Hi Folks,
I've had a chance to do some riding on this old bike and after not riding for about 25 years I'm really enjoying it. Things are starting to come together and I've corrected most of the problems that have come up. Now one that really affects the riding is the transmission. It often jumps out of 3rd and sometimes 4th. My thought is the sliding clutch is badly worn and likely the gears. Problem is many things have been changed on this bike so I'm not sure if trans is original. I'm learning there are differences in the bearings depending on the year. So my thought to minimize downtime is to buy a used trans and rebuild it then do the swap. Does that sound reasonable? What is availibility? or is there a serial number on my trans to ID the year and bearing types. Getting into better riding weather I don't want to have this torn apart too long.
Thanks for any input.
Chuck

 

Why not just pull the tranny and go to Andrews gears? or just replace the parts that are worn. Whole lot cheaper than dealing with a used one and rebuilding it. and then swapping out.

 

The biggest problem is the time delays. The way it usually goes is -take apart on weekend-order parts Monday-recieve parts following Monday-wait till weekend to put back together. If I could ID the trans maybe I could order parts ahead of time.

 

HD went from the ratchet to the cowpie tranny in late 79. The case itself started changing in L77/E78 for a different mainshaft bearing (loose rollers to a caged needle set up).

There is also a date code stamped on the bottom of the case, but you will need to pull the tranny in order to see it.

Might as well pull it now rather than be sitting around waiting for parts in the middle of the riding season.

And unless you have an endless supply of green, rebuilding what you have is going to be cheaper than buying someone's tranny that needs a rebuild. At least with your tranny you have an idea of the problem. You buy another and you may end up with an expensive pile of parts.

 

4 Speed trans is a simple rebuild bro your probably on the right track with the shift dog being worn out with rounded edges . Another possibility would be the shift fork itself has loosened up on the carrier . If you can find a tranny locally cheap never hurts to have a spare .

What yr is the bike and does she jump out of gear under load or when you back off it ? Any grinding when trying to shift ?

Like Panz4ever said the only real thing to look out for is the model year change parts are fair;y common for them Hit me I'll point you the best price places for new parts about everything for them is import anymore including what Andrews is selling for the 4 speeds so don't waste the money on a name . Be Glad to help . Pictures would go a long way too .

 

Thanks for the replys. I pulled the trans today and took off the cover. 3-4 sliding clutch is destroyed. Amazing it stayed in at all. The mating gears are badly worn to. 1-2 gave no problems but the corners are pretty rounded. I didn't disassemble the trans yet so not sure what type of bearings it has. Manual said something about clutch pushrod slides out on earlier type and snapring retained on later. This one seems to be retained. Been doing lots of reading and somewhere it said something about a indicator line to ID the gears. Not sure what the significance was but this has the line. I also noted that the clutch hub pretty much fell off the main shaft. No puller needed. Maybe this indicates a worn taper? Well hopefully tommorrow I will get the trans torn down and see what else is in store.
Chuck

 

A fast way for year ID is the 1&2 nd shift clutch on the counter shaft cluster no grove it's a pre 79 tranny if one side has a grove it's a later the second way is the 1&2nd gear itself the 1974 to 1979 had a groove on 1st of the smaller gear . Keep in mind a lot of years can miss and match and work only real way is pop the counter shaft cluster out and if it's loose bearings it's 77 or earlier caged bearings later model . Pictures if you can bro there's a lot of talent & tech info in here .

Try this hope it helps ,

 

Well I got the this mess the rest of the way apart. Looks like the last guy in there had just enough knowledge to be dangerous. Hammer and punch seems to have been the main tool of choice. Also looks like it threw a chain at some point. Damage to case at mounting studs and countershaft. But they "fixed" that mostly by covering entire drive side of trans with thick layer of silicone. Inside has main shaft stamped "Andrews Late". Bearings are caged type. Also looks like they had 3-4 sliding clutch backwards (thin ramped sides driving the gears). I think I can weld up the case and a complete gearset should take care of the rest. I try to get some pics later. Good thing I have a soft spot for old junk.
Chuck

 

Thought it was 77 when they got away from the individual rollers. Yes for the most part 4 speed transmissions are not real hard but to do them properly a few special tools are advised particularly on loose rollers when you have to re-size the main drive gear race. Not 100% necessary but sure makes things easier and more exact is shifter fork gauge. Done plenty of them and have all the special tools. Matter of fact just did on for a customer the last couple of weeks. LOL

 

I have worked on not only transmissions like this but many old Harley s. LOL