I've had that feeling with my bike before. Felt like it was slipping or I had no back pressure or something like that. Its kind of hard to explain. Both times I readjusted the clutch and she was back to normal. Seeing that you said its your first Harley I'll clarify that what we mean when we say adjust your clutch is open the derby cover and adjust the clutch. We aren't just talking about just the cable adjustment.

 

I was really hoping adjusting this would solve it, but no luck. Yes, first Harley 4th motorcycle.. Lmao. Adjusted it from the clutch to the cable. Loosened the nut, spun out the bolt, threaded it back in until I felt resistance, backed it off half turn, locked the nut back down. then adjusted the cable for 1/8 inch play at the handle.

Shifts smoother now for sure but the motor is still running like it is being restricted. When I say she used to pull like a beast on the throttle, I mean it frickin scared me.. It was a monster, now it feels like it's half throttle all the time. Easing it's way through the gears. Exhaust sounds quieter and not as deep. No strange noises, motor sounds good, feels smooth, just gutless. Significantly. So much so that I am almost afraid to ride it and really screw something up.

Think I am going to have to throw some money at a tech, which I HATE doing. I like to do it myself. Also, no codes in system and 15k miles.

 

Before spending $ on a tech...open your butterfly in your throttle body and spray some cleaner in there...just in case there's some gunk covering one of your sensors.

Also try some seafoam in your gas tank...run about a 1/4 of tank thru, see if that clears anything up.

Check your plug wire connections...use some dielectric grease on all 4 ends.

 

That stood out to me. Have you tried adjusting your throttle cables?

 

My first thought was low oil pressure or collapsed lifters.

 

ok fellas, mystery solved.. So I was thinking back to last month. Im riding down the road and something bit my left thigh, right where it brushes the tank. Three times in a row. I fgured a bee was caught in my pant leg. Left red marks and everything. Then a week later, it happened again, same spot. I just figured I was unlucky.

So I was thinking back on this and the fact the plug wires I just installed were a set my buddy had lying around that he never installed. They were old but never used. So I bought a brand new set of plug wires and put them in with a dab of dielectric grease.

As soon as I fired it up, I knew. She sounded like her normal self. Sure enough, I bring her out onto the road and twist the throttle.. Beast mode is back. So the issue was two sets of bad wires.. The "bites" I thought I was getting must have been the old wires, grounding out where my leg was.

Thanks for all the assistance and sharing in my headache fellas. I appreciate it.

 

Glad it was simple and easy. The fixing it part, not the diagnosing part. So many times these things are just basic stuff. Good for your for remembering the wires, often stepping away from the problem for a while does help.

 

Dammit! It's always the simple ****...

Glad you got it sorted, and cheaply.

 

Exactly what i said after my test ride... It is always the simple ****. Thankfully. After all that though, now I'm looking at tuners.. Haha.

Maybe next season. Ill just enjoy that it didnt cost me my first born for the rest of this year.

 

you can start by popping your seat off and looking under it. A lot of tuners are routed there.