Ever happened to anybody else
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 11,226
Likes: 3,050
From: St.Louis Mo.
what model of bike. i use to hit my jockey shifter with my leg once in awhile and knock it in gear, but a newer bike should not do this unless it was not all the way in neutral.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 2,059
Likes: 4
From: Florida
A few years back, I was adjusting the idle on my '81 Ironhead chopper. Bike was on the kickstand, facing the back door of the house, idling in neutral. I was on one knee at the right side of the bike. I turned the idle adjusting screw, then reached up and gave it a bit of throttle to check it. The bike jumped into gear and shot forward, dragging me along. Since the bike had been leaning left on the kickstand, dragging me on the right side kept it upright. Of course, since my only hand on the bike was on the throttle, dragging me just gave it more speed. The front tire had been about six foot from the back door when we started, I managed to let go of the throttle about the time the front tire hit the door.
The door popped open, and the bike came to a stop when the handlebars wedged into each side of the doorframe. The engine died with the bike stuck upright in the doorframe. I was able to pull the bike out with only minor scuffs on the handlebars, the doorframe didn't fare so well. I don't trust neutral anymore...
The door popped open, and the bike came to a stop when the handlebars wedged into each side of the doorframe. The engine died with the bike stuck upright in the doorframe. I was able to pull the bike out with only minor scuffs on the handlebars, the doorframe didn't fare so well. I don't trust neutral anymore...
That's a funny visual from where I'm sitting...
i think you nailed it,,check all the linkage,,for slop ,,nothing,,so i think it was just what you said,
2nd Gear
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 6
Likes: 0
Heard about this once before
About 5 years ago was in California Harley-Davidson and one of the salesmen told me about how he and a prospective buyer were looking at a bagger and asked that it be fired up. Salesman puts it in neutral, fires it up, bike slips into gear and crashes into the raised dais display thing. The salesman was laughing about it but at the time he and the buyer (scared sh**less non-buyer now) thought they were in trouble. Harley did an "investigation" and apparently it happens every now and then...chalked it up to a tight clutch.
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HDF Community Team
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 6,191
Likes: 2,423
From: USA
I've been a little spooked of mine doing this from the get-go. I'm used to metric bikes that buzz, not flap their engines around. And their shift levers are tiny light weight things, not the massive pieces Harley uses.
