IDS problem
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 3,515
Likes: 6
From:
RE: IDS problem
1st and 5th are straght cut others are helical, its why 1st and 5th whine. No mechanical issues just a slight whine.
I cant remember reading of a tranny falure on any forum that was from the whine or cut of the gears.
I cant remember reading of a tranny falure on any forum that was from the whine or cut of the gears.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 11,459
Likes: 2,987
From: Charleston, SC
RE: IDS problem
ORIGINAL: glens
Iread through all that. Having only come to this site sometime in June after getting my RKC it's a little difficult to break away from all the current traffic to get caught up on the history, so I haven't (don't think, anyway) seen the other threads referred to in that one.
Having said that, forgive the following if it comes across as offensive in any way.
Did you guys (as a group) ever get to the bottom of how the 6-speed tranny actually works? I kept seeing reference to the "6th speed gearset cut" when in fact there is no 6th gear. The first 5 are actually double-reduction sets with the second reduction being the helical-cut pair driving the output sprocket. So 1st and 5th "gears" are actually a combination of straight- and helical-cut. But I guess this has already been figured out on the forums here...
Iread through all that. Having only come to this site sometime in June after getting my RKC it's a little difficult to break away from all the current traffic to get caught up on the history, so I haven't (don't think, anyway) seen the other threads referred to in that one.
Having said that, forgive the following if it comes across as offensive in any way.
Did you guys (as a group) ever get to the bottom of how the 6-speed tranny actually works? I kept seeing reference to the "6th speed gearset cut" when in fact there is no 6th gear. The first 5 are actually double-reduction sets with the second reduction being the helical-cut pair driving the output sprocket. So 1st and 5th "gears" are actually a combination of straight- and helical-cut. But I guess this has already been figured out on the forums here...
There are some that think that the gear set "should" whine based on how the gears are shaped, meanwhile there are others, less vocal, that think the tranny should not whine at all because HD has been putting out 5 speeds for who knows how long with straight cut gears that more or less don't whine (as much?). Yeah, yeah, different design...we know.
So...you havingread all that...you can probably see why there are a few of us (right or wrong)that are more than a littletouchy about the 07 issues. I'm guilty.
That particular thread was pretty rough...
lp
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 2,609
Likes: 1
From: Indy area
RE: IDS problem
gunrunner, I understand that and have unknowingly been saying almost the exact same things as you did in that thread. It was uncanny, actually. If you find the one or two threads I got involved (late) in, you'll see that. (and I've been accused of being a moco shill, too)
The point I was trying to make just above is that 1st--5th are all double-reduction within the tranny; all using the helical-cut pair feeding the output sprocket as the second (completion) of their reductions, regardless the cut on the first-reduction sets. While 6th isn't any gearset whatsoever; the output sprocket is merely tied directly to the input shaft. I couldn't believe I didn't see all that mentioned anywhere in that thread, and don't recall ever seeing it anywhere else here either. Everyone has always said 1st/5th are straight-cut and 2nd/3rd/4th/6th are helical (maybe lp or choochoo said something about 6th being straight through at some point near the end?).
lp, yep, that thread was pretty rough allright. I really feel sorry for those few who've felt slighted by their purchase and I guess I can relate in some very small measure, but certainly not entirely. I've got a 01/07 build that would likely give some of you the same fits but I can live with it just fine. Go figure...
Not having spent any appreciable time on a 5-speed bike (sort of like choochoo on a 6-speed, at least as of that time) I cannot comment authoritatively about them. If they didn't seem to whine (but wasn't there mention of 4th being louder?) maybe it was because there wasn't two different types of gearsets present. Two which drastically differ in sound qualities. And maybe the rest of the engine/drivetrain/etc. were that much louder (no plain bearings on the camshafts, etc.) that the noise was actually much less evident anyway. I don't know. Like I said, I feel sorry for the discontents among us, but not necessarily for the fact that their bikes make power transmission noise.
The point I was trying to make just above is that 1st--5th are all double-reduction within the tranny; all using the helical-cut pair feeding the output sprocket as the second (completion) of their reductions, regardless the cut on the first-reduction sets. While 6th isn't any gearset whatsoever; the output sprocket is merely tied directly to the input shaft. I couldn't believe I didn't see all that mentioned anywhere in that thread, and don't recall ever seeing it anywhere else here either. Everyone has always said 1st/5th are straight-cut and 2nd/3rd/4th/6th are helical (maybe lp or choochoo said something about 6th being straight through at some point near the end?).
lp, yep, that thread was pretty rough allright. I really feel sorry for those few who've felt slighted by their purchase and I guess I can relate in some very small measure, but certainly not entirely. I've got a 01/07 build that would likely give some of you the same fits but I can live with it just fine. Go figure...
Not having spent any appreciable time on a 5-speed bike (sort of like choochoo on a 6-speed, at least as of that time) I cannot comment authoritatively about them. If they didn't seem to whine (but wasn't there mention of 4th being louder?) maybe it was because there wasn't two different types of gearsets present. Two which drastically differ in sound qualities. And maybe the rest of the engine/drivetrain/etc. were that much louder (no plain bearings on the camshafts, etc.) that the noise was actually much less evident anyway. I don't know. Like I said, I feel sorry for the discontents among us, but not necessarily for the fact that their bikes make power transmission noise.
Tourer
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 351
Likes: 18
From:
RE: IDS problem
Just had IDS installed on m bike. Had no real issues, butIcan say the bike shifts much smoother. I figure if it had been on my bike from the factory, the MSRP would have been about $300 more, so either way I pay.
Road Captain
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 634
Likes: 8
From: Plum & Nearly
RE: IDS problem
the rubber are $3.50 each retail. The sprocket can be pulled from the inner hub by hand for inspection and replacement of the rubbers. Techs can do this when you get a tire change...No big deal.
Heck, get them changed at every tire interval if it makes you more comfortable.
Heck, get them changed at every tire interval if it makes you more comfortable.
Road Captain
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 734
Likes: 29
From: Arkansas Ozarks
RE: IDS problem
Heck, my 07 Ultra only had minor clatter at low RPM in 5th, wasn't really that big a deal with me. I went ahead and spent the $305 for the IDS at the 5K serviceand I gotta say it was well worth the upgrade. Bike runs as smooth as myshaft drive Suzuki and even after lugging down below 2000 RPM (just to try it) no clatter at all. It runs now like it should have right off the show room floor.
Isn'tthe IDSjust another installment of the Harley tax . . . .
Isn'tthe IDSjust another installment of the Harley tax . . . .
6th Gear
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 13
Likes: 0
From:
RE: IDS problem
After readingtons of complaints on 6 speeds last night, I paid special attention to every shift, and every gear on todays ride
Mobil 1 75/90 gear oil and a stage 1 kit corrected clatter and 5th gear whine. With the stage 1 setup, engine runs smoother at low rpm's, reducing that lugging feeling which carries vibrationsthrough the drive train.Stage 1 is almost a" must do" anyway, and putting in some real gear oil in the tranny, problem solved.
Mobil 1 75/90 gear oil and a stage 1 kit corrected clatter and 5th gear whine. With the stage 1 setup, engine runs smoother at low rpm's, reducing that lugging feeling which carries vibrationsthrough the drive train.Stage 1 is almost a" must do" anyway, and putting in some real gear oil in the tranny, problem solved.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
