As a fellow mechanical engineer since 1990, I think you would appreciate that you say what you mean and mean what you say. I don't mean to pick, but it sounds like sour grapes that you weren't hired, even though you were fresh out of school and felt that whatever motorcycle experience you had should have edged you to the lead.

Hey, I didn't get my "dream job" right out of school either, even though I had a decent GPA from a good engineering school... it happens. I just wouldn't go so far as to make the statement that they hired "the other guy" after a grueling interview process because they wanted the worse engineer. It sounds petty.

As an engineer, assuming you've had some experience since college, I'd think you'd understand the pressures we all work under - design it to be inexpensive to make, more EPA compliant, have it done in an impossibly short and arbitrary timeframe, and make it inexpensive to make (added twice for emphasis). Being an engineer in this day and age ain't what it used to be - not even in 1990.

 

I'll admit was was kinda bummed I didn't get selected. I really love the motorcycle industry and working for HD could have been a dream come true. I say "could have" because the following year after the 2008 housing bubble popped and their stock went thru the basement I probably would have been laid off. The career I ultimately took had me very gainfully employed as it was not based on ebs and flows of the adult toy market.

In hindsight I still wish I could have had a shot, so yea, sour grapes. Just one of those things I'll have to live with since it was far out of my control. For the time being I'll just sit here and criticize their design choices since I was not asked to provide input into them.

For the record, I have no idea who they hired and how good of an engineer they were. I can only assume that person was a better fit for the company's ideal person for that job than I was. I honestly wasn't trying to sound petty.

And I agree with your sentiments regarding engineering constraints. Where I did work (Kohler Generators) I seen what you described every day. I was a field engineer for paralleling switchgear, fixing design flaws remotely after product shipped so this whole trans oil transfer issue strikes a chord with me.

 

The thing to point out was that HD really needed a manufacturing engineer (ME) and not a mechanical engineer (ME). While some of the core classes are the same, the final upper level classes are different. Being a retired EE with work in production test, I've worked with both.. I can tell that HD was really looking for a manufacturing engineer simply by the questions that were asked.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manufacturing_engineering

 

I worked for Kohler's furniture division for many years. Not as an engineer, but I could see that same business philosophy even in their furniture industry they bought into back in the 90's.

 

LOL. Fair enough. Mind if I join you?
Right on. Affects us all, trust me. Even when you're the boss, the customers begin demanding more for less in less time.

 

This is what we as the customer will have to deal with, the millennial's are now taking over HD, so this is what we will see from now on i'm afraid..

 

The MoCo has been pretty much the same, CS & quality-wise since I was a kid and I'm 70 now. It seemed a little better in '82 when it was bought out from AMF by the employees, but that only lasted a few model years, then it was back to business as usual.

The millennials might not help it any, probably not, in fact, but I definitely don't believe they're the problem.

 

I am one of the riders who has been seriously affected by this transfer issue.

At around 1,500k miles, I had my bike serviced under the service bulletin TA00022 (replacing the crankshaft seal and spacer). Soon after that I would experience a transfer of about 14 oz of transmission fluid about every 300 miles. Each time, I've been taking it back to my dealer and having them adjust the fluid levels of the transmission and primary. Each time they documented how much fluid transferred and the mileage. After about the 4th time of taking it back for fluid adjustments, the motor company sent a tech to examine my bike.

I met with the tech today and he said he installed what looks like a small plastic disc about 2" in diameter on the transmission side of the clutch push rod, right where the hydraulic clutch actuator meets the clutch push rod. The idea is that it will block excess fluid of traveling down the clutch push rod to the primary. He then rode my bike for about 200 miles at both highway speed and though city traffic. He returned to the shop and there was no transfer at all! Based on my track record, there would have been some transfer.

I now have that task of riding it and bringing it back in 1000 miles to have them check it. Only time will tell, but it looks promising!

My theory seems to have been validated. The fluid was traveling down the clutch push rod and into the primary. I further believe that since I do a lot of city riding (I commute 20 miles a day to/from work) this action was acting like a "pump" and causing it to transfer. Unlike someone who would pull the clutch a few times and ride for 50+ miles before pulling the clutch again.

 

Dude, how many threads are you going to post this maybe possible alleged fix on, LOL?

 

All of them, apparently!