shift linkage broke
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Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 6,066
Likes: 1,121
From:
shift linkage broke
a problem reported by many others.
my shift linkage broke on a return trip home.
I reached for shifter just before a stop..it was resting against floor board.
Pulled into our stop for lunch, parked under a tree, opened the tool bag for spare, took about 20 minutes.
I had replaced one end of the shift rod with a heim joint a couple of years ago..The other was the standard Harley style.(The Harley style broke)
May wish to consider:
change of both to heim joints
or
a spare in your tool kit..
or
a zip tie,
even your shoe lace can tie it back on and get you home.
carried the spare for several years and it finally happened.
my shift linkage broke on a return trip home.
I reached for shifter just before a stop..it was resting against floor board.
Pulled into our stop for lunch, parked under a tree, opened the tool bag for spare, took about 20 minutes.
I had replaced one end of the shift rod with a heim joint a couple of years ago..The other was the standard Harley style.(The Harley style broke)
May wish to consider:
change of both to heim joints
or
a spare in your tool kit..
or
a zip tie,
even your shoe lace can tie it back on and get you home.
carried the spare for several years and it finally happened.
Tourer
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 374
Likes: 0
From: nampa, idaho
yep
had the same thing happen to me this summer in the rockies going down a mountain road.I used the zip ties and was lucky it was slavageable
as it was stuck down inside my inner primary.I always have zips ties with me ...
as it was stuck down inside my inner primary.I always have zips ties with me ...
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 5,788
Likes: 203
From: SW Florida
This is a pretty common problem. After learning this about a year ago, I replaced BOTH ball joint ends with Heim Joints. $3.25 on eBay. 
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 10,033
Likes: 29
It seems that those joints break pretty often. Knowing that, I bought a spare linkage at a swapmeet for 5 bucks, robbed both ends off of it and put them in my tool kit...Because of that, my original ones have 10yrs/76k miles on them and have yet to break...LOL.
Tourer
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 472
Likes: 0
From: Niagara Frontier, NY
After reading all the posts about this problem, I started checking the type of linkage on used bikes at the dealer and whenever I see a bike parked somewhere. I found a lot of older bikes with stock linkage, I believe they do break on some folks bikes, maybe not a wide spread problem...just sayin...
-Bill-
Cruiser
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 124
Likes: 0
I replaced the linkage with a billet chrome one with the heim joints cause it looked nicer. Only after did I realize i did some good preventative maintenance. The Original is in the bags in case someone else needs it
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 5,878
Likes: 17
From: The Desert SouthWest
After reading all the posts about this problem, I started checking the type of linkage on used bikes at the dealer and whenever I see a bike parked somewhere. I found a lot of older bikes with stock linkage, I believe they do break on some folks bikes, maybe not a wide spread problem...just sayin...
-Bill-
-Bill-
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Road Warrior
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 1,802
Likes: 2
From: Salt Lake City, UT. Dushore, Pa.
It's another HD engineering marvel that after 106 years they can't figure out. With the new bigger jugs they even have to put the linkage on the outside of the front lever so there is an offset angle causeing more stress on the ball socket connection. For about $10 you can buy the Heim Ends and Chrome bolts which I think is piece of mine. I went thru 3 stock ones before I found the Heim Joints on e-bay and they do polish up pretty good. They have chrome ones for about $20.00. MY friend even had the trans. lever come off on his 08 so we replaced the allen head bolt with a reg bolt so it can be tightened.
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Elite HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 3,948
Likes: 54
From: The Burgh
See my post today re: chrome rod ends (heim joints) on eBay.
https://www.hdforums.com/forum/touri...im-joints.html
I don't understand why people pay 40 bucks to put a HD chrome cover over the stock shifter linkage. Looks like lipstick on a pig to me. Just my opinion.
https://www.hdforums.com/forum/touri...im-joints.html
I don't understand why people pay 40 bucks to put a HD chrome cover over the stock shifter linkage. Looks like lipstick on a pig to me. Just my opinion.
Last edited by frenchbiker; Sep 22, 2009 at 11:26 AM.
