| Author | Message | ||
     Djkaplan |
Ever since I bought my M2 off the showroom floor, it has had a horrible 'clunk' going into 1st from neutral and on the 1st-to-2nd shift. A clunk going into 1st is somewhat normal for most bikes, but it was especially bad on my bike. What concerned me the most though, was the shift into 2nd; it was 'clacking' more than 'clunking' (clanking?). I was worried enough to try and get the transmission looked at while the bike was under warranty, but 2 dealers pretty much said it was 'noisy but normal' and 'that's a Harley for you'. It bothered me that it was a lot noiser than everyone elses Buell (or Sportster), but in time, I got used to it by always trying to get into 2nd as fast as possible to get past the 'clank'. After realizing how simple it was to get the transmission out, and after a couple of forays into the gearset, I decided to inspect every part of the gearshift mechanism and figure out exactly what the problem was. I immediately came to the conclusion that I didn't have a clue what the problem was; everything looked fine. The shift forks, the detent plate, the engagement dogs... everything. So I decided to use the scattergun approach and just replace everything that was involved in making the transmission move from 1st-to-2nd. I got a Baker Smooth Shift kit, 3 new-shift forks, and new 2nd and 3rd countershaft gears (the gears that have the engagement dogs for the 1st-to-2nd shift). It absolutely amazed me how easy all this was with the old style trap-door transmission. Long story short - the transmission is so smooth, precise and 'snickety' it feels, dare I say it... Japanese. I realize now that it was the 2nd and 3rd countershaft gears that were bad the whole time (but the engagement dogs looked fine). I am amazed at the significant change in the transmission and I'm even more amazed I did it myself so easily... thank you trap-door transmission designer (probably passed away years ago) and BOO to the engineer/bean counter who got rid of it (they should share an office). Moral of this story - there isn't one, really... just a tale of a guy who lived for 6 1/2 years fearing the 1st to 2nd shift when he really didn't have to. My biggest gripe about my bike is finally gone. | ||
| Xldevil |
Hey. Two winters ago,I replaced the 1st and 4th gear on main and countershaft with Andrews gears. Before that, shifting into 1st was very loud and hard.And sometimes I "lost" the 1st gear for a second when I started up. I never had that problems again after my conversion. I can say,it was a good investment,it has been an easy job as well. Ralph | ||
| Justin_case |
The trapdoor was on the original Sportster in 1957. Losing it was giant step backwards IMHO. | ||
| Djkaplan |
I can't believe HD got rid of the trapdoor, either. The irony is the XBRR, arguably the zenith of XL engine development, uses the old style trapdoor transmission. | ||
| Djkaplan |
"...it has been an easy job as well." You said it. Everything is so simple, I feel like an idiot for not doing this 6 years ago. My first post on the BadWeb in 2000 was me complaining about my transmission. I could have fixed it for a little over $100 the whole time... | ||
| Justin_case |
It's cheaper to manufacture without the door, and way more profitable to repair trannys.That is if they're out of warranty. Thats the gamble. | ||
| Jayvee |
I've been wanting one of those Smooth Shift kits for the longest time. Can I ask from where you got the Baker kit for "a little over $100" ? I might try it too, if I can find it for that price. Cheapest I've seen is about $225. Actually the biggest thing is, I'm just intimidated by the sound of "transmission". I looked in the service manual, and found the procedure too intimidating. But if it's as straight-forward as you imply, I'll take another look. And the kit being cheaper wouldn't hurt either. (Message edited by jayvee on March 14, 2007) | ||
| Djkaplan |
It was replacing the 2nd and 3rd gear countershaft gears that cost a little more than $100 ($52 and $58). I paid full retail for the Baker kit. I'm not sure I really needed the Smooth Shift kit... it did seem to initially help and I'll never have the pin and detent plate problem, but it wasn't until I changed the countershaft gears that the problem went away. I've had no qualms in the past splitting cases to get to a transmission, but the ease and serviceability of the trap-door makes it possible to do major transmission work and still be able to take your bike for test ride in the same afternoon. Make sure you have a lockbar, torque wrenches, snap-ring and c-clip pliers if you ever decide to go in... those are the only special tools you need besides the regular stuff. And make sure you have the service manual too. Follow it to the letter or you'll be looking at wear patterns on some of the gears to get them back in correctly. One gear is quite easy to get in backwards. | ||
| Sloppy |
Jay: If you can change a starter or do a brake job then you should feel confident you can do the tranny. Just make sure you have all the right tools -- service manual, breaker bar or impact wrench, torque wrench to 250 ft-lbs (not that common), LOCK ring pliers (very important), a specially sized drill bit, etc. Note that the If you have these tools or don't mind investing in it then go for it. Otherwise, it is a big investment and it "may" be cheaper to just have your local shop do the work. You have to remember that that $50 / hour is not only labor, but also tool rental, garage space, insurance, technical knowledge, etc. Just a little editing from a friend.  (Message edited by blake on May 18, 2007) | ||
| Justin_case |
Isn't the clutch hub nut LEFT hand thread and the crank nut RIGHT hand? | ||
| Bluzm2 |
Justin, Yes! Clutch is a lefty, the crank is normal righty. | ||
| Djkaplan |
I never actually did torque the crank nut to spec with a torque wrench. I used an axle stand to support the head of an 18" breaker bar at the same height of the crank nut and stepped on the end of it with my wet weight of 175lbs until the nut stopped turning. It works on paper... | ||
| Justin_case |
Cheaper than a large torque wrench and more accurate than an uncalibrated one. I remember an old military aircraft manual listing a prop hub torque as " a 180 lb. man on a 4' bar". DJ.you done good! | ||
| Djkaplan |
"I remember an old military aircraft manual listing a prop hub torque as " a 180 lb. man on a 4' bar" 720 ft*lbs is a lot of torque. I'd have to eat a big breakfast to get that spec... or get a bar 1.371" longer. | ||
| Jayvee |
You shoulda seen the wrench we used to adjust the drive track tension on the old M60A1 tank. Looked just like a little ol' ignition wrench, except it was 4 feet long, 4 inches wide. Gotta jump on it, just like you said, sometimes two of us (skinnier then...) Sloppy you're probably right, most likely just a confidence thing, I got most of those tools (no lockbar yet, the cheapest one.) I've done lot of brakes, at least four car starters. Tranny just seems esoteric for some reason, maybe from the "split the cases" days, which is not even applicable here. |
