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Can't find gears downshifting

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Citykid

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Sep 7, 2017
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Anyone have this issue? When gliding to a light, instead of downshifting to each gear sometimes I'll pull in the clutch , say from 5th or 6th, and stomp down until in 1st, then find neutral and wait at the light.

Recently, I'll stomp down and feel 4th then 3rd. But then nothing. The shifter feels very loose. It's not's clicking into 2nd or 1st. Up shifting is no problem. But I noticed this on quite a long ride so I had many chances to check this. Didn't happen 100% of the time, but it did happen a lot. Enough to make me nervous. If I have to jam on the brake quickly and stop, then get it in gear in case someone is coming up behind me, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to get it into 1st.
 
Occasionally, very occasionally, something like that happens to me. My previous 2014 FLHXS as well as my current 2019 FLHXS will kinda get lost when downshifting quickly through all the gears to first when approaching a stop at a light or something. No worries. Usually I slowly downshift through the gears as my speed slows matching approximate gear to approximate speed even if the clutch is in the whole time.
 
That was what I was thinking. But this has happened a lot in the past two days. When I can, usually, I downshift. Maybe it was once being told by a girl "I love a guy that downshifts", I dunno. But when I think about quick stops and then not being able to get into gear, argh.
 
Not an issue I have experienced. Been in plenty of scenarios to have it happen.
 
So I stopped by HD to schedule a service. They said it's normal. Wha? It's a safety thing to keep you from dropping the bike from a high gear to a low gear and damage the bike. Apparently a lot of riders of Trikes were doing just this. So If you're riding at 60 or 70 mph you are unable to drop it into 1st or 2nd gear. Why you'd want to I dunno.

So... you need to downshift through the gears. The bike needs to be moving when shifting. If I glide to a red light holding the clutch in 6th gear and stop. I won't be able to get into 1st. You gotta give a little throttle and let out the clutch a bit, just catching, and downshift through the gears to 1st.

I don't like it since I'd never do something stupid like drop it into 1st at 60 mph. But whatever, it's another Harley thing.
 
I've had the same. Usually when coasting to a red light at the off ramp. Let the clutch out a little and then I can shift again. Intentional safety? I don't know about that.

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This sucks. If I skip a gear down shifiting, I have no gear. I am hoping that the clutch recall either fixes this or at least they get to open up everything to look since they have to for the recall.

I've found I am concentrating so much on did the bike go down into the next gear that I'm not focusing on the road and what's in front of me. No good. If I down shift two times I should know exactly what gear I am in. Not having to look at the dash to see what gear the bike is in.
 
I really don't check what gear I'm in, I go off feeling. I know getting off the freeway to turn, I need to drop 3-4 gears depending on how fast I'll be taking the turn. I just thump it down and if something doesn't feel right (no reset!?) I'll react and engage the clutch a bit. Dash doesn't correctly display the gear unless the clutch is engaged anyway so looking down at the dash will indicate an erroneous gear or nothing at all.

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But that's my point. If I kick it down one or two I know what gear I'm SUPPOSED to be in. But it hardly works that way since this problem arose. It feels wrong/soft almost all the time. That's why I end up looking at the dash. I'm old school, I never did that before (look at dash for gear selection). But then I never had a bike that told me what gear I'm in anyway before.
 
Recall seems to have fixed this issue. I haven't tried to go from 6 to 2 while slowing down to a light, too afraid to find out it didn't work. Haha. But I have skipped two and three gears and it's working right.
 
Citykid said:
But that's my point. If I kick it down one or two I know what gear I'm SUPPOSED to be in. But it hardly works that way since this problem arose. It feels wrong/soft almost all the time. That's why I end up looking at the dash. I'm old school, I never did that before (look at dash for gear selection). But then I never had a bike that told me what gear I'm in anyway before.
Click to expand...

Exactly. I ride a 2009. The only way I know what gear I need to be or in is told by my tach. 2000-2800rpm and feel. If I’m higher than that then I meant to do that. Like running 2800 in the mountains and twisties but mostly feel. Unless I’m in 6th then a light tells I’m in sixth and I’m on Highway cruising. I always downshift to slow down. Reason being is if that a$$ behind me on his phone doesn’t see my brake light then I can twist the throttle and get out of the way. I’ll know where I am by my tach and feel. Not bogging down in 6 gear, a victim. Unless there’s been new and improved changes to engines that can jump out of way in sixth gear. Head on swivel. Mirrors adjust to see watch my 6. I wanna make sure I get home.


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HOW interesting!!

I'm personally new to M8s / throttle by wire / 6speed trans.
My lady has an 2019 FXBB Street Bob and I find the EXACT same scenario you describe! ...to the point where I questioned it at the stealer...

was told it's just me being used to clunky old 5speeds and EVO's from the jurassic period.
But that didn't explain why my lady has the same downshift issue, with no previous Harley experience, and it's HER bike!

I found that if I went 6....5....nothing....nothing then backing off the throttle a little and then opening up a little, the gear would appear ....4....3....2....1....RESISTANCE

Interesting to read its a 'safety feature'


ps: Dash doesn't correctly display the gear and can't be relied upon, as its an electronic calculation based on speed and rpm.... I figured that out from having a Dakota Digital on my '86 FXR

Citykid said:
So I stopped by HD to schedule a service. They said it's normal. Wha? It's a safety thing to keep you from dropping the bike from a high gear to a low gear and damage the bike. Apparently a lot of riders of Trikes were doing just this. So If you're riding at 60 or 70 mph you are unable to drop it into 1st or 2nd gear....
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
After going through the recall, it seems to be resolved. I say 'seems to' because I've now really changed riding by always shifting down one step. 6...5...4...3...2, etc. Maybe I'll skip one gear, but that's it. So maybe the recall was part of it.

The safety reason HD said, well, I think it's BS. But that's just me.

But to SptsFan... you really sit at a light for 1-2 min with the clutch pulled in? I can't do it. Is that safer... yes. But I'm shifting enough. I don't need to pull in the clutch for long periods of time. My two cents.
 
There was a recall for 17s (dunno if 18s were included) a few months ago. The Clutch Actuator was replaced.
 
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