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5th gear whine

Ya. mine does it. All the six speeds have a whine in 5th gear. That is because you will spend a good amount of time in 5th and as such they made it a straight cut gear instead of the more quiet hellicul cut. I look at it like this; "if a design engineer thinks it ought to be straight cut, then who am I to disagree with him". Besides, that is how I tell when I am cruising in 5th gear. Mine is not to the point where it distracts me, once I realized why they did it. You are after all is said and done, sitting on an air cooled engine with a manual transmission. Not like your car, you know.
 
Mine had the whine. I put Bel-ray Gear Saver, 85-140 in transmission, made a big difference. It's still there, but hardly noticable.
JONNIEROCK
 
I have investigated the samething on my 09 Softail Heritage Classic. The 1st and 5th gears are spur gears and make more noise than the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 6th gears which are helical gears. Baker Drivetrain makes a helical gear replacement for around $900.00. Then of course you have to have it installed. I talked to Paradise Harley here in Oregon and they told me they would put in the new gear set and would cover any damage that any other gears caused. However, if it could be proved that the Baker gear caused the problem it would be money out of my pocket. Baker does guraantee their gear set for 2 years. BAKER Drivetrain | The Drivetrain Authority


Good Riding!
 
Re: no 5th gear whine, good or bad?

07 Ultra, never had a whine. I don't know if this is good or bad. Is this because the gears are so well fit or is it because they are so sloppy they can't whine. Ether way the bike runs great. :newsmile011:
 
I Have A 08 Roadking And The Fifth Gear Whine Is There. The Dealer, Response Was That Was Normal.

What the dealer told you is correct, however it is not right. The poor tolerances in the manufacturing is what causes the whine. How many 5 speeds with the same straight cut gears as the 1st and 5th gears in the 6 speeds that are being blamed for the cause of this noise have you heard with this type of a whine?
My 07 did the same thing and I installed the IDS as well as a good gear lube which minimized the whine somewhat. I have many a 5 speed trans in different bikes over the years and have never had anything even close to the gear whine as well as the trans trap door flexing which causes a pulsating in the clutch handle. Poor design and cheaping out on the manufacturing of parts can be blamed mostly for the problems in the newer bikes.
Look around at the Baker setups and see if they have as many complaints as the Harley units. Better quality than the Harley counterparts and at a price too. If they can do it, then why can't Harley do it too for the prices they charge for these bikes?
 
IMO and from what I have seen, they are more interested in the bottom line than the customers returning after the purchase. Once the $$$ have changed hands, it's like take a number and get in line. When is the last time you saw a company without an 800 number or even an email address?
 
IMO and from what I have seen, they are more interested in the bottom line than the customers returning after the purchase. Once the $$$ have changed hands, it's like take a number and get in line. When is the last time you saw a company without an 800 number or even an email address?

While I totally agree with you. I've never seen any of your posts this cynical towards anything Harley. Now to fuel the fire a bit I took my bike to the dealer yesterday to see about the faded inner fairing and I was told it's my fault .I PARK THE WRONG WAY IN THE SUN!
 
While I totally agree with you. I've never seen any of your posts this cynical towards anything Harley. Now to fuel the fire a bit I took my bike to the dealer yesterday to see about the faded inner fairing and I was told it's my fault .I PARK THE WRONG WAY IN THE SUN!

Is there anything in the owners manual stating that you should park in a certain position to avoid sun contact with certain parts on a NEW bike?

Just another fine example of how they customer is taken care of after the purchase.

Steve, the reason I am so cynical about the MOCO is that I have been riding these tractors for a very long time and haven't seen very many "success" stories when it comes to customer satisfaction.Seen a few but I speak from what I see of others and my own experiences which have been many with dealers and the company itself.
I myself have been there with a few problems and unless you threaten legal action you feel like a tennis ball in a heated match. If it weren't for loyal customers, the company would have a different approach to the problems that arise with these bikes.
 
There has also been an definate loss of service as dealers turn into boutiques, as evidenced on this site and others many times over. I remeber the old wood floors and a half wall between the parts counter and the service area. Now they want everything there homogenized. It SUCKS!

My wife and I had this conversation the other day,have you noticed the showroom gets smaller as the clothing takes up more and more space?
 
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