Heritage "Clunks" When shift and...
Road Master
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 950
Likes: 0
From: ENGLAND
LOL , I love this sporties not being a harley thing , all you ol guys buy the biggest fattest bike you can get a loan for , and to hide your inevitable disapiontment , you start dissing the only harley you could actually afford in the first place , all sportie owners know there the best and most original bike harley ever made , and still make ,thats why we buy them .....after doing some reasurch i found out that the badley designed overweight slow models(thats all of em, apart from the sportsters)were very early jap designes , but were so bad , they decided it would be stupid to make them , they through the blueprints out of a plane over milwalkee many years ago ,knowing harley would use them , they did this with the intention that a badley made flawed motorcycle design could some day help in bringing down the U.S econemy, there cleverer than women those little buggers , they bide there time and always get what they intended to get in the end , you guys just aint clever enough to see it
Road Captain
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 720
Likes: 6
A few things you can do to minimize the clunk is try Spectro trans oil in the trans. It's made for 5 or 6 speed transmissions and either will work wonders over other gear oils. I've tried many of them and will use nothing but spectro now.
The next thing is to check the oil level in the primary, too much will give you hard and noisy shifting. It should be just to the bottom of the clutch basket with the bike upright and level. Adjusting the clutch properly on a cold motor will also help and lastly, if you pause for a second after pulling in the clutch lever before shifting into gear, this will greatly reduce the clunking.
The next thing is to check the oil level in the primary, too much will give you hard and noisy shifting. It should be just to the bottom of the clutch basket with the bike upright and level. Adjusting the clutch properly on a cold motor will also help and lastly, if you pause for a second after pulling in the clutch lever before shifting into gear, this will greatly reduce the clunking.
Club Member
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 145,895
Likes: 821
From: 40 miles Northeast of Indy..
Heavier oil may guiet it down,, but my experience is that it's also stiffer to shift..
I just went from 80-140 Bel-ray to mobil 75-90 GL and I love it...
I also change to Mobil V twin 20-50 in the motor and Pri.
I've use several combo's of oil and I think the mobil v twin 20-50 and 75-90 GL is the best I've used yet and is what I am staying with from now on...
it still clunks but shift smoother....
Its a freaken Harley big twin and she's a-gonna clunk when shifting!!!!!!!!!!
Either get over it or buy another Sporty...
I just went from 80-140 Bel-ray to mobil 75-90 GL and I love it...
I also change to Mobil V twin 20-50 in the motor and Pri.
I've use several combo's of oil and I think the mobil v twin 20-50 and 75-90 GL is the best I've used yet and is what I am staying with from now on...
it still clunks but shift smoother....
Its a freaken Harley big twin and she's a-gonna clunk when shifting!!!!!!!!!!
Either get over it or buy another Sporty...
Last edited by oct1949; Oct 2, 2010 at 05:42 PM.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 38,292
Likes: 6,322
From: Honah Lee
Clunk
Just my opinion--sorry about grammar and spelling. NUMBER 1. CLUNK IS NOT HURTING ANYTHING. NUMBER 2 ALWAYS FINE NEUTRAL COMING FROM LOW IF POSSIBLE. Clunk noise is coming from transmission and is the dogs on the sides of the gears engaging or picking up another gear next to it for the correct ration you have chosen. All the Softails 5 speeds do it. You can get rid of some when you first engage 1st from startup by. Letting the idle warm up till at least 1000rpm or so. Pull in clutch and hold it in and give the throttle about 3 easy blips up to about 1200-1500. One will do it but three gets better results. About 50% of the time you will get no clunk. It will make a difference and I have yet to figure exactly what its doing and it does not work all the time. I think that the momentum of the outer clutch when you pull in the clutch and blip the engine is either breaking the clutch pack up so it does not drag or it spins the transmission input shaft so it is rotating slowly so dogs drop in better. Also the 75-90 you are using is a slightly thinner weight then Harley's Formula +. I would not use 75w140 . Its way too thick to flush thru the small needle roller bearings.
And by the way make sure your clutch is adjusted properly with the correct freeplay in the clutch lever and the proper amount of back off on the clutch adjuster screw before the locknut is tightened. (I only come out 1/2 turn before tighten lock nut). Also make sure your primary oil is only at bottom edge of clutch pack. If its up near top edge of derby opening its about 1 qt. too full and like this the clutch acts like a torque converter in a car transmission and will cause clunk big time.
And by the way make sure your clutch is adjusted properly with the correct freeplay in the clutch lever and the proper amount of back off on the clutch adjuster screw before the locknut is tightened. (I only come out 1/2 turn before tighten lock nut). Also make sure your primary oil is only at bottom edge of clutch pack. If its up near top edge of derby opening its about 1 qt. too full and like this the clutch acts like a torque converter in a car transmission and will cause clunk big time.
Advanced
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 52
Likes: 0
Sporties deserve respect! Got a 73 ironhead and a 04 heritage. Somedays i enjoy tha old sporty just as much as the softy. I honestly dont get tha sporty not being a Harley thing.I think that any REAL biker can appreciate sportsters and have at some point owned one, and im sure it holds a special place. As far as the clunk goes i just give the bike a little roll with the clutch in and can find nuetral every time and the thing has always clunked. I wouldnt have it any other way!!!!
Road Captain
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 567
Likes: 1
From: Southeastern KY.
HD Forum Stories
The Best of Harley-Davidson for Lifelong Riders
10 Worst Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever
Pouria Savadkouei
Killer Custom's Jail Break Is The Breakout That Refused to Blend In
Verdad Gallardo
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Verdad Gallardo
Harley-Davidson Reveals Super Cool Cafe Racer Concept
Verdad Gallardo
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Verdad Gallardo
10 Motorcycles You Should Never Buy
Joe Kucinski
10 Things Harley-Davidson Needs to Fix in 2026
Verdad Gallardo
Southpaw Super Glide: A Left-Hand-Drive 1979 Harley FXE Built to Fit the Rider
Verdad Gallardo
The Best and Worst Harley-Davidson Moves of 2025
Verdad Gallardo
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 5,578
Likes: 4
From: Northern California
Kick it in with authority...don't try to ease it in...the clunk is normal. When cold, squeeze the clutch a few times before getting underway. Also, if the primary is overfilled it can be harder to find neutral.