When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Over the last winter I put a starter on my much modified generator shovel. I had been running a belt primary inside a tin cover but of course the new one is the cast aluminum. Put in an old clutch basket with starter gear and the same set of Grabber clutches that were in it along with a new compensater sprocket and primary chain. Yeah, the pins in the basket have grooves worn in them.
Now the clutch drags so bad that the engine sometimes stalls when at a stop sign or light. Have it adjusted to get all the travel I can. No mousetrap, just the modified clutch arm.
Well, I found the fix. With the starter in the space where the clutch arm used to swing, there was just not enough travel so I heated and bent the clutch arm forward to clear the starter with the clutch fully engaged. This gave me full travel for the release bearing. Isolated the primary and just dumped a quart of 50 wt. in. Drilled a hole (.089 dia.) in the plug I had put in the inner primary where the oiler was. Rode it to town to visit my son in jail. Clutch works fine. Can even find neutral with engine idling.
You might consider a diaphragm clutch setup , I've been running in a few bikes including my 93" shovel and oh man does it take all the stupid out of a shovel and constant clutch problems . Easy in stall and under $150 , if you consider one make them an offer of $130 picked up 3 doing that .
Did you get the correct parts for your year bike or are they later model ? Pre 70 shovels had a bit shorter shaft than late stuff and the mainshaft is a bit shorter in that year tranny . Mix newer bendix shaft ( longer ) with early trans with a shorter mainshaft which sits the clutch pac in closer it's going to bind . There's also like 3 different ends for the shaft for the outer pri. bearing , they have different length shoulder to hold the bendix from over travel , almost 1/2" difference .
Learned all this the hard way when I did poor mans rear belt conversion and was hunting swap parts on the cheap I feel your pain .
Get some pics of the parts if you can when you take her down , I can at least tell you what you got if there's questions
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.
Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.
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.
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.
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.