hard shifting and gearbox

[BlackRider]

Common problem, what is the solution? Any way to soften the shifting of the gears?

 

[freak2180]

It is a common "quark" that these bikes have. Best advise is to find the best 20/50 V-twin oil that suits your bikes needs wether its dino or synthetic. I wish I could help more but every bike is diffrent and its a trial and error process. Most feel that a good synthetic oil does the job, but at the cost of a lil more top end noise<-------maybe it just me. Im personally going to use dino oil on my next change and see what happens.

 

[zdawg123]

I haven't ridden a Buell yet that doesn't clunk into gear and make noise while shifting. Part of owning a Buell [up] like freak said, run some 20W50 and that'll quiet it down a little, but not much. I run HD Screamin Eagle 20W50 synthetic in my 1125 Cr. My buddy has an R and he uses Mobile 20W50 synthetic. Both of our bikes shift the same. Unless you find big shards of metal in your oil after draining it, don't worry about the shifting noise and whatnot. It's all part of the exotic ride!

 

[anrkizm95]

you'll get use to it.
welcome to buellxb

 

[MAGIC]

That's what Buells are like. You have to look at it like it's an old school muscle car motor and transmission combo. Tons of torque and clunky rough shifting transmission. Plus IT IS actually muscle bike.

 

[zdawg123]

That's what Buells are like. You have to look at it like it's an old school muscle car motor and transmission combo. Tons of torque and clunky rough shifting transmission. Plus IT IS actually muscle bike.

I like your comparison, MAGIC

 

[captain chaos]

It’s a common problem/complaint with an XB. It’s that Harley heritage showing itself.

You’ll never get a Buell tranny to be butter smooth but it doesn’t have to be clunky and uncooperative either. When all is right it’ll be solid feeling, emit a solid CLICK when shifting (not the light “snick” you get from a Japanese bike) and be generally easy to live with. Here are some tips to getting it there:

-Make SURE you’re primary chain adjustment is within spec. This is a BIG cause of “clunky tranny syndrome”. This is critical on a Sportster/Buell and can make the difference between absolutely HATING your tranny and being generally content with it.

-Make SURE your primary oil is at the proper level. Buell XB’s (and Sportsters) have a separate oil reservoir for the tranny oil, unlike most bikes that use 1 oil for both engine and tranny. My Buell shifted like crap when I first got it. The shifter felt “sticky” between gears, like it was reluctant to go into the next cog. I immediately checked the primary level and sure enough, it was WAY over-full. MAKE SURE YOU GET IT RIGHT!

-Use the Primary oil you like best. This will undoubtedly be a trial and error thing. Some oils will produce a smoother feel in the tranny than others. No brand or weight of oil will “fix” the tranny if the first 2 things I mentioned aren’t dealt with first. Personally, I was happy with Lucas 20w50 synthetic motorcycle oil in my primary. The Harley trans oil (sportrans or something like that) is OK but I preferred the feel of the Lucas. Like I said though, brand/weight of oil is a distant third to the other 2 things.

Download the service manual from this site and check the primary chain and oil level before you sink money into anything else. You might be surprised by the difference it makes.