I'm pretty new in here, as this is only my second post, but since everyone was so helpful with my first, I figure I'd try it again. Yesterday I was headed home from work and in the middle of fourth gear, my sporty just started losing engine power, but not lights/gauges, etc. I cruised into the nearest gas station, killed it, and then restarted her just fine. Only problem was that it wouldn't roll in neutral, it wouldn't roll in first with the clutch in, it just wouldn't move. It was like it was stuck in fourth.... I had to throttle the crap out of it and play in the friction zone just to move....it felt like it was squatting. So I turned her off, and let her sit for about 10 minutes. Got a coke, came back, started her up, AND EVERYTHING WAS FINE!?!? Any ideas?

Thanks,

CK

 

And the bike's year, model and mileage is?

 

Sorry,

2003 Sportster 883, under 5k miles.

thx

 

when was the last time you had your primary fluid changed? if you never had done it, you've got 7 year old fluid. i would consider that.

also, you may need to adjust the primary chain tension. possibly clutch adjustment also, but knowing that cooling down the engine helped this issue, i doubt it. you can also adjust the shifter, as well.

man, it's getting hot to ride in houston, ain't it. good luck.

 

Wow, a 7 yo bike with 5K miles comes out to 700 miles a year. We need more history info regarding when the bike was last PROPERLY fully serviced (when was the 5K service was done), how many years the the bike sat unused, how many miles you've ridden it in the last year, etc. There's a number of possibilities if the bike sat unused without being properly prepped for storage.

 

Sorry, guys, here are some more details. The bike was used as a weekend cruiser for many years. When i purchased it two months ago, I had all of the fluids changed, and a 5k checkup done at a dealership here in town. Other than that, I know none of the history. It has ridden well for the last 1,000 miles, but that is all I have had a chance to get on it, as it is averaging 95 degrees with heat index over 105.

THX.

 

OK, IMO you likely have 2 separate issues going on, the motor losing power, and the bike not moving.

After carefully reading your description of the bike not moving, it sounds to me as if one of the brakes might have been locked up tight more so than a clutch or tranny issue. I'd at least check that out first. Letting it cool down might have let them fee up on their own. The brakes may need a through service.

The loss of power could be a number of things, possibly related to heat, including the coil, ignition module, vapor lock, crank/cam sensor failure. Also a dirty fuel filter, plugged fuel tank vent line.

 

if you said its squting you mean like a car trying to pull off with the hand brake on and the *** end of the bike goes down check the rear wheel bearing isnt seizing up or the rear brake caliper

 

Nothing is probably wrong. You probably just got the bike in too high a gear for your speed. When it stopped it was in the upper gear range which sometime can be hard to come down thru if there is the least bit drag on the bike due to it being on a slight incline even with the clutch pulled in there is still some slight drag thru it. Next time with the key off and the clutch not pulled in while sitting on bike pull back on bars and push forward slightly (rock it) while down shifting. This worst thing here is pulling in the clutch. Good luck, have fun, be careful and in about 500K after 4 or 5 bikes everything will be all figured out.

 

Good advise, but the fact that the OP describes the bike "squatting" as he released the clutch, is more indicative of a locked brake.