's thing but it kind of ''choked'' and died. When it did that I got alarm on the tank screen saying ''CHECK SIDE STAND'' which is quite weird because during this whole time I haven't moved the bike an inch. I sat on the bike, brought up the side stand and changed from neutral to first to neutral and tried it again. Same thing. It choked. The second time I did it I also rolled the bike a little bit forward and started simultaneously and vňila! It started. After having been driving for ca 1 hour I tried to put in neutral and down with the side stand to see if it would kill the bike. But no.
Anyone has any idea of what this could be? Why the side stand alarm? The start engine and compensator were changed last year and the bike started smoothly during the remainder of last year. I thought it just best to mention.

Everything went smooth when riding the motorcycle but I noticed one strange sound which I've never heard before. When on 5th gear and low rpm (ca 80 km/h 50 mp/h) I heard some kind of noise which I really have a hard time describing. But it kind of was a slightly high-pitched ''creaky'' noise. I tried to listen for it to see where it came from, but I failed to locate it anywhere. I thought it was more from the right side than left, but it was hard to say. I didn't notice this on any other gear than just the 5th gear and I did not really experience anything strange or inconvenient when driving. Any ideas here?

The motorcycle is a FXSTB 2008 Night Train.


Thank you in advance.

 

The noise you are hearing, I can't hazard a guess without hearing it myself.....

But on the starting issues, the international models have a jiffy stand sensor (#26 in the parts pic below).

https://www.harley-davidson.com/us/e...37bca7c8be64/y


Based on your info, I will guess that the bike isn't "choking" but rather the sensor may be killing the engine. I have never had a jiffy stand sensor, so I don't know exactly how/when they intervene and kill the engine (or keep it from starting). However, it sounds like your sensor could be either in the process of going bad (intermittent engagement) or its connector is loose, dirty, corroded, and/or damaged. Maybe when replacing the primary parts, and removing the outer primary cover, it got pulled, pushed, tugged, or damaged.

That jiffy stand sensor sensor would be a good place to start checking.

Additionally, since you did battery work, I would double check the battery cables, especially grounds, for good, clean connections. I would then check for engine diagnostic codes, copy them down, clear them, and see if they return..

Good luck with your diagnosis and keep us posted...

 

Everything went smooth when riding the motorcycle but I noticed one strange sound which I've never heard before. When on 5th gear and low rpm (ca 80 km/h 50 mp/h) I heard some kind of noise which I really have a hard time describing. But it kind of was a slightly high-pitched ''creaky'' noise. I tried to listen for it to see where it came from, but I failed to locate it anywhere. I thought it was more from the right side than left, but it was hard to say. I didn't notice this on any other gear than just the 5th gear and I did not really experience anything strange or inconvenient when driving. Any ideas here?

The 2007 and 2008 Twin Cam transmission had a 5th gear that was not cut the same as the other gears and produced a whine at that speed. My 2007 FLSTF does the same thing. The problem was corrected midstream in the 2008 model year.

 

I've ridden it once again to see if it the 5th gear noise is still there and YES! Especially after a few minutes into riding when everything is getting hotter I notice that the sounds increases.

I have read a little bit about the 5th gear whining and I guess that it is normal for those transmission, BUT, I've owned that motorcycle for two years now and never before have I noticed that sound. This past weekend was the first time I picked up on it. It doesn't really bother me more than it worries me a wee bit due to never hearing it before. Many people have mentioned that a heavier transmission oil has solved their ''whining'' problems so I guess that the cheapest and easiest thing to do first is just to switch transmission oil from Formula+ (as I have now) to something a little heavier like Bel Ray's Big Twin oil 85W-140.

 

Sounds are really hard, almost impossible, to diagnose via the internet. Unless of course, it's one of the things that has happened to others before. It is entirely possible it is the 5th gear cut issue.

However, if it is a "new" sound, you should look into it... at least get a second opinion from a fellow Harley rider..

Did you switch brands/weight of trans fluid this last oil change? If not, I would look into the sound before just trying to mask it with a heavier oil.

Did you recently adjust the drive belt? Have you looked over the exposed drive train; drive belt, belt guards, trans sprocket, etc for anything, like loose part rubbing, or foreign object that could be causing that noise...?

Have you recently inspected the primary? Maybe check the chain, tensioner, compensator if you haven't looked at them in awhile?

If I heard a new noise, I would spend some time and effort checking things out before just throwing in new trans fluid....

Good luck with your decision, diagnosis, and repair.... Keep us posted on your progress...

 

Actually the fifth gear whine is for the 2007 to 2009 production years. The fifth gear mainshaft and countershaft were a straight cut gear. In the 2010 model year these two gears were made as helical cut gears.

 

Ohio, thanks for the clarification on the years.... I can never keep that stuff straight in my head... I'll keep your post for reference..

However, in the his first post, the OP said, "The motorcycle is a FXSTB 2008 Night Train."

Unless the 2007-2009 5th gear straight cut was just a touring model only thing, it is possible the OP is hearing that on his softail... But I would suspect without a change in trans fluid, he would have heard it all along, it wouldn't be a new sound...

 

The six speed transmission components are always across all models within a given year. Below are the part number changes. You won't find the old numbers unless you have the older original parts catalogs. To upgrade an earlier transmission you need all three parts listed. The older parts numbers are obsolete now.

2007 to 2009 original part - 35470-06 COUNTERSHAFT ASSEMBLY
2010 and up part - 35600115 COUNTERSHAFT ASSEMBLY

2007 to 2009 original part - 35801-06 GEAR, FIFTH INPUT
2010 and up part - 35801-10 GEAR, FIFTH INPUT


2007 to 2009 original part - 35201-06 GUIDE HUB, DOG RING
2010 and up part - 35201-10 GUIDE HUB, DOG RING (use 35467-06C INPUT SHAFT KIT)
2010 and up part - 35467-06C INPUT SHAFT KIT (GUIDE HUB, DOG RING, BEARING, INNER FACE, RETAINING RING)

 

I haven't inspected anything really, but what I can say is that the start engine AND compensator were changed last year. I'll start looking for someone who is more knowledgeable than me regarding these things so I can get som clarity in it.