My name is Drew and I have a late 84 sporty. It has been slipping really bad. It'll rev up but won't go over 35mph. I've done all adjustment by the book and then played with it and went by the book again and it's still slipping. I've replaced the clutch bearing and the pressure plate. The clutch plates are still fairly new..haven't been able to ride the Harley much and so their only about 6 months old and still good. Put it all back together and it's still doing the same thing. I've been told something internal might be wrong...but I don't see what it could be. Clutch cable is fairly new too. Please help?

 

So you can't go over 35 in any gear? Or can you not shift it?

 

Its wont go over 35 in any gear. Shifts great.

 

I'll bump this up again. Interested to see what a more experienced mechanic has to say.

My experience with a slipping clutch in a car doesn't line up with your observations. I know it's not an apples to apples comparison but it sure seems to me like there is something else going on there.

 

Out of curiosity, what kind of oil is in the tranny?

 

Ask this over at xlforum.net in the Ironhead section, lots of good people and good knowledge about the IH.

Do you have the correct number of plates? Maybe the spring(s) isn't being compressed enough to hold firm? The clutch pack needs to be held firmly to begin with, before doing any adjustments.

John

 

I pulled the spring plate out and replaced it with two steels...and it worked great then.....and then it just started slipping...now i have replaced main clutch bearing, pressure plate, and disks. Splines on main shaft are good, teeth in the inside of front sprocket are good, splines of inside clutch basket are good. Still slippin. I pulled the tranny out and noticed the slots on second gear which face the clutch gear are worn...could that be the cause of it slipping??

 

cHarley, i put sporster primary fluid in it..or regular 20-50 oil in it....its never had a problem with either or.

 

The spring plate gets replaced by two steel AND a friction plate.

 

I caught that as well, hope he just forgot to write it.

John