Loose gear shifter
Loose gear shifter
My gear shifter won't torque down on the splines. It acts like the clamp just bottoms out before it's tight. I can see where the shifter rod has actually hit the primary cover. Has anyone else ran into this situation? It appears the only way to correct the issue is to remove the entire primary cover. I tried to loosen it to slide the linkage arm off the spline, but there is not enough clearance with primary cover on. I can move the shifter rod back and forth about an 1 1/2".
Tourer
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 289
Likes: 0
From: Enterprise, AL
When i had to re-tighten mine it took some serious leverage to get the allen bolt tight enough to adequately clamp the arm on to the pinion. I needed the length on the longer portion of the allen key (L-shape) just to reach down to the bolt, which only left me with the shorter part of the "L" for leverage to turn it. Ended up having to clamp some vice grips onto this short part in order to get enough leverage to turn it until tight. Only alternative is removing the primary. Also, ensure that the arm is on the pinion far enough (i.e. closer to transmission) for the clamping bolt to pass through the groove in the pinion.
Edit: Another thought, although I certainly hope this isn't the case for you. I imagine the teeth on the pinion and/or in the clamping portion of the arm might be ground all the way down from being loose/vibration...which could allow the clamp to ground on itself since the diameter of the pinion would be smaller and the inner diameter of the clamp would be larger. Or perhaps the clamp fully grips the pinion in this state but doesn't provide sufficient friction to allow the arm to rotate the pinion. (throw in some ground up metal flakes along with oil/grease/road grime, and you've got a smooth and slippery pinion arm
Edit: Another thought, although I certainly hope this isn't the case for you. I imagine the teeth on the pinion and/or in the clamping portion of the arm might be ground all the way down from being loose/vibration...which could allow the clamp to ground on itself since the diameter of the pinion would be smaller and the inner diameter of the clamp would be larger. Or perhaps the clamp fully grips the pinion in this state but doesn't provide sufficient friction to allow the arm to rotate the pinion. (throw in some ground up metal flakes along with oil/grease/road grime, and you've got a smooth and slippery pinion arm
Last edited by Andjh123; May 24, 2010 at 12:13 AM.
Road Master
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 1,164
Likes: 401
From: Port Coquitlam B.C.
This may sound stupid. Make sure the bolt is coming in from the correct side. One half of the shifter has no threads in it, the other does. The bolt should pass through the non thread side first and clamp the two sides together.
Advanced
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 77
Likes: 0
Same Problem Here
my shifter lever was loose in the exact same way... I picked up a new allen screw, pulled the old one, held the shifter lever tight on the shifter rod splines with open end wrench, and used a cresent wrench to get the needed leverage on the allen wrench to get it tight... I thought i had it... but about a hundred miles later, its starting to get loose again and i dont think im going to be able to get it any tighter than i got it now. So now my fear is stripped out splines.
Has anyone had any luck using a shim on this??
Has anyone had any luck using a shim on this??
The top of the bolt is installed from the top side and does appear to tighten and loosen. Just won't torque down enough. I'm afraid to really get a good turn for fear of breaking the bolt. I've been careful to make sure the bolt is in the notch on shaft. I also am suspecting that one or both parts may be worn enough to not grip. Sounds like a good rainy day project. Thanks for the tips guys.
Tourer
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 467
Likes: 0
From:
If the clamp is bottomed out maybe you could grind some material out of the split in the clamp which would allow it to close more when tightening it down. A small box end wrench works well for torquing on the small end of an allen wrench.
Trending Topics
Advanced
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 87
Likes: 0
heres the fix
hardware store grade 8 hex head bolt 1/4 inch loner than stock its a 5/16 bolt fine thread and locktight a hold it in as far to the shaft as you can while tightening !! and realy use some ball be hind it and your golden ! worked for me! mines fixed after 3 1/2 years of shaken and sloppin 
im just glad the snow stopped in time for a summer ride ! wont be long now and it will be hunting season
im just glad the snow stopped in time for a summer ride ! wont be long now and it will be hunting season
HD Forum Stories
The Best of Harley-Davidson for Lifelong Riders
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Verdad Gallardo
8 Best Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Worst Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever
Pouria Savadkouei
Killer Custom's Jail Break Is The Breakout That Refused to Blend In
Verdad Gallardo
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Verdad Gallardo
Harley-Davidson Reveals Super Cool Cafe Racer Concept
Verdad Gallardo
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Verdad Gallardo
10 Motorcycles You Should Never Buy
Joe Kucinski
10 Things Harley-Davidson Needs to Fix in 2026
Verdad Gallardo
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 3,928
Likes: 1
From: Desert S. West
Before you get too much further into this project ... can you tell us if you have pulled the shifter and looked in the area where the splines match up? Do they look good or kinda stripped? Howabout the splined shaft? If the shaft is good then you will do more harm than good by trying to make that shifter arm work. Just buy a new shifter arm and put your existing shift peg on it. Try a little loctite when you reinstall if you go this route.
Tourer
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 405
Likes: 0
From: Northern CA
FWIW, when I had that problem on my Electra Glide, I cleaned off all the spline areas with carb cleaner, reinstalled the shift arm with a drop of blue loctite on the splines, then torqued that allen bolt down TIGHT. Never again had a loose shift lever...