OK, I jumped the gun. Sorry. But there have been so many threads about these issues that I thought you were being a wiseguy about never hearing about them. That's why I reacted the way I did.

And you are right, it's EASY to make a mistake about this subject. And the reason it's easy is what you just expressed. You thought the OP was saying one thing, and you read another thing. It wasn't your fault either. I have seen SO many of these threads about the shifter problems, and there are SEVERAL DIFFERENT issues that get wrapped up together as if they are the SAME issue. Well, THEY AREN'T! I've been stranded twice with the shifter shaft failing and I couldn't change gears. And I am VERY pissed at Harley for letting this STILL be an issue with their bikes. Instaed of fixing it with better engineering or better parts, they just took off the heel part of the shift linkage so folks wouldn't STOMP the heck out of the heel part and aid in the stripping of the splines or shift shaft connection. Another Cop-out on their part.

A shifter linkage breaking, any part of that linkage, be it the shaft linkage itself, or the link to a footpeg, CAN be fixed on the side of the road with a few things in the saddlebag. THIS problem is the most frequently mentioned, from what I have read and seen in person. So when someone posts that it isn't a "big deal", and it is fixed on the road, I know what they are talking about, and I agree with them.

BUT, what I don't agree with is the Doofus that says the shifter shaft failing and he can fix it on the side of the road. Well, he's a LIAR or badly misinformed! There is no way to fix it on the side of the road with things from the saddlebag, unless it's a BIG Saddlebag. The teeth stripping on the lever that attaches to the shifter shaft, or the teeth stripping on the end of the shifter shaft, is BIG DEAL! It will leave you stranded, because you can't shift gears at all! This problem requires some parts to be removed and replaced to get to the transmission. It just isn't a "side of the road" piece of work.

I wish people would be a LOT more specific when they start posting about this subject. It does make a difference what part they are talking about. Plus, Pictures with arrows drawn to the problem spot would help immensely!

 

Agree100 percent.

Start appreciating the clunk...absolutely.

 

I guess I missed but dunno.

Read about shaft issue and going to heim joitns. Rubber rotted out one of mine.

I've have them pop loose with out stripping, I was last to have them off.

Not saying it can't happen. But I am not convinced it is some epidemic that we are all waiting for the factory fix.

Maybe I am just a stomper, and have load tested mine.

Probably strip next year. Ha.

As I also said, after I started lubing mine with anti seize, have not had an issue. Not that proves it. I think I had it come loose twice. Glad I carried tools, and did not wait for a tow truck.

 

I never heard of the shaft splines stripping out but I did have the teeth in the shift lever strip out on my 2011 Road Glide. The lever is made of a softer metal than the shaft so that the teeth will wear out instead of the splines. The lever is much easier to replace than the shaft is. As others have said it can be avoided with proper maintenance (I bought my Road Glide used and it was already getting loose) and shifting technique. Heel shifter causes a lot of the problem. I know guys don’t think they stomp on it but think about it. Heel shifting uses the large muscles in your leg whereas toe shifting uses the small muscles in your foot and ankle. Heel shifting exerts a lot more force on the linkage whether you’re being careful or not. After I repaired the shifter on my Road Glide (pain in the *** job but not expensive) I removed my heel shifter. When I bought my 2017 Heritage the first thing I did was remove the heel shifter. 35k miles later my shift linkage is still tight and right.

 

I get your point, you are putting more force on it. But they do seem to go for awhile. I do think I stomped more on my first one at first.

Also 35k, really isn't much. Many more with a shifter that gone longer. That being said, watch mine will stripp.

When they come loose on the tranny, its a problem. I have heard of guys trying to rig stuff up on the road. I am not sure if you can tighten it with primary on.

 

If it’s just a loose pinch bolt you can tighten it without removing the primary. If you have to replace the lever you have to remove the primary. No fun but at least it’s cheap. When I did mine the part was $27 from the dealer. And yes, 35k is low mileage but my Road Glide only had 37k when I bought it and it was already stripped.

 

I still like the toe/heel shifter.....even though it does have a weakness such as stripping out. It’s just something to inspect/replace periodically. I’ve grown to accept that.

From broken fairing brackets, stripped levers, burnt stators, crappy tour pack latches.....the list goes on. If a person keeps their bike and ride enough....problems WILL happen.

For the person that trades every couple of years and doesn’t ride much....chances you’re not going to see many problems. Just ride and enjoy.

Anyways, I don’t believe this is an item Harley needs to correct. Some things are designed to fail to avoid a costly fix later.

 

You knowi seen this and went out and looked at mine and it does have side to side play in it. Tried tighting it up but no go . I'm thinking of maybe installing one or two nylon washers in there to take up the slack. Gotta help some i would think. The entire setup is pretty sloppy right out of the factory.

 

There ya go, your side to side is a tale tell sign that your linkage is taking a beating. So many people, even the shops over look this , maybe they are drumming up business, lol ! Slide everything together and compress the bushing , you will see and hear the results !

 

My '14 RK SHAFT failed... not the lever... and the pinch bolt was tight. I was on the road and the dealer explained that you can simply turn the shaft 180 degrees and put everything back together to get to where you can replace it. They took care of mine under warrant and sawed the joint in the lever so that the pinch bolt didn't completely close the gap which keeps the lever/shaft connections tighter.