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[LRebel]

Not likely but is the clutch line routing or the side cover too close the exhaust?  Maybe you're boiling the fluid on the extreme ends of hot days?

Don,
If the clutch line was getting hot enough to boil the fluid, wouldn't the plastic-like coating on the outside of the clutch line be getting hot enough to cause damage?   

When I checked the fluid level, it was too full.  The new clutch plates, I guess, could explain the higher fluid level.  I flushed out the reservoir and clutch line.  I refilled with new fluid and intentionally left it just a little low.  I would think that if the fluid is getting hot, the fact that I left the fluid level a little low would allow for ample expansion. 

The clutch lever is not sticking... it is returning all the way.  As I said before, when the clutch starts slipping the lever feels like a cable actuated clutch that is out of adjustment... no free play at the end of the lever travel.

The venting might be the issue, I suppose.  I'm not sure how the reservoir is vented

I am perplexed.  I took it back to the dealer Monday.  They called me yesterday.... they can't figure it out either.  I am not a patient person, by any means and I ain't gonna ride a bike that I have to worry about getting me back home.

Stay Tuned

[grc]

Dan, the clutch on the Harley works backward from what you experience with brakes.  With brakes, as the pads wear the pistons are pushed out further and more fluid moves from the reservoir into the caliper.  If you add fluid, when you finally replace the pads and push the pistons back into the caliper bores, you have to remove the excess fluid from the reservoir.  With the Harley clutch, however, as the clutch discs wear the pressure plate moves further into the clutch forcing the release rod back into the actuator which in turn forces fluid back to the master cylinder reservoir.  As the clutch discs wear, the fluid level in the reservoir actually increases.  There is a warning in the shop manual about overfilling just for that reason.  I tend to wonder just how many of the dealership folks doing service intervals understand this, and just how many hydraulic clutches leave the factory or the dealership with too much fluid.

A defective master cylinder that doesn't allow fluid pressure to be relieved could also cause a slipping problem.  As you noted, if the MC piston doesn't fully retract it can block the port and keep the system pressurized.  With the recent changes to the master cylinders (cheapening), I wouldn't be surprised if there aren't more than a few defective ones floating around.  This isn't a widespread issue with earlier CVO's, so I would tend to suspect recent design and quality changes as a root cause.  It also isn't being widely reported by owners of other '09 and '10 models with the cats in the collector, so I don't believe it's just a high fluid temp issue either.  High fluid temps might exacerbate the condition, but I don't really believe they are the root cause.


Jerry

[LRebel]

My bike has V&H Big Shot Duals.  These are pretty simple, as far as exhaust goes.... pretty much straight pipes with a baffle in the end.  I'm not sure, but since there are no mufflers I would think these would not get as hot as the stock pipes 
BTW, I think they look great, but they don't do much for performance.  I will do something different next time I spend $$$ on exhaust.

[Dan_Lockwood]

Dan, the clutch on the Harley works backward from what you experience with brakes.  With brakes, as the pads wear the pistons are pushed out further and more fluid moves from the reservoir into the caliper.  If you add fluid, when you finally replace the pads and push the pistons back into the caliper bores, you have to remove the excess fluid from the reservoir.  With the Harley clutch, however, as the clutch discs wear the pressure plate moves further into the clutch forcing the release rod back into the actuator which in turn forces fluid back to the master cylinder reservoir.  As the clutch discs wear, the fluid level in the reservoir actually increases.  There is a warning in the shop manual about overfilling just for that reason.  I tend to wonder just how many of the dealership folks doing service intervals understand this, and just how many hydraulic clutches leave the factory or the dealership with too much fluid.

A defective master cylinder that doesn't allow fluid pressure to be relieved could also cause a slipping problem.  As you noted, if the MC piston doesn't fully retract it can block the port and keep the system pressurized.  With the recent changes to the master cylinders (cheapening), I wouldn't be surprised if there aren't more than a few defective ones floating around.  This isn't a widespread issue with earlier CVO's, so I would tend to suspect recent design and quality changes as a root cause.  It also isn't being widely reported by owners of other '09 and '10 models with the cats in the collector, so I don't believe it's just a high fluid temp issue either.  High fluid temps might exacerbate the condition, but I don't really believe they are the root cause.


Jerry

Thanks for the refresher course.

As I think about this, the outer cover moves outward to the left "release" the pressure on the plates and if the plate material was worn off a bit, the cover would come back towards the bike and push the pushrod back into the slave cylinder on the opposite side of the bike.  This is just as you say, it would push more fluid back as plates wear out.

As far as the master cylinder vents, my '76 FLH had a diaphragm bellows type gasket that was sealed, but would go up or down as the fluid levels changes.  There is no direct vent to atmosphere.

[JDOFLHRIDER]

Well 07 clutches slipped and found out harley best clutch wasn't strong enough to meet TQ rating of a slightly modifyed motor.I found Energy one and put thier clutches in and talking with tech found syn3 was bad on clutches .Now I use reg primary oil (harley ,redline) on 2010 because when used trick shift oil in had a primary noise.In 07 it worked great but when they changed to new motor compensator it was nosiey with the thinner oil in it.Have new Energy One comming for when 2010 clutches Fail.    http://www.energyoneclutches.com/

[HOG_CVO_MKE]

Try this.  Take the Master Cylinder cover off and pull in the clutch lever.  There should be a little "geyser" of fluid when the lever first starts to move in.  New from the factory, this geyser could be over a foot high, so wear safety goggles.  If you pull the lever very hard and there is no geyser or movement of fluid, you should get a rebuild kit: new piston and seals.  I've seen this in the past and the kit fixed the problem.

This should be a relatively easy / cheap fix to try.  Actually, you may want to do the same in the slave cylinder, too.

[TimBone]

Well what do we expect wI have a 2010 UCSE5 and have the same sound coming from my primary from 1050 miles. I now have 2650 miles and it has been to Harley 5 times . They replaced the trans, clutch, basket, hub, race gear and bearing, compensator and lifters, and i still have the same sound except its getting louder and now i have a whine in 1st gear that i didnt have before. Today i was told by the Manager of Harley customer care in Milwaukii that they know i have a bad sounds but since they tried and cant repair it , now get this. IM GOING TO HAVE TO LIVE WITH IT....so now i have a $38,000.00 bike that sounds like a bucket of bolts and Harley isnt doing anything about it. They wont even look at it anymore. Anybody want to buy a really expensive anchor for a big boat.what do we expect when 75-80% of the parts are made in other countries and mostly assembled here.

Sounds like the primary chain adjuster is too tight. 
I went through all those sounds you have going on with my 07.

I bet if we did sell these as anchors...they would float and be useless for that, HaHa