Hayden M6 Install & Review

[MacHarry]

I used mine for years , first in the Heritage and now in the Road King and I must say the chain goes very smouth

No clicks and clacks anymore

Harry

[banquo]

Originally Posted by dantheman

good write up, da' you should send that into the quin, im sure it will help a few folks

Given some thought to that son, but decided the best place for write ups with photos is definitely on the forums.
Think about it.
Even a simple article like this would take up at least two pages, and with black and white photos, you wouldn't be able to see what's going on.

Maybe it would be a good idea to have a links page in the 'quin, where URLs for recent Tech Tips and discussions could be printed, with a wee background to what they are about???

[SJC69]

Originally Posted by banquo

Can the starter work with the ignition off and the alarm in transport mode (apart from a fault condition that is)?

Oh yes the old finger masher certainly can.....


It's directly connected to the battery via the solenoid, so engage the solenoid, eg pull on the starter gear and off it will go.

The only safe way is to disconnect the battery, I always cringe when I see people fwking about in the primary with the starter gear and the battery still connected!

I must say though you did see a lot more of that in the Shovel days, at any rally at least one would be in there, at Shipley you could take your pick!

[SJC69]

Just to buck the trend I fitted the H-D one about just over two years ago, why?

Well it was cheaper and the bike was under warranty, no problems so far, but it will be getting a full inspection soon as I am having the primary off to up rate the clutch, that's also when I will inspect the cam shoes as the exhaust has to come off to get to the clutch release mech!

I fitted a Hayden M6 to my FXR and ran that with no problems for many years. I mainly fitted it due to the mid shift gear shaft and foot rest making it a right bugger to get the inspection cover off for a check and adjustment!
I believe Kiwi Dave ran his long enough to need to replace the shoe!

I do remember mine was packed with and the shims wrapped up in old newspaper and the instructions being a bit on the sparse side!

As for "a smoother ride by reducing annoying vibration. Your transmission will 'click' into gear instead of 'clunk'. Improves shifting..."

I can honestly say though I never noticed any difference, but that said my gear box and clutch set up were very good to start with and I always kept the primary chain properly adjusted.

Also vibration is not going to be as noticeable with a rubber mount engine and the FXR/FLH cases are shorter so run a smaller length chain with less potential for a whip!

Yet another great write up Banquo and I too did re-use my primary gasket without any leaks but I do have a new one for this time as I hope not to be 'going in' again for quite a while!

[SJC69]

Update:- Went into the primary last week, very little wear on the H-D shoe and still adjusted as it was when fitted, so would appear to be working just fine.

[kiwidave]

just reinstalled mine again after stator replacement. I like them still

[banquo]

Update: well, a year and 6000 miles later, there's nothing really to report. It hasn't made any difference to the vibration that I've noticed, and there is still the same huge clunk when engaging 1st from standstill. Downward changes from 4th to 3rd and (especially) 3rd to 2nd are just as fierce as before. No real difference then, although I've passed one service without having to pull the primary (never did like adjusting it through the hole).
I don't regret buying it, but it would have been nice to see some more tangible differences after fitting...

[blodwen]

Hi all. I have tried ALL the various adjuster upgrades on my 1980 FXWG and have found the standard one to be the best.

M6:- Caused a MASSIVE "CLUNK / KNOCK" as the chain whipped on engaging the starter.(Not to mention the inner spring braking up after only 1000 miles) and yes, it was adjusted correctly.

Hydraulic:- Seems to run the chain too tight, with gearshifts up or down the box finding false neutrals.

Standard:- Slightly more vibration but far better shifting and once the chain rollers (not just the side/middle plates) contact the shoe, the adjustment interval reduces considerably.

[45grum]

Must admit, I fitted one to my shovel in the vain hope of improving gear changes and was greatly dissapointed to find no difference from stock.
Non-plussed, dont think I could recommend one but like most things Harley it seems to vary from bike to bike.