Inspiration can come in many ways, in this situation it came while installing the clutch cable during a small dress up job.
One of our customers brought in a truckload full of parts to get powder coated to completely black out his ride (Custom Powder Coating in Dallas). His only request was for me to make sure he was able to make the Sturgis run with the new gear installed and ready to ride. Gene is a handy guy and normally likes to do his own wrenchin’ but he was working crazy hours and just didn’t have time to make it happen. While I match his hours on the job I am lucky enough to spend all my time working on bikes, so I stepped up to the plate. We started with his night train and installed the freshly coated Blacked out H-D Springer front end and some new powder coated rims with chrome spokes along with a handful of other blacked out parts. The handle bar wires got tucked inside with new black cables from Barnett and some mini laser star turn-signals mounted on the headlamp to help clean things up.
Everything was moving right on time, until the side cover was removed to install the clutch cable and some steel chunks were discovered in the case. This raised serious concern, as you can imagine. I knew right away there was no way this guy was getting out on the road to Sturgis without at least inspecting the gears and shift assemblies.
The stock tranny was disassembled for inspection and the regular workday stretched into the night. We discussed a six-speed upgrade already, so instead of repairing what he had, the choice was made and I ordered a new direct drive six-speed gear cluster from Baker to be shipped on the red eye flight.
When parts showed up the next day we all had a laugh, we just blacked out everything on the bike and the new gears even came in a black box! As always I like to lay everything out on the bench, check things out and read the latest Girls of Bikernet feature. . . . . err uh a shop manual for the bike I am working on, product information and the installation instructions, yeah that’s what I do first. As per Bakers instructions any 1990 to present factory service manual will do the trick.
The same specialty tools are required for this job as you might need for any 5-speed overhaul or gear set replacement. JIMS tools can be purchased at your local chopper shop or Harley dealer. The tranny service tools that I have are from JIMS. When you are going in this deep I think it is a good idea to know your way around a manual and have some experience with the tools required to do this kind of project. While this is a fairly simple job, I don’t think this is a job for a beginner, making a mistake can be far more costly than the labor bill from even the most expensive shops on the planet!
I do a lot of tranny modifications, so I rarely consult the good book (shop manual) while doing this procedure other than to check specific data such as torque specs and such (For instructions on gear-set removal checkout section 7 in your factory shop manual). Once the case is empty and you remove the main drive gear it is a good idea to clean and check over your tranny case carefully for damage, defects or cracks. You will never find a better time than now to take care of any problem you find!
While the new gear set is designed for H-D tranny cases as well as aftermarket replacements, it is necessary to check for proper clearance between the new gears and the inside bottom of the tranny case. This is due to manufacturing tolerances that are normal in the casting process, if you need to work on the case it isn’t because of poor quality. I found that I wanted just a little more clearance between the new gears and the inside of the tranny case. I was working with an H-D case, so I simply ground out a little material on the bottom near the main drive gear. Once I was happy with the results I removed the main gear and cleaned every thing completely and went forward with the installation of the gear-set again.
Next I installed the new shifter pawl along with the new snap rings provided, cleaned and hung the side door gasket, slid the gearset into the case and tapped the bearing door over the dowel pins with a soft face dead blow hammer. As they point out in the instructions, but in my words, “if you take a hammer to the ends of the transmission shafts you will probably fuck up your bearings!”
After installing the shift forks and checking the operation of everything to be sure nothing was in a bind and that the forks operated smooth I set up the shift drum and changed the eccentric adjustment screw and set it up to align the shifter pawl just like the good book sez.
After I buttoned up the rest of the tranny, changed the neutral switch, and put in the speed sensor spacer I started on the primary / clutch install. Before you go any farther it might be a good idea to note the special instructions and install the new inner primary bearing race using a little green locktight to keep the race from walking under load as the insert describes.
To remove and replace the bearing race there is a specialty tool set designed for this as well and like the others it can be found from your local parts supplier. Next I set up the new tensioner with the hardware supplied in the inner primary to gain the clearance needed with the new 28T compensating sprocket and primary chain.
Once I finished putting everything back together and wrapping the pipes I had just enough time to put 50 miles on it and change the fluid (I am just a freak like that) before Gene and I took a short test ride. The next morning I loaded up the rest of our gear and hit the road to Sturgis with Oskar and Scott in our rental wagon with 6 scoots in tow. Gene had plans to ride up with some friends, so I guess you can say he sure put those gears to the test!
Normally I’d like to have a little more break in time before a long run like that, but I am pleased to tell you he had a great ride all the way to Sturgis. He rode some of the best highways in America, for a week, and all the way home without a stitch of trouble or need for slightest adjustments. Once we dropped the oil and inspected the set up, upon his return, we found nothing but slightly dirty oil. What a good girl!!!
Once again, I am late to the dance with this story, funny thing but it seems like every time I run my mouth, about getting something done by a certain time, something always screws up. This time I had a near death experience (with my computer that is), but fortunately she came back to life right after I called a computer shop for a new one, hmmm?
–Take care, Mr. Devil
Hey, I failed to mention Custom Powder Coating for the fast turn around and quality finish. They did a killer job on this run of parts all the way around. Thanks,Kent
