Milwaukee Eight (M8) 2017 and up M8 Air and Liquid Cooled discussion
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by:

shift linkage failures

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Nov 20, 2016 | 08:50 AM
  #11  
Max Headflow's Avatar
Max Headflow
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 19,925
Likes: 8,027
From: poway
Default

Originally Posted by lp
It's a common problem with those that jam down on the heel shifter.
Even the original Honda 50 (C100) had a problems with the shift levers coming loose do to lack of maintenance. I've even seen it on bikes without the heel shifter.
 
Reply
Old Nov 20, 2016 | 12:24 PM
  #12  
lp's Avatar
lp
Seasoned HDF Member
20 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 11,476
Likes: 3,003
From: Charleston, SC
Default

Originally Posted by bwoltz
Even the original Honda 50 (C100) had a problems with the shift levers coming loose do to lack of maintenance. I've even seen it on bikes without the heel shifter.
Yeah. Once you stand on it once or twice and screw the shaft up or twist the shifter arm, or oval the shift bushings, or destroy a pressed joint, it is definitely going to need maintenance.

As far as maintenance, sure...you can keep tightening it as you slowly destroy it (by misusing it) and eventually you will need a new shaft.
 

Last edited by lp; Nov 20, 2016 at 12:28 PM.
Reply
Old Nov 20, 2016 | 02:15 PM
  #13  
mjwebb's Avatar
mjwebb
Thread Starter
|
Seasoned HDF Member
15 Year Member
Photogenic
Community Builder
Top Answer: 1
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 13,674
Likes: 11,462
From: State of Confusion
Default

Originally Posted by lp
Yeah. Once you stand on it once or twice and screw the shaft up or twist the shifter arm, or oval the shift bushings, or destroy a pressed joint, it is definitely going to need maintenance.

As far as maintenance, sure...you can keep tightening it as you slowly destroy it (by misusing it) and eventually you will need a new shaft.
my forward arm came loose at 5000 miles of careful heel shifting and being tight beforehand..there's some kind of design flaw imo...or extremely temperamental and high maintenance...this simply shouldn't be as troublesome of an issue as far as I'm concerned..like I said, there are quite a few of us that have had this happen...one guy 4 times in 30,000 miles on a 2014 EG Ultra...I think I'll just not worry about this one and if it happens I'll spring for the Better Levers....there's just too many bad scenarios where this could be dangerous in when it happens
 

Last edited by mjwebb; Nov 20, 2016 at 02:27 PM.
Reply
Old Nov 20, 2016 | 02:58 PM
  #14  
PA1195's Avatar
PA1195
Road Captain
15 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 679
Likes: 120
From: Fairbanks, AK.
Default

Try putting some liquid threadlocker on the splines after a good cleaning and ideally while new. Red is the toughest and hardest to remove...takes some heat sometimes. Companies like Permatex also make bearing mounting liquids but I have no experience with that particular product.

Examples:

Gary
 
Reply
Old Nov 20, 2016 | 03:00 PM
  #15  
mjwebb's Avatar
mjwebb
Thread Starter
|
Seasoned HDF Member
15 Year Member
Photogenic
Community Builder
Top Answer: 1
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 13,674
Likes: 11,462
From: State of Confusion
Default

Originally Posted by PA1195
Try putting some liquid threadlocker on the splines after a good cleaning and ideally while new. Red is the toughest and hardest to remove...takes some heat sometimes. Companies like Permatex also make bearing mounting liquids but I have no experience with that particular product.

Examples: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFKJ...=youtube_gdata

Gary
we have tried this..stuff works great on stationary bolts but the constant back and forth agitation over time and slow erosion I believe is the culprit for it losing its grip. I guess pretty much have to take them apart periodically, clean, retorque then say a little prayer
 

Last edited by mjwebb; Nov 20, 2016 at 03:05 PM.
Reply
Old Nov 20, 2016 | 03:28 PM
  #16  
PA1195's Avatar
PA1195
Road Captain
15 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 679
Likes: 120
From: Fairbanks, AK.
Default

Ok thanks for the report. I've used it but not over a long period without reapplying. Maybe their bearing mount stuff would be better. But I can see the problem when there isn't full contact around the full circumference plus the constant vibration and pounding. Plus the metal's probably poor quality to begin with.

Gary
 
Reply
Old Nov 20, 2016 | 04:37 PM
  #17  
Max Headflow's Avatar
Max Headflow
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 19,925
Likes: 8,027
From: poway
Default

Originally Posted by lp
Yeah. Once you stand on it once or twice and screw the shaft up or twist the shifter arm, or oval the shift bushings, or destroy a pressed joint, it is definitely going to need maintenance.

