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Bad shifter shaft and inner linkage

TomA

TomA

Active member
Apr 30, 2014
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Hello all

Thought I would share this with everyone and maybe you can catch it before it happens to you. While on a beautiful ride up Spearfish canyon and over the top to Newcastle Wy we were starting to head back and my shifter shaft stipped out leaving me kind of stranded. I oaky rigged the shifter to get back to the dealership in Rapid city for repair. Seems this dealership had ordered 100 of these items because they knew they would need them for the Sturgis bike week. They received 50 of the shifter shaft and inner linkage the Tuesday before my miss fortune. When I made it to the dealership and started to check in they told me 4 hours wait time at a minimum because of the volume of bikes. Pulled up to park the bike with the others and there was a guy on a 15 ultra throwing a fit and low and behold he had the same issue. Talked to my service writer in a calmer tone and they got my bike fixed in a bout 2.5 hours. Seems they know this is an issue but haven't issued a recall yet on these parts.

So you all need to check for any play on the inner side of the shifter shaft and inner linkage if you have any take it in for replacement right away. Make sure you carry a torx #30 bit with you because that's what you need to over tighten to get her home or to the next dealership for repair.

You may just want to make sure it's tight before you ride again.

Good luck and safe riding to all of you
 
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Can you explain further where exactly this is? Is it on the trans side or on the front of the primary side? Sorry to hear you had to experience this. Got me concerned now. ThanksHD14FLHR020.jpg
 
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At my 1000 mile check up, Service dept said they replaced a part in the shifter assembly that was going bad. Said they had replaced a few but it was not a recall item. I didn't ask too many questions as there was no charge to me. Nice pro-active move on their part. I'm guessing the same situation as Tom. Probably a bad batch of parts but limited in numbers so HD will not recall
 
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I've went through 3 shifter (15&16). Now I carry an extra set. First time I lost the whole assembly on the highway. Call me heavy foot!!
 
Ok

It is the shaft that your shift levers attach to on the front of the primary. Mine was the inside splines that shift linkage slips on and tightens down on. If you hold that shift linkage and try and move your shifter levers it shouldn't have any end to end movement at all. It will have a little side to side so it moves freely in the housing.

Looking at the diagram it part 15 and 16

Hope this helps
 
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TomA said:
Ok

It is the shaft that your shift levers attach to on the front of the primary. Mine was the inside splines that shift linkage slips on and tightens down on. If you hold that shift linkage and try and move your shifter levers it shouldn't have any end to end movement at all. It will have a little side to side so it moves freely in the housing.

Looking at the diagram it part 15 and 16

Hope this helps
Click to expand...

Yes it does help. Thanks Tom
 
I'm gonna check mine again.. When I picked up bike new heel shift was very low.. Almost resting in floorboard.. I adjusted it upward and did notice quite a bit of movement on the shifter spline.. I assumed that was normal.. Note to self about normal.. Lol


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Replaced mine at 15,000 miles. Its fairly common for this to happen. Somewhere on this web is a write-up I did explaining why this happens but it has to do with the angle of the dangle...if the clamp was at the 6:00 position on the shaft, it would probably not strip, that and the shaft is steel and the shifter is a softer metal...

The shaft is steel and the shift levers, both front and rear are aluminum. The bolt that secures them have a shoulder that prevents it from being turned in too far and over tightening, thus stripping out the threads on the aluminum shift lever. On an engineering level, its a bad design. Most Japanese bikes use a minimum 5/8" splined shaft. HD uses a 7/16" shaft. The basic design of the split clamp is "weak"... the shaft diameter is too small. The splined shaft should be at least 1/2". The bolt on HD's split collar is at 8 o'clock...true split collars are at 6 clock. This allows the clamping forces to be 90 degrees from the split. HD's design allows the tension to be somewhere else, less than 1/4 of the collar closes on the splined shaft....so part of the clamp is under tension, other areas aren't. What this does is allow flexing of the non-tensioned areas, creating wear. This also allows the metal to stretch...so the bolt isn't loosening, the metal of the clamp is "stretching". With the collared bolt, this prevents the bolt from tightening further allow the shift lever to feel "loose", eventually falling completely off in severe cases.

