Primary Chain case oil

I have a 2004 Sportster 1200, have put in HD syn oil in the primary chain case. (As recomended on the container) Now after a few miles it sounds like it is hammering and clanging when I shift gears. Is there a better oil other there or is it just the nature of the beast.

OG,

I don't know diddly about sportsters, but I would start by checking the primary chain adjustment per the manuals instructions.

This is not an oil issue. If it is not the chain adjustment you should check to make sure the compensator nut is tight. Sometimes they loosen and you can tell by rattling sound at idle.

I hope this helps.

wait for artjr to chime in he'll be the one with the answer i'll bet

Yeah...He B Da man for Sportys. In the meantime do what Chuck and Tom said and then Art should let ya know what gear oil to run in there(Red Line 75-90,I think) and if you have another problem there too.

clanking gears when you shift or it shifts hard and makes a big clunk, pretty normal but most of the time for me it's when I put it in 1st, make sure your primary chain is properly adjusted, If you changed the oil it prob needs a little adjustment, I stoped using the sportster tranny fluid a while back, I use a light weight gear oil, works fine, the hole purpose of the oil is for cooling, not lubrication, to oily will make the clutch slip, that's why you don't use a thick weight. and you don't want to use synthetic, it's made for lubrication.

Thanks everyone will check it out.

The oil in the primary actually has several functions. Unlike a belt driven primary, the HD primary diesign uses a double row chain and sprockets made of steel. This design requires oil to lube these parts, which is the main purpose of the oil. Then second is to cool the clutch and flush the worn friction material from between the plates as the clutch wears.

The material used on the friction plates of a wet clutch differs from that of a dry clutch and is designed specifically to run in a oil bath. There are many different opinions on what type of oil to use in the primary. It has been proven that snythectic oil will not cause a clutch to slip. Clutch slipage is a result of improper adjustment, worn or burnt clutch plates. I have 32K on my Heritage, been running synthectic in the primary for the last 30K and never had a problem.

One thing the synthetic will do is clean everything really good. You may want to check the adjustment on the primary chain tensioner and readjust your clutch. If your clutch is not totally disengaging the gears will engage with more force. Also, if you over fill the primary, this can cause rough operation of the primary. Good luck!