Shifter does't spring back.
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Road Master
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 1,222
Likes: 0
From: St. Johns, MI
Shifter does't spring back.
Help please. Ocasionally when I shift the shift lever does'nt spring back into gear. It's just loose. I have to move it up or down depending on up or down shift, of course. My sportster never did this. My current bike's a 05 SE Fatboy. I'll take it to the dealer but I'd like some advice from some people who actually know what they're talking about. Ha ha
Cruiser
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 107
Likes: 0
From:
RE: Shifter does't spring back.
Mine did this when I snugged the shifter up closer to the primary. I've heard it can also be caused by not installing the neoprene washer that should be there. Once I moved shifter outward slightly, problem was eliminated. Just something to check.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 11,467
Likes: 2,996
From: Charleston, SC
RE: Shifter does't spring back.
This happened to mine thought there was some big a$$ problem..lol Took to the dealer and they said if you wash your bike alot sometimes you get water in that shifter pivot point thing (don't know the real name) and it washes out the cheap lubricant. Take it apart and lub up it up with some grease and you'll be good to go.
ORIGINAL: dastark
Help please. Ocasionally when I shift the shift lever does'nt spring back into gear. It's just loose. I have to move it up or down depending on up or down shift, of course. My sportster never did this. My current bike's a 05 SE Fatboy. I'll take it to the dealer but I'd like some advice from some people who actually know what they're talking about. Ha ha
Help please. Ocasionally when I shift the shift lever does'nt spring back into gear. It's just loose. I have to move it up or down depending on up or down shift, of course. My sportster never did this. My current bike's a 05 SE Fatboy. I'll take it to the dealer but I'd like some advice from some people who actually know what they're talking about. Ha ha
Road Warrior
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,504
Likes: 1
From: Sunapee, NH
RE: Shifter does't spring back.
I've had this same sort of thing happen on two different Harleys I've owned. I have also seen this type thing happen on other Harleys as well.
Without seeing what's happening on your bike, there is a possibility that the problem you have and the problem that I had don't have the same cause.
However, On 2 of my bikes (a Heritage and an Ultra, after the the motor is fully warmed up, I would have some bindage at the shaft that goes through the forward part of the primary. This bindage is due to the heat expansion on the inner primary. This shaft holds the base of the shifter lever closest to your foot and the other end of that same shaft hold a lever that's connected to the shifter rod that goes to the tranny.
Here's what I did, and it fixed the sticking shifter lever problem that I had.
I removed the outer shifter lever, this requires full removal of the bolt. (NOTICE the bolt groove on the shaft, it allows the bolt to to pass through the lever and the shaft so after tightening the lever won't slide off the spine on the shaft, NOTICE the extra space provided for slight movement in or out for this adjustment.) Then I loosen the bolt that holds the inner lever, without removing the bolt. Now while the bolt still has a few turns on the shifter lever, slide the shifter lever outwards as much as you can with the loose bolt still in place (This uses the excess space in the bolt groove on the shaft). Once you've done this, tighten the bolt back up while maintaining the little gap between the shifter lever and the primary. When this is done replace the outer shift lever and tighten that bolt when the position of the shifter lever is where you like it to be.
This simple measure fixed the problem for me and also for others.
good luck
chappy
Without seeing what's happening on your bike, there is a possibility that the problem you have and the problem that I had don't have the same cause.
However, On 2 of my bikes (a Heritage and an Ultra, after the the motor is fully warmed up, I would have some bindage at the shaft that goes through the forward part of the primary. This bindage is due to the heat expansion on the inner primary. This shaft holds the base of the shifter lever closest to your foot and the other end of that same shaft hold a lever that's connected to the shifter rod that goes to the tranny.
Here's what I did, and it fixed the sticking shifter lever problem that I had.
I removed the outer shifter lever, this requires full removal of the bolt. (NOTICE the bolt groove on the shaft, it allows the bolt to to pass through the lever and the shaft so after tightening the lever won't slide off the spine on the shaft, NOTICE the extra space provided for slight movement in or out for this adjustment.) Then I loosen the bolt that holds the inner lever, without removing the bolt. Now while the bolt still has a few turns on the shifter lever, slide the shifter lever outwards as much as you can with the loose bolt still in place (This uses the excess space in the bolt groove on the shaft). Once you've done this, tighten the bolt back up while maintaining the little gap between the shifter lever and the primary. When this is done replace the outer shift lever and tighten that bolt when the position of the shifter lever is where you like it to be.
This simple measure fixed the problem for me and also for others.
good luck
chappy
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 5,256
Likes: 5
From: Concord, CA
RE: Shifter does't spring back.
Mine did this and it was full of gunk on pivot shaft.
Dealer fixed it as I was riding by anyhow.
Clean it well, make sure the shaft and the slot is all clean, then use anti-seize. Don't use grease, it wont last long.
This fixed my issue and I was told it is very common. I actually had some plastic left from the assembly process in there as well.
Dealer fixed it as I was riding by anyhow.
Clean it well, make sure the shaft and the slot is all clean, then use anti-seize. Don't use grease, it wont last long.
This fixed my issue and I was told it is very common. I actually had some plastic left from the assembly process in there as well.
Cruiser
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 105
Likes: 0
From:
RE: Shifter does't spring back.
This happened to my 05 Fatboy. I had it repaired on 1000 mi service. Funny that the dealer played dumb about the cause. With as many occurences on this thread surely HD knows about this. Not serious just an inconvenience.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 2,281
Likes: 47
From: Oregon
RE: Shifter does't spring back.
My bike is doing the same thing. If I can't figure it out, I'll have it checked at the 1000 mile service on Tuesday.
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Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 10,232
Likes: 9,271
From: Georgia
RE: Shifter does't spring back.
my 05 n-train did this last week. dealer said rain and excessive washing will do this. covered by warranty now. they put a new bushing in for me and it's smoother than it's ever been. happened at 12500 miles.
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Intermediate
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 43
Likes: 0
From: Virginia
RE: Shifter does't spring back.
My 06 Deluxe did this too. Rest at ease, it's an easy repair for the dealer. At night or on cool days I rode fine, but down in Myrtle Beach or out in the noon sun my shifter would stick. My dealer told me this was seen often in softail model bikes. The binding shifter control was caused by heat. Molecular activity speeds up when temperature increases, causing the joints to swell slightly. All that needed to be done was a slight boring out of the mating surfaces. It took about a half hour. No problems ever since. All covered by warranty. Thanks Harley!
Road Captain
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 711
Likes: 0
From: Bothell, WA
RE: Shifter does't spring back.
Same as u_neek24. I took my bike to the dealer and they reamed the bushing out a little. That was at 500 miles. I'm at 6,000 miles now and have not had any further problems. Since the repair, I've rode the bike in freezing cold weather all the way to 100 degrees F.