Shift linkage
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Tourer
Joined: May 2017
Posts: 444
Likes: 78
From: Xenia OH
What mine did was by the linkage so snug, if it did not go in and I let out clutch and it was not in gear, pulling clutch in and hitting it again did tend to want to be way out of sync in the transmission. If you drive enough, you will notice depending on lube, temperature and rpm, Harley's tend to all clunk in lower range but there is a sweet spot if you get it all right that they are smooth and quite in lower gears.
Takes a lot of practice. I still have good days and not so good. At my age, I expect some day to get on left side and fall off right side .
Takes a lot of practice. I still have good days and not so good. At my age, I expect some day to get on left side and fall off right side .
I get some days I shift smooth as butter and then days I bang every gear. I usually only bang and miss gears when my wife is on the back, so she can judge me. Murphy's Law..
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2018
Posts: 10,833
Likes: 6,485
From: Canada Flats
I took my factory one off to give it a polish job so it shined like the rest of the chrome goodies on the bike and noticed the ends were pretty loose and flopped around . Rubbers were worn . I'm not paying what the dealer wants . I came across that thread awhile back and plan to do that before spring sets in .
Club Member
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 10,734
Likes: 3,755
From: SWFL
I made the mistake of paying +$60 for a 12" linkage with SS heim joints from Bung King. The mistake isn't that its not an excellent product, it is, but because all I really needed were the heims. The factory rod is threaded and all I had to do was spin off the stock links and replace with good quality heims. Oh well, we learn.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 17,148
Likes: 6,171
From: SE Michigan
I made the mistake of paying +$60 for a 12" linkage with SS heim joints from Bung King. The mistake isn't that its not an excellent product, it is, but because all I really needed were the heims. The factory rod is threaded and all I had to do was spin off the stock links and replace with good quality heims. Oh well, we learn.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 157,527
Likes: 57,083
From: Michigan 15 Minutes East Of Hell
You're one of the exceptions! ... My 1992 FLHTCU had the "ball sockets" fail ... and the front shaft that the linkage attaches to ( the one that goes through the primary ) twice ... Took some creative engineering ( duct tape and zip ties ) to get it home ( almost 400 miles ) the second time ... One of the first things I did on the 2009 was eliminate the OE sockets and like the Energizer Bunny it's still going strong :>)
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Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 9,243
Likes: 3,267
From: west Michigan
The rubber socket in my '04 Road King's shift linkage disintegrated at about 35K miles, so I replaced it with Screamin' Eagle shift linkage. Problem solved.
A riding buddy ran the stock linkage on his '04 Heritage for 99K miles before he traded it in, and had no problems with it.
ETA: I did the roadside shift linkage repair with the electrical tape that I carry in my tool kit.
A riding buddy ran the stock linkage on his '04 Heritage for 99K miles before he traded it in, and had no problems with it.
ETA: I did the roadside shift linkage repair with the electrical tape that I carry in my tool kit.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 38,625
Likes: 6,442
From: Honah Lee
There is truely a trick in stabbing a Harley's shift lever quickly and firmly and yet stopping at end of stroke
Seen hill and toe shifting wring the spline off.
The actual force to shift the gear is not all that hard....some people can break a 1" drive breaker bar...
You are not going to break a hemi. There are actually worst things besides the joints to break.
Seen hill and toe shifting wring the spline off.
The actual force to shift the gear is not all that hard....some people can break a 1" drive breaker bar...
You are not going to break a hemi. There are actually worst things besides the joints to break.
Last edited by Jackie Paper; Jan 26, 2019 at 01:31 PM.