5th Gear Slips!???
Road Warrior
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 1,781
Likes: 50
From: Louisville, KY
Not strange after reading Falcon's explanation.
Sounds like you have too little freeplay in your clutch cable.
The reason it slips in 5th with too little freeplay is because 5th gear is a helicut gear and when you accelerate in 5th the two helicut gears push against each other because of the angle they are cut. This causes a slight amount of lateral movement to the main transmission shaft and this can cause the clutch to disengage slightly if you have no freeplay in the clutch cable.
Assuming the freeplay is adjusted correctly at the clutch hub adjustment you need to make sure you also have some freeplay at the clutch cable and lever.
Try this, in 5th gear accelerate WOT and at the same time see if you clutch lever has some freeplay. If not what I have described is probably your problem. Your manual will describe how to adjust cable/lever freeplay properly.
The reason it slips in 5th with too little freeplay is because 5th gear is a helicut gear and when you accelerate in 5th the two helicut gears push against each other because of the angle they are cut. This causes a slight amount of lateral movement to the main transmission shaft and this can cause the clutch to disengage slightly if you have no freeplay in the clutch cable.
Assuming the freeplay is adjusted correctly at the clutch hub adjustment you need to make sure you also have some freeplay at the clutch cable and lever.
Try this, in 5th gear accelerate WOT and at the same time see if you clutch lever has some freeplay. If not what I have described is probably your problem. Your manual will describe how to adjust cable/lever freeplay properly.
Tourer
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 482
Likes: 0
From: Vancouver
My softail had clutch slip str from factory. Purchase the service manual for your bike. It's full of info for adjusting the complete clutch system, not just the cable. It also helps understanding all of the other systems & the required equipment & skills.
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 2,599
Likes: 186
From: east texas
to check for clutch slipping , get in in 5th , low rpm ,roll on throttle, quickly pull in clutch ,and release it ..
rpm should go way up , and instantly back down as you release ..
if it stays up for a little while(second or so ) then come back down , it is indeed slipping
rpm should go way up , and instantly back down as you release ..
if it stays up for a little while(second or so ) then come back down , it is indeed slipping
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 4,598
Likes: 14
From: navarre ohio
the gears cant actually slip unless the transmission has serious wear/damage. i had 69 sportster chopper once, it would slip in 3rd gear when you accelerated. you got a horrible noise and it acted like the clutch was pulled. it had the ears rounded off the side of the 2nd and 3rd gears where they meshed together. if you just feel the engine accelerate but mph's don't match, that is the clutch slipping. you will notice it in the top gear first. in lower gears it is easier to turn the wheel then slip the clutch, but in say 5th it takes a lot more torque to turn the trans over, so the clutch slips instead. probably just time to adjust the clutch and or cable.
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 2,856
Likes: 127
From: Middle of Kansas
As said above, the clutch will always slip in the top gears way before it will in the lower gears as there is way more pressure on the clutch. I have had vehicles that I could pop the clutch in the lower gears without slippage, but as soon as you accelerate in the top gear it will slip. I would do a complete clutch adjustment both in the clutch itself and the cable. That should take care of it. It's not that hard to do.
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Novice
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 22
Likes: 0
From: Thornton
I went through the steps exactly how Falcon195 said and precisely as he discribed there was no slack in the clutch. Loosend the clutch cable and BAM problem solved. Going to go through the owners manual and make sure its adjusted correctly at the housing as well.
Problem solved and now I dont have to take the HOG to the dealer!
Thanks for all the info
Problem solved and now I dont have to take the HOG to the dealer!
Thanks for all the info
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