last night i was riding home .i pulled in the clutch and heard a small pop .i thought i lost my cable,but the cable is good.this is my first shovel and im not sure what to look at first. its a
1980 flt (5 speed) all stock.
thanks curt

 

Curt,

I have the same clutch set up as you do (82 FLTC). That clutch gave me fits when I first put this bike together a few years back.

First thing I would do is check the fluid level (bike level, not on the side stand). The throw out bearing does not have an oil slinger in that year group and is VERY susceptible to low oil. One stinking ounce will be enuf to cause issues.

Take the side door off and check the rod. If it does not slide easily, it has warped from heat. A complete kit is about 20 bucks. I carry a bearing and rod end in my tool kit at all times. I also carry small bottle of gear oil.

On the other side, the stock clutch releasing disk is also easily warped. I would replace that with a billet one to give even pressure around the hub. It is also about $20.

My bike had a tendency to “jump� once in a while. It was caused by excessive wear on the pins and also the clutch basket. I had some roller bearing issues too, so I replaced clutch hub with a 5 pin model vice the 3 pin stock one.

Let me know if this helps.

Chief

 

Welcome to the HDForum Mouse,

I don't know if the door that Chief is the derby cover but place to start is removing the cover on the primary side of the bike which exposes the clutches. once that is removed take a look in their and while actuating the clutch lever see what happens. The pressure plate should move out and in enough the release the clutches. go from there and yes the late style release bearing is the next place to look its behind the kicker cover. If you don't already own one you should get yourself an OEM manual for that bike. 5 speed on a 1980? all be!

 

You are correct Rodney, (as usual ) I was assuming that he had no clutch at all when he saidhe suspected a broken cable.

the 80 FLT was the first with the 5 speed if I remember correctly. Oh, and the kicker cover.... no kicker, same place tho..

 

your still probably right Chief
that phony release bearing has caused may guys grief[:@]

 

Boy! does that bring back memories. I owned '80 FLT back in the early '90s. If you get into the clutch basket, replace themain needlebearings with the long (full width) type, gives a much smoother action with clutch disengaged. Also, follow the manual when adjusting the clutch arm travel, if not done properly it puts too much side force on the throwout bearing(it will crack it, don't ask how I know). That old shovel is a monster, loved it but replaced it with the chopper I built myself(see below).

 

thanks for your info,but there is no clutch at all when i move the lever on the trany ,its all free play.if this a common prob.did anyone make aftermarket parts thet could stand up to the heat?when i build something ,i dont beleave the biger the pockets the better it is. there are a lot of stock parts out there with a little mod they are just as good with out dumping a lot of cash.im babbling , is there some kind of mod.i can do to get more oil on the rod to keep it cool and stop it from sticking.i havent tor it down yet ,can you machine it to take a larger rod .when i fix it i want it to stay fixed

thanks everyone

 

First things first, remove the inspection cover and take a look. if you don't see anything dig a little deeper and look for clues as you go. IT should be pretty obvious once you find the damaged or broken part.

 

There are no aftermarket upgrades to the throwout bearing, believe me, I have looked.

I cannot think of any way to machine the rod as it runs thru the tranny. Then again, I don't know that you really need to. I have 40.000 miles on the current rod/bearing that is in my bike, but I was bitten once on a long trip, so I have the spare in the tool bag. Keep the tranny full of oil and the heat should not be an issue.

My guess is that the bearing and the two washers that it rides on are all blown. I have even seen the lever fingers broken off. I believe the problem will be very apparent when you pull the derby cover and the side (kicker) cover off the tranny.

 

thanks, ill check in the am if there is no rain.
curt