| Author | Message | ||
     Ferocity02 |
Well I was riding through town today doing some errands and and I was coming away from a stop sign and I tried to shift into 4th and noticed the shifter was really loose. I looked down and saw that the bolt that holds the shift lever to the vertical linkage had fallen out. I didn't have anything to stick in there for the time being, so I babied it over to the nearest hardware store in 3rd. Turns out the hardware store isn't there anymore. I tried to go home, but the roads home are fast roads with lots of traffic so I needed to do something. I go off the road and was going to shift it into 5th by hand, but then I had a good idea. I pulled the key ring off the key and bent it as straight as I could and put it through the shift lever and the linkage and bent it back so I wouldn't fall out. Worked like a charm! I then went to the local hardware store and got a new bolt. I went home and put it in with plenty of red Loctite. Hopefully it won't fall out again! | ||
| Garyz28 |
Wow Mike, you've certainly had your share of "issues" with that bike since you've had it. Hopefully you'll get the kinks all worked out soon. | ||
| Pwnzor |
I had it happen on the freeway. I rode all the way home in 3rd gear, drove the car to the Ace Hardware, got new linkage bolts, used red loc-tite on the threads, and carry spares under the seat. Been almost 4 years since that happened, and they have stayed put ever since. I also carry an extra kickstand pivot bolt for the same reason. | ||
| Interex2050 |
That happened to me once, it was on my way to a evening "run"... I just popped it into third and went on my merry way. Third gear allows for a very wide range of speeds, and that motor has more then enough grunt to get going in any gear... | ||
| Wolfridgerider |
I used a allen wrench & 3 zip ties when it happened to me.... | ||
| Barker |
I drove 250 miles with a zip tie replacing the bolt from the linkage to the shifter. I always carry zip ties on my bikes. Babied the shifter all the way home. Also a bag of spare buell bolts is not a bad idea either. ah hell, if you had to, you can get just about anywhere on a buell in 3rd gear only. | ||
| Mesafirebolt |
I got her home in 5th gear... NOW its saftywired! | ||
| Treadmarks |
Safety wire is the way to go. Grade 8 bolts with locktite can help. I went the locktite route. Also removed the shifter and brake pedals and cleaned the bushings and applied marine high temp grease. They seem to vibe a lot less now. Either way, you go girls!  | ||
| Hooligan620 |
I had this happen to me just the other day. I bought a slightly longer bolt , threaded it through the hole and put a self-locking nut on the back side. | ||
| Ferocity02 |
I found that with the way my shifter is adjusted, there isn't room on the back on the bolt for a nut because it will hit the clutch cable. I'm thinking of using a button-head bolt and threading it in from the back, then putting a nut on the front. Should work well I think. Any other things we should be concerned about vibrating off? | ||
| Terribletim |
I robbed the parts off my wife's Sporty, hope she doesn't want to take that thing for a spin any time soon.  | ||
| Spatten1 |
I used safety wire that I keep under my seat. These bikes must be Harleys, because they still leak parts. | ||
| Cochise |
What did I do? I walked back from the parking lot into the dealership and had the service writer help me push it in.  | ||
| Cycleaddict |
"leak parts" ....thats good !! | ||
| Spatten1 |
I saw a shirt at Daytona about 20 years ago that said: "British bikes may leak oil, but Harleys leak parts" I find this an endearing quality of my Buells. Just more "personality". | ||
| Buellerandy |
2 words- vise grips  They can replace almost anything that requires lever action-i.e. clutch, brake levers, gear shift, can even make for an emergency kickstand:P | ||
| Doerman |
Yes, I can personally attest to vice grips as a stop gap measure. I was riding from Flagstaff to Albuquerque on my S3 and I was coming up on buckled pavement due to heat. I stood on the pegs to avoid spine jarring action. The problem was, the left footpeg broke as a result and the entire shifter mechanism with it. I managed (somehow) to stay upright and come to a controlled stop. I put the vice grip on the shifter shaft, used the rear peg for my foot rest. That's the first and last time I've had a jockey shifter on a Buell. | ||
| Spatten1 |
I am 6'0" and have to stand on the pegs a stretch a lot too. A couple of stories like yours a couple of years ago had me calling Al and buying LSL's. It ain't cheap, but I got over it and spent the money because is is a serious safety issue. | ||
| Doerman |
It turned out to be an incorrect torque spec for the peg attachment. But yeah, it was a memorable experience to say the least! |
