speedo drive problem- recurring issue!
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6th Gear
Joined: Feb 2008
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speedo drive problem- recurring issue!
Hey guys,
My '83 XLX has been good to me so far but I have one ridiculous problem-
The bike has speedo issues since the day my brother got it. The drive units just kept breaking every few months and he would have them replaced. Well, now I have the bike, and I have the same gonna-do-it-all-myself attitude towards the bike as I do towards every street rod I have built. Anyways, I have been looking at drive units, and seeing a dimension for a spacer. I cannot find anything that explains this. I do know there is no sort of spacer on the drive unit side, and it makes me think they are getting twisted and broken. The spacer dimension I find everywhere is .300". Can anyone shed some light on this? It would also seem to me that there s a bit too much extra space in between the front forks at the axle, as in the wheel and the drive unit and all doesnt take up all the space. This being my first HD I dont have anything to compare to.
Thanks in advance.
My '83 XLX has been good to me so far but I have one ridiculous problem-
The bike has speedo issues since the day my brother got it. The drive units just kept breaking every few months and he would have them replaced. Well, now I have the bike, and I have the same gonna-do-it-all-myself attitude towards the bike as I do towards every street rod I have built. Anyways, I have been looking at drive units, and seeing a dimension for a spacer. I cannot find anything that explains this. I do know there is no sort of spacer on the drive unit side, and it makes me think they are getting twisted and broken. The spacer dimension I find everywhere is .300". Can anyone shed some light on this? It would also seem to me that there s a bit too much extra space in between the front forks at the axle, as in the wheel and the drive unit and all doesnt take up all the space. This being my first HD I dont have anything to compare to.
Thanks in advance.
Club Member
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 18,575
Likes: 4
From: Norfolk, VA
RE: speedo drive problem- recurring issue!
ORIGINAL: 83_XLX_in_FL
Hey guys,
My '83 XLX has been good to me so far but I have one ridiculous problem-
The bike has speedo issues since the day my brother got it. The drive units just kept breaking every few months and he would have them replaced. Well, now I have the bike, and I have the same gonna-do-it-all-myself attitude towards the bike as I do towards every street rod I have built. Anyways, I have been looking at drive units, and seeing a dimension for a spacer. I cannot find anything that explains this. I do know there is no sort of spacer on the drive unit side, and it makes me think they are getting twisted and broken. The spacer dimension I find everywhere is .300". Can anyone shed some light on this? It would also seem to me that there s a bit too much extra space in between the front forks at the axle, as in the wheel and the drive unit and all doesnt take up all the space. This being my first HD I dont have anything to compare to.
Thanks in advance.
Hey guys,
My '83 XLX has been good to me so far but I have one ridiculous problem-
The bike has speedo issues since the day my brother got it. The drive units just kept breaking every few months and he would have them replaced. Well, now I have the bike, and I have the same gonna-do-it-all-myself attitude towards the bike as I do towards every street rod I have built. Anyways, I have been looking at drive units, and seeing a dimension for a spacer. I cannot find anything that explains this. I do know there is no sort of spacer on the drive unit side, and it makes me think they are getting twisted and broken. The spacer dimension I find everywhere is .300". Can anyone shed some light on this? It would also seem to me that there s a bit too much extra space in between the front forks at the axle, as in the wheel and the drive unit and all doesnt take up all the space. This being my first HD I dont have anything to compare to.
Thanks in advance.
After you fix the drive unit issue, lift the frontend and spin the front tire by hand. Check the drive unit for smooth rotation WITHOUT any binding. That should keep any more drive units from busting.
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6th Gear
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 12
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RE: speedo drive problem- recurring issue!
Ok cool. The gap seemed a bit weird to me and I am glad to hear it is something unusual.
Would you mind explaining to me how to properly torque the front axle? I have the factory book but I cant wrap my head around why we would want to tighten the slider cap nutson the axlenut side to 11 lbs, then tighten the axlenut to 50 ft-lbs, and then torque the opposite side slider nuts to 11 ft-lbs. Is the fricition of the slider cap restricting how far I can pull the axle towards the nut? I can see where thiscould take the slop out of the speedo drive unit, as the shoulder on the axle will slide in towards the center of thewheeland pull the drive unit closer to the hub. If that is the case, then maybe my small gap isnt the issue so much as my axle procedure isnt going right?
Thanks a lot for the insight!
Would you mind explaining to me how to properly torque the front axle? I have the factory book but I cant wrap my head around why we would want to tighten the slider cap nutson the axlenut side to 11 lbs, then tighten the axlenut to 50 ft-lbs, and then torque the opposite side slider nuts to 11 ft-lbs. Is the fricition of the slider cap restricting how far I can pull the axle towards the nut? I can see where thiscould take the slop out of the speedo drive unit, as the shoulder on the axle will slide in towards the center of thewheeland pull the drive unit closer to the hub. If that is the case, then maybe my small gap isnt the issue so much as my axle procedure isnt going right?
Thanks a lot for the insight!
Club Member
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 18,575
Likes: 4
From: Norfolk, VA
RE: speedo drive problem- recurring issue!
There is also a procedure for "aligning" the R/H lower fork leg. Assemble the front wheel assy and slide the axle through. Thread the axle nut on and tighten it up by hand just enough to be snug. Loosen the two nuts thatfix theaxle clamp on the lower R/H fork leg. Climb on the bike and grab the front brake and push the bike forward in an effort to compress the front forks.....this allows the lower R/H fork leg to "float" into a position that will prevent pre-mature wear on the R/H fork seal......Now thatI think of it,this procedure may even align the L/H fork leg as well.....provided the axle nut is looseenough to allow the lower L/H fork leg to float into position..
You may even be able to get rid of the slop between the L/H lower fork leg and the drive unit by sliding the axle in further.
You may even be able to get rid of the slop between the L/H lower fork leg and the drive unit by sliding the axle in further.
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6th Gear
Joined: Feb 2008
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RE: speedo drive problem- recurring issue!
ORIGINAL: SportsterBob
You may even be able to get rid of the slop between the L/H lower fork leg and the drive unit by sliding the axle in further.
You may even be able to get rid of the slop between the L/H lower fork leg and the drive unit by sliding the axle in further.
thanks for the fork alignment info too!
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