Motorcycle Repair: 2005 / 1200 custom - clutch problem, clutch adjustment, clutch lever

Question
QUESTION: I just had my 20,000 mile check up done. I was leaving work yesterday and as I came to a stop sign and down shifted I heard a clicking noise. This was the same sound you hear when you miss a gear while down shifting. Most of us shift using 2 fingers on our clutch lever, so as the clutch lever touched my other 2 fingers that were on the hand grip the clicking sound started. When I moved my fingers and pulled the lever all the way in the sound stopped. The bike shifts just fine and the sound only starts like I stated earlier. So do I just need to adjust the clutch cable, or could this be another issue? I called the H-D shop and they of course wanted me to bring the bike down so they could look at it. I am not going to take the bike to them unless absolutely necessary. I plan on doing the work myself if possible and now that my warranty is up I will be buying my own maintenance manual.

ANSWER: If the bike is shut off and you pull the lever does it still click?
Mike

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you for your quick response. This noise is not coming from the cable or the lever, it is coming from inside the engine. As I down shift you can actually hear it coming from the primary side. I believe that the bike must be running for this to happen. It shifts just fine in all the gears and only happens as I go to down shift to first and second gears. This also only happens if the lever is pulled in to touch my other two fingers, when I move those fingers and pull the lever in so it actually touches the hand grip, the noise stops. This is why I feel that it might just be a clutch adjustment.

Answer
I would remove the derby cover and pull the clutch and see if you can hear the noise with the bike not running first. Also, check the primary chain to make sure its adjusted correctly. If you dont hear it, then you will have to pull the primary cover and do an inspection of the clutch basket and clutches To find the noise.
Good luck and happy riding
Mike