Hello everyone. I am new to this forum and I need your help. I bought this 83 sportster last year. I rode it through the summer and now I have tore it down to the frame to rebuild and put my mark on it. This is my first bike restore project and I'm quite anxious to see it go back together but I would like to do it right. My first challenge is the trany. It has always been hard to shift and likes to stick in 4th and 3rd gear. I let my son in law ride it one day and he brought it back broke. He said it stuck in 4th gear and he must of kicked the heck out of it because he knocked the shift arm out of the prawl. I have removed the trany and everything looks ok but I know its not. Any advise on this. Also when I removed the back tire I noticed that the rear axle does'nt fit any more like the swing arm spread open what is going on with that.

 

First of all get rid of the son-in-law ! That trans has to have a set of experienced eyes on it you did the grunt work get a good sporty mechanic to look at it could be anything from the paul carrier to shift forks to cam plate and so on as far as the rear axil swing arm are you saying there is too much side play on the rear wheel (side to side ) ? also make sure the rear swingarm doesn't have alot of play (swingarm bearings )

 

Sounds like you do not have a manual yet. You need these:

factory manual
parts book
Haynes
Clymer

The first two are absolutely essential for any ironhead owner. The last two are very helpful with some better pictures and alternate explanations.

Then you are in a much better position to discuss details with the forum people, any shop you might go to, etc.

Sorry, not a tranny expert myself, so this is all i can offer.

 

Thanks ironmick, I do have a harley manual and it is pretty helpful but it seems to be written for the mechanic with some bike wrenching knowledge. I will look for a haynes and clymer manual, I have found that the people at J&P are pretty helpful but there pretty proud of there parts.

 

Thanks for the info. I agree with your advise for my son-in-law. The boy could break a steel wedge. On the swing arm issue after I took the axle out and removed the rear wheel I put the axle back into the swing arm and it did'nt seem to fit.

 

The restore is coming along pretty good. Thanks for all the help. My problem today is the disc brake rotors. The bolts holding them on to the wheels will not budge. I twisted a new allen head socket and did not even move the bolt. I think they are lock-tited in there. Any advise on how I can remove these bolts.

 

well if you cant get them out then id try heating them up with a torch, i have done this for a couple stubborn bolts and it works great.

 

can you hit the bolt while you are trying to turn it? this will "shock" the bolt sometimes and allow it to come loose

 

They are probably on there with red locktite. Heat should loosen it up. I would also try an impact driver, the kind you hot with a hammer.

 

Iron is right, on there is red lock tite on these bolts and sugg impact hand one.Make sure that you have a good wrench not some cheap china tool that tool will tear that bolt right up. good luck