As far as maintenance, sure...you can keep tightening it as you slowly destroy it (by misusing it) and eventually you will need a new shaft.
The problems stem from the arm being cast and not designed too have enough flex to grab the shaft without a bit of TQ on the bolt. With the arm cast, the teeth are too. If you look at a new one, the arm is plated and some of that plating covers the splines. When first assembled the teeth on the shaft need to bed into the arm and the plating squished out. When this occurs, the arm needs to be re-tightened. The problem is because of the thickness of the C part of the arm, it take considerable tq to overcome and flex the C to grab the shaft. Yon can feel the nut tighten in 2 steps. First the C starts to flex second the c grabs the shaft. Once this process has been completed successfully, the arm will stay tight from then on. Might come loose after 10-20k so you keep checking it..
 
Reply
Old Nov 20, 2016 | 04:43 PM
  #18  
Max Headflow's Avatar
Max Headflow
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 19,925
Likes: 8,027
From: poway
Default

Originally Posted by PA1195
Try putting some liquid threadlocker on the splines after a good cleaning and ideally while new. Red is the toughest and hardest to remove...takes some heat sometimes. Companies like Permatex also make bearing mounting liquids but I have no experience with that particular product.

Examples: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFKJ...=youtube_gdata

Gary
Because the bolt needs to first overcome the flex in the cast part of the arm and the flex is what grabs the shaft, it's not the nut that comes loose, it's the clamp on the splines.. I use blue on the bolt (don't need red) mainly because it acts as a thread lubricant on assembly.
 
Reply
HD Forum Stories

The Best of Harley-Davidson for Lifelong Riders

story-0

7 Times Harley-Davidson Chucked Tradition Out the Window

 Verdad Gallardo
story-1

7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles

 Verdad Gallardo
story-2

8 Best Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-3

10 Worst Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-4

Killer Custom's Jail Break Is The Breakout That Refused to Blend In

 Verdad Gallardo
story-5

Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?

 Verdad Gallardo
story-6

Harley-Davidson Reveals Super Cool Cafe Racer Concept

 Verdad Gallardo
story-7

Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II

 Verdad Gallardo
story-8

10 Motorcycles You Should Never Buy

 Joe Kucinski
story-9

10 Things Harley-Davidson Needs to Fix in 2026

 Verdad Gallardo
Old Nov 20, 2016 | 04:46 PM
  #19  
Max Headflow's Avatar
Max Headflow
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 19,925
Likes: 8,027
From: poway
Default

Originally Posted by mjwebb
we have tried this..stuff works great on stationary bolts but the constant back and forth agitation over time and slow erosion I believe is the culprit for it losing its grip. I guess pretty much have to take them apart periodically, clean, retorque then say a little prayer
Don't have to take them apart, only check periodically if the lever is coming loose on the shaft.
 
Reply
Old Nov 20, 2016 | 04:53 PM
  #20  
mjwebb's Avatar
mjwebb
Thread Starter
|
Seasoned HDF Member
15 Year Member
Photogenic
Community Builder
Top Answer: 1
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 13,674
Likes: 11,462
From: State of Confusion
Default

Originally Posted by bwoltz
Don't have to take them apart, only check periodically if the lever is coming loose on the shaft.
thanks for the great information..this problem has perplexed us for a long time...weird thing is I do check tightness from time to time, and can never get it to budge..feels like it'll snap if I continue...then they have been know to inexplicably fail anyway based on our experiences...hard to trust and have confidence in...was about to JB Weld the *****' $%#^ and have them torch the shaft off if ever needing to work on the low end...bottom line is keep a close eye on them which I do after first hand experience failing on the road..if and when it does I'll probably just try out the Better Lever product
 

Last edited by mjwebb; Nov 20, 2016 at 04:58 PM.
Reply



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 06:48 AM.

story-0
7 Times Harley-Davidson Chucked Tradition Out the Window

Slideshow: Harley-Davidson built its reputation on nostalgia, but every so often, the company took a hard left turn into the future.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-20 11:18:19


VIEW MORE
story-1
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles

Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-29 16:50:35


VIEW MORE
story-2
8 Best Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever

Slideshow: Not every Harley gets it right, but these are the ones that genuinely earned their reputation.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-04-15 14:23:21


VIEW MORE
story-3
10 Worst Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever

Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-04-01 20:01:09


VIEW MORE
story-4
Killer Custom's Jail Break Is The Breakout That Refused to Blend In

Slideshow: Killer Custom's "Jail Breaker" build focuses more on stance and visual aggression than mechanical overhaul.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-18 19:20:32


VIEW MORE
story-5
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?

Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-07 16:15:30


VIEW MORE
story-6
Harley-Davidson Reveals Super Cool Cafe Racer Concept

Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's new RMCR concept revives the café racer formula with modern hardware-and it may be exactly the reset the company needs.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-04 12:23:37


VIEW MORE
story-7
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II

Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-02-24 18:19:44


VIEW MORE
story-8
10 Motorcycles You Should Never Buy

Slideshow: There is no shortage of great motorcycles to buy, but we would avoid these ten.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-02-19 14:50:51


VIEW MORE
story-9
10 Things Harley-Davidson Needs to Fix in 2026

Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's challenges aren't abstract; they show up in dropping shipments, shrinking dealer traffic, and strategic decisions that aren't yet translating into growth.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-01-13 18:33:17


VIEW MORE