Everyone knows how to break in their own vehicles it seams. All the M8's I've ridden (dealer loaners) however have very poor shifting boxes, just awful compared to my own bike and I put it down to their break in.

I don't know Steve, but at the end of the day I'm really trying to get my head around why some do this at high rpm more noticeably, some do it at any rpm after a few short km, and mine can go 1000km hard (seeing 5000rpm) and have zero issue.

As this issue is still unresolved, I'm just thinking out loud.

 

Right on.

 

So how did you break in your bike so that it shifted smoothly?

 

1. Using heel shifter I'd seek neutral before moving through to higher gears
2. I picked at what rpm the gear selected would slot in without making an audible click and try to replicate it through all my shifts.
3. I ran my bike at <4000 rpms for the first 3000km.
4. I didn't get a dyno tune until 9000 km.

I use no engine oil after 10,000km, no transmission oil is migrating, my primary level is correct, it's easy to select neutral and more often than not I get no audible clunk changing gears. Syn 3 in all holes. Bike made 97/109 dynoed not to run it in or soon after but after 9000km.

Loaner M8's gearboxes seem hard to select neutral and feel much clunkier shifting. Noticed this with 103 TC too.

The thing is - why is this not happening to all bikes? Well, my rough correlation from reading here is that high rpm transfer bikes often saw a dyno straight up, bikes that transfer at any rpm and in relatively few km also often report clunking on shift/hard to select neutral and then there are bike's like mine with slick gearboxes that don't transfer oil.

After last weekend's 1000km ride through the mountains of northern NSW (really going hard up to 5000rpm) I was quite sure I'd see transfer but no - still none. Then I remember how rough loan bikes are to ride when who knows who broke them in in who knows what fashion.

Until I hear a better explanation these are my thoughts on the issue.

 

Lots of Harley's have been broken in many different ways over many years. This is the first model I've seen with reports of trans to primary migration. I don't think it's a break in issue.... fortunately for me I seem to be one of the ones not having a problem and I didn't break it in like you did.

 

No one knows what the issue is so ruling anything out seems premature to me. Has anyone cross checked folks who report hard to find neutral/clunking shifts and the transfer issue other than myself?

 

Seems to me the problems with clunking shifts and hard to find neutral would be from an over filled primary due to transfer. As appose to a problem that is related to shifting problems causing the transfer.

 

Well, yes I too suspect that clunking/hard to find neutral is due to over filled primary. I'm not sure which factor is causal though.

I'd also add I'm aware that there is more than one way to run in a vehicle. I'm just trying to join up some dots from this and other threads.

 

Is there anyone who has added TF that also never put their bike on a dyno? It seems every post I read about fluid transfer has a dyno in it. Is there more of a problem elsewhere than just the dyno bikes?

 

Yes, couple guys. Read back some. I'm not worried, I was but that's why we have a warranty. Keep an eye on your fluids.