Have a 09' Street Glide that down shifts like crap.Seems to only be between gears 3-5 so far.Problem comes and goes never really sure when it will happen.Problem happens sometimes in the frist 2miles when bike gets warmer and happens when bike is at optimum temp.I seem to hold my breath everytime i let the clutch out and wait for the gear grind .Have also noticed after the grinding it doesnt go in to lower gear.One more thing when downshifting pushing gear shifter down its like something is holding it up from going into gear.
Bike has 1200 miles prolem started around 300 mile mark.Went back to the dealer they said ride it till you bring it in for the 1000 miles service WHICH will be this Sat. Any ideas what it maybe to give the dealer a heads up to look for.Because i have a feeling they will test ride the bike and say seems fine. P.S THANXS FOR ANY HELP..........

 

i thought the 09 have the new primary tensioner on it thats what it sounds like

but grinding gears is not normal dont let the harley shop tell you its normal-ride safe

 

I too had a bit of hard shifting - that was solved when I shifted in the speed range stated in the owners manual - it worked for me -

 

My bike shifts great with the Amsoil Severe Gear Lube but I had a situation last week when I had to stop fast without downshifting. When I came to a full stop, I could not get the shifter to shift down from 4th into 3rd and so on....When I did start to move in 4th, I was able to then shift down into the lower gears....Any ideas???

 

Any grinding noise from anywhere is not good and is never normal. The shop should have no problem in researching and fixing it, as they back charge HD.

 

all harley's do the same thing on down shifting if you stop before shifting down , it's a harley electra right ! my 07 whined in 6th gear bad ,but the dealer said it was normal ?? I bought a new 08 no whining in 6th gear right it's 5th gear that whines ,but not real bad ,but i leave it in 6th 99% of the time . all 06 electra's back never whined ever , but they are all contankerous about down shifting @ o speed. just my thoughts. Duane #617849 08 ultra

 

It should downshift easily without grinding. Wondering if you have swapped out your shifter rod and it may not be adjusted correctly. Best have a dealer look at it before you need a transmission transplant.

 

Have you thought about your clutch adjustment? Do mine at every oil change - shifts like butta...

 

It's not just a Harley issue. I've never owned a bike that didn't display this "problem" at one time or another regardless of the make and model.

I think it has something to do with the sequential nature of how motorcycle transmissions shift. Anyway, if you find yourself at a stop and can't get it to downshift, just put a light pressure on the shift lever and "lightly" feather the clutch at the same time. Not enough to move the bike, just enough to move the transmission internals a touch. It'll click down through the gears with little fuss but you'll probably have to do it for every gear until you hit 1st. Once you're back in 1st gear, it should be good to go. The best way to avoid all this is to be sure and downshift as the bike slows down. If it's moving, you shouldn't have this problem.

Good luck & Ride Safe,
Steve R.

 

sounds like a warranty issue. i'd be back asking them to do what's necessary to fix the problem. i have an 08 sg, and after the initial 500 mi, dropped all fluids, used the dino oils for the next oil change that i did at 1500 miles. then went to the synthetics. royal purple in the crankcase and primary, and the royal purple 75-140 in the trans, and i assure you that it shifts every bit as sweet as a jap bike. there is something wrong with yours though, like a misaligned shift fork or something out of whack, i'd take it back before it destroys your trans. your bike though, do what you wanna do.