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.
WD-40 is not a lubricant.
Yearly, (or if I happen to have it apart for some other reason), I remove the shift levers and apply grease to the portion of the pivot shaft that I can expose by working it from both directions.
I also have a needle-like tip on my grease gun, which works to get a bit of grease inside the shaft hole on the primary case when the shifter linkage shaft is "pushed in" (towards the engine case).
Then I work the linkage in both directions to try to maximize the amount of grease that stays inside the hole.
This approach, in combination with sufficient pressure on the shaft before tightening the shift lever, has made my shifter vibration and rattle-free.
I've seen some have tapped a hole on the leading edge of their primary case & installed a grease (zirc) fitting.
It's a great idea and I've even considered doing it myself, but I forgot about doing it both times I had the inner primary off the bike.
The solution is made by Pingle Industries.
Part # 62142. Greese able shift rod. $110 bucks.
Harley's use to have greese fitting on the shift rod and the steering neck back in the late eighties, early ninties. Another cost cutting move by the factory eliminated them.
WD-40 is not a lubricant.
Yearly, (or if I happen to have it apart for some other reason), I remove the shift levers and apply grease to the portion of the pivot shaft that I can expose by working it from both directions.
I also have a needle-like tip on my grease gun, which works to get a bit of grease inside the shaft hole on the primary case when the shifter linkage shaft is "pushed in" (towards the engine case).
Then I work the linkage in both directions to try to maximize the amount of grease that stays inside the hole.
This approach, in combination with sufficient pressure on the shaft before tightening the shift lever, has made my shifter vibration and rattle-free.
I've seen some have tapped a hole on the leading edge of their primary case & installed a grease (zirc) fitting.
It's a great idea and I've even considered doing it myself, but I forgot about doing it both times I had the inner primary off the bike.
While my SG was down for a recent rebuild, I pulled the 135,000 mile old shifter bushings out and replaced them with new ones. While I had them out, I drilled, threaded, and installed a new grease zerk into the housing. It's not necessary to remove the bushings to do that. There are 2 separate bushings and a large space between them to install the zerk. I lubed it all up with some Marine grade grease and then put a few pumps into the zerk when it was all back together. A couple of bucks and done. MAYBE neck bearings next!
I loosen and remove the bolt that holds the inboard shift arm. That makes it easy to pull the shaft out of the primary case to clean and grease both the shaft and the tube it goes into. Brake grease seems to last longer than any other type I have tried. That hollow shaft is a neat idea but the price is beyond my "impulse" threshold. I can keep removing and servicing the shaft once in a while to avoid that expense. I have tried marine grease and anti-seize copper paste, neither seems to last as long as the brake grease.
I use a needle-like tip to direct the grease "into" the hole around the shaft..
I use whatever grease happens to be in the gun for an application like this.
Since the shaft isn't even making a full rotation under normal use and it isn't a high-speed or high-temp environment, nearly any grease that is thick enough to get into the shaft and not run back out will work just fine.
If you really want to get the entire shaft lubricated (who doesn't want that, right?!), then you can do a garage hack by removing the shift arm(s) and pushing the shaft as far "IN" (towards the engine) as possible.
Then you'll see a short "nub" of the shaft still protruding out on the face.
Get something like an old spark plug boot and shove it over that nub, then force grease into the top of the boot.
It'll take a bit of effort, but keep at it & you'll eventually see grease popping out the backside of the inner primary around the shift shaft.
Then put it back together, clean up the mess, and ride it for another year.
I do the same type of thing with the jiffy stand every once in a while.
Last edited by 07UltraGuy; Mar 22, 2024 at 10:12 PM.
Slideshow: Jason Momoa's latest restoration project blends 1920s Harley-Davidsons with modern electric technology, creating some of the most unusual hybrid motorcycles ever built.
Harley-Davidson Fat Boy Becomes a Dark, Decepticon-Inspired Custom
Slideshow: Killer Custom's latest build relies on styling changes rather than performance upgrades, giving the cruiser an entirely different personality.
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.
