Doing a service on my `89 FLSTC today, pulled the transmission filler plug/dipstick, this is what I saw:



I pulled the cover, it is full of aluminum mud, the dipstick must have been ground to bits.

I`ll pull the gearset and look it over and, clean out the transmission case a flush out the gearset and shift drum.

I don`t expect that the soft dipstick did any damage, but I want to at least clean out all the contamination.

Crappy dipstick only lasted 150,000 miles...

 

I replaced at least one bike with a baker I think. There used to be a lot of internet hysteria about this.

Surprised nothing bad happened.

 

That is not good.
Maybe like a Anode Rod in a hot water heater................J/K.
Now I'm going to have to check mine

 

I knew I should have just cut the damned thing off many years ago, but I never bothered...

I don`t know why I never cut it off, I never check the lube level because it doesn`t leak.

The lube looks like the paint they used on the Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz...

But probably not as toxic...

 

 

Yikes, hope the gears are OK. FWIW the aluminum hex head on mine was stripped by some PO so I replaced it with a Colony steel dipstick, got it from my local independent HD shop.

 

Kinda looks like the ones I use.. No stick.. If yours looks broken, be worried. If it looks cut off, be happy.

 

That would suck *****, would stress test my cussing creativity.

That pan looks close to the paint color mix we did for my shovel back when.

 

Wait a minute. With the primary you have to check the level by looking at it, but tranny you just dump it in?????
I have had leaks, and even had migration into tranny when sprocket shat seal was bad. Plus the M8s So I wouldn't cut. If a guy really wanted to cut it off and save old one.

My 5 speed if I remember correctly had wear marks from wear clutch cable moved across it. I think I replaced it on two of my bikes, though not sure if an issue on 6 speeds. 20 years ago there was a few threads about the sticks going down and destroying trannys.

 

I could not give a half $hit about your imaginary experience.