Why is my Street Glide Clutch Pull Waaay Harder Than my Softail?

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Jul 31, 2013 | 06:41 PM

drspencer

Thread Starter

Road Warrior

Joined: Feb 2010

Posts: 1,534

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Why is my Street Glide Clutch Pull Waaay Harder Than my Softail?

2007 Softail FXSTC, 17K miles
New SE compensator (most recent version), new HD Frictions & steels, HD clutch spring #37871-98A, HD Formula+.
This clutch is buttery-smooth, shifts perfectly, falls right into neutral without any effort, and doesn't slip.
No complaints, whatsoever.

2011 Street Glide FLHX, 15K miles
Exact same parts as above. However, this clutch has a significantly harder pull than my Softail. Shifts well, not too hard to find neutral, but not as nicely as it's counterpart. A little chattery at slow/cone friction zone speeds, too.

Both clutches have been adjusted using the exact same method, pretty confident I didn't overfill either primary case with Formula+.

My biggest complaint is the extra effort required to pull the Street Glide clutch lever. Is this due to the fact the SG clutch cable has to be force-fed through the inner fairing, where the Softail clutch cable just falls to its natural position, without any interference?

I should also mention that when I activate the Street Glide clutch, I can see the cable flexing ever so slightly where the adjuster joins the two pieces of cable.

Thanks

Last edited by drspencer; Jul 31, 2013 at 07:33 PM.

Jul 31, 2013 | 07:24 PM

Guitardude

Club Member

Joined: Jul 2012

Posts: 2,697

Likes: 10

From: San Angelo, Texas

I notice a little difference between my FLHTCU and my FLSTCi, but really not enough to mention...

Jul 31, 2013 | 07:28 PM

av ultra

Road Captain

Joined: Dec 2010

Posts: 545

Likes: 8

From: antelope valley ca.

I think the touring models have a stiffer clutch spring, the 96 isn't too bad, the 103 has a stiffer spring, I know the se spring was a mother in my ultra.

Jul 31, 2013 | 07:32 PM

drspencer

Thread Starter

Road Warrior

Joined: Feb 2010

Posts: 1,534

Likes: 10

Quote:

Originally Posted by av ultra

I think the touring models have a stiffer clutch spring, the 96 isn't too bad, the 103 has a stiffer spring, I know the se spring was a mother in my ultra.

If you read my original post, you will notice that both bikes have the same clutch spring.
Thanks

Jul 31, 2013 | 09:38 PM

uklauren

Florida Crew Moderator

Joined: May 2012

Posts: 11,396

Likes: 3,391

From: Port St Lucie Florida

My SE SG clutch is stiffer than my Heritage clutch but has improved a little with use, or maybe my left hand has got stronger. There is a product called a Clutch Wizard I've heard good things about.

Jul 31, 2013 | 10:20 PM

VinnyM

Road Master

Joined: Apr 2011

Posts: 892

Likes: 54

From: Colorado

My 13 SG is a little harder than my 11 Road King and the SG only has 1K on it. Both are 103's, I was thinking the cable running through the fairing may have something to do with it. May be putting the cable in a slight bind?..........just guessin!