How "New" is it?......I had this issue when I had mine and it had less than a few hundred miles on it.....Called HD dealer and they said when they are brand new they adjust the clutch to an extremely tight tolerance so that as it breaks in it will be set correctly....They said ride it fro a couple of hundred miles and try again.....Sure enough.....After a hundred miles or so it went away......Maybe not your issue but worth mentioning.....

 

Fortunately I have not, but I suppose as with anything mechanical nothing is impossible. I do recall accidentally tapping the start switch on my '03 Ultra which was in gear and resting on the Jiffy Stand. The bike lurched forward and I remember breaking out in to a cold sweat. Think I soiled my drawers too!

 

Clutch adjustment has NOTHING to do with it! Your not even using the clutch, of course it's engaged, adjustment is mainly for freeplay. The bike is in neutral, no power to the rear wheel, I bet it's just torque rocking the bike.

 

I have to agree with those that say this can't be a clutch issue. If the bike is in neutral, it wouldn't matter how far out of adjustment the clutch is or even if the clutch was not functional. It can't lurch forward when starting due to a clutch problem if the bike is in neutral. If the bike was in gear and you were holding the clutch in, then it could be a clutch adjustment issue.

Dennis

 

Thanks to all the replies! They have been very interesting and helpful. Just wanted to add that the bike makes a loud "clunk" at the same time as it lurches slight in neutral when I hit the START without the clutch pulled in. Maybe this would add some insight . . . hopefiully just a breaking in issue and not a problem. 09' EG Classic with 400 miles

 

As did my '75 Moto Guzzi Eldorado, but I grew to despise that feature on the not-so-rare occasions the bike would stall in slow moving traffic or an intersection. Trying to find neutral and get a 25-yr-old bike started in the middle of an intersection, on a grade, with trunks honking at you, is not fun.

 

I use the clutch. in neutral. for safety sake.

as far as your bike "lurching forward"-as far as I'm concerned it is NOT normal. Does it do it when the clutch is in as well?

if you have an 09 and haven't gotten the first service done yet then I wouldn't worry too much because the clutch will and SHOULD be adjusted at that time.

 

The "clunk" is pretty much normal for 07-09 96" motors (vs prior years). Everybody was freaking out about it when the 07s first came out (among 50 other things). They changed something about the starter engagement mechanism that I believe makes it engage more solidly. Downside is the "clunk" when you hit the starter.

 

Exactly. I crapped my pants pretty good. I had a metric bike years ago that had the interlock fail, started in gear, and years later, did the same thing as you with my first Harley (also an 03) which lurched as I was standing next to it.

From that day on I do not start the bike unless:

1. Im sitting on it
2. Neutral
3. Clutch is in
4. Im paying attention

It was bad enough dropping a $4000 Yamaha. I don't want to think how pissed I would be if it was my $26,000 Harley.

Interlocks and safetys are nice, but as I learned from 15 years working around printing presses, you don't trust life and limb to them. (or a Harley drop)

 

Its not a really big "lurch". Not enough to actually really move the bike. Its more a slight drag on the clutch. Its kinda like the first time you about crap yourself when your bike rocks forward on the Jiffy stand. Its not bad, just enough to make you wonder. Every HD Ive owned will do it when started cold, regardless of how recently the clutch was adjusted.