Noisy in 5th gear !!!

[Roadkingpete]

Hi i wonder has anyone eles noticed similar on the 6 gear models
When i change up into 5th gear it seems as if the primary chain is slack and sounds diferent on changing into 6th everything goes smooth again
its not realy bad but iritating, Any ideas

[petedrz]

loud pipes seem to work on my fatboy

[Tony Cross]

Mine is the same. Sounded like a bandsaw. Slick 50 and more miles will quieten it a bit but yours is a common complaint.

[Phil]

Cut & paste answer. Very, very common complaint.

Harley six speeds have helical gears, except for first & fifth.

Fifth so as to enable the electronic speedo.

That & very lax build spec can lead to a noisy gearbox.

Some are whisper quiet, some sound like a Massey Ferguson.

A good quality Full Synthetic Gear Oil will help a great deal.

We have had excellent results with Redline & Bel-Ray.

It won`t go away, but it will quiet it down.

[MR P]

Same on mine from day one, Going for a service at Shaws HD next week so i will ask what they think.

[Tony Cross]

Originally Posted by Phil

Cut & paste answer. Very, very common complaint.

Harley six speeds have helical gears, except for first & fifth.

Fifth so as to enable the electronic speedo.

That & very lax build spec can lead to a noisy gearbox.

Some are whisper quiet, some sound like a Massey Ferguson.

A good quality Full Synthetic Gear Oil will help a great deal.

We have had excellent results with Redline & Bel-Ray.

It won`t go away, but it will quiet it down.

Phil do you think a few thousand miles will ease it?

[Tony Cross]

Originally Posted by MR P

Same on mine from day one, Going for a service at Shaws HD next week so i will ask what they think.

To me 5th gear is the only weak point on the best Harley I have ridden.

[Phil]

Originally Posted by Tony Cross

Phil do you think a few thousand miles will ease it?

You wouldn`t think so, but it does on some.

They have tightened up the tolerances considerably recently, the newer bikes are a lot better.

I could suggest that if the Bike is under Factory Warranty you could dig your heels in & insist that the noise shows poor build & needs replacing.

[Roadkingpete]

Thanks for the replies Lads . Even though i aint happy with the noisy gearbox.it does help to know that it aint just mine .Its out of waranty now when i moaned about it from new they fobbed me off and said perhaps i was changing up to 5th gear too soon . Prats !!

[wizhard]

I recently got a new street bob and am dissapointed in the noise of the gear change and 1st gear whine, i thought I had left all that behind when i sold the sportster! also is it normal for it to make a clonk sound when starting?

mike