From my research, there are several "fixes"....the easiest is to use a collarless bolt....but you run the risk of stripping out the threads on the shift lever and you can only tighten so far before the shoulders of the clamp touch each other, preventing any more tightening.

The next method is to use a stainless steel shift lever, (https://betterlever.com/) but its $225.00.

The next fix is to drill the shift lever and shaft and install a shear pin.
 
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Aviator5456 said:
Replaced mine at 15,000 miles. Its fairly common for this to happen. Somewhere on this web is a write-up I did explaining why this happens but it has to do with the angle of the dangle...if the clamp was at the 6:00 position on the shaft, it would probably not strip, that and the shaft is steel and the shifter is a softer metal...

The shaft is steel and the shift levers, both front and rear are aluminum. The bolt that secures them have a shoulder that prevents it from being turned in too far and over tightening, thus stripping out the threads on the aluminum shift lever. On an engineering level, its a bad design. Most Japanese bikes use a minimum 5/8" splined shaft. HD uses a 7/16" shaft. The basic design of the split clamp is "weak"... the shaft diameter is too small. The splined shaft should be at least 1/2". The bolt on HD's split collar is at 8 o'clock...true split collars are at 6 clock. This allows the clamping forces to be 90 degrees from the split. HD's design allows the tension to be somewhere else, less than 1/4 of the collar closes on the splined shaft....so part of the clamp is under tension, other areas aren't. What this does is allow flexing of the non-tensioned areas, creating wear. This also allows the metal to stretch...so the bolt isn't loosening, the metal of the clamp is "stretching". With the collared bolt, this prevents the bolt from tightening further allow the shift lever to feel "loose", eventually falling completely off in severe cases.

From my research, there are several "fixes"....the easiest is to use a collarless bolt....but you run the risk of stripping out the threads on the shift lever and you can only tighten so far before the shoulders of the clamp touch each other, preventing any more tightening.

The next method is to use a stainless steel shift lever, (https://betterlever.com/) but its $225.00.

The next fix is to drill the shift lever and shaft and install a shear pin.
Click to expand...

Aviator,

Excellent information! Thank you!
I can see in the exploded diagram posted above by GreetSlide808 that it is the inner shift arm that has the awkward placement of the pinch bolt. Outer shift arm is at six o:clock
Those 2:00 am posts are always inspiring! LOL!

Blues
 
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This crap happened to me the two days ago. Inner/rear shift lever came off while riding. I am furious. Last year this crap happened to my outter/front shift lever. I am livid.

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Did Harley address this at the factory at some point? In other words, are there later manufactured 2016's that don't have this issue?
 
Khafre said:
This crap happened to me the two days ago. Inner/rear shift lever came off while riding. I am furious. Last year this crap happened to my outter/front shift lever. I am livid.

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Click to expand...

Just curious, but are you running stock shifter pegs? Have you ever adjusted the angle of the front and/or heal shifter? I'm wondering if those who have replaced their pegs and adjusted the angle, have avoided the problem of these falling off, because by default they would have been forced to tighten everything down?
 
MisterB said:
Just curious, but are you running stock shifter pegs? Have you ever adjusted the angle of the front and/or heal shifter? I'm wondering if those who have replaced their pegs and adjusted the angle, have avoided the problem of these falling off, because by default they would have been forced to tighten everything down?
Click to expand...

Running stock shifters. The angle of the shifters were made more parallel last year when the front/outer lever wore out the spline. So since July of last year I was riding with the shifters essentially parallel and using bother the front and rear shifters. I actually tightened the front/outter lever as it was feeling a bit loose. and did want to wear out the spline like last year and have the same issue. Unfortunately I thought I was good but did not check the inner/rear lever which apparently was loose as all hell. So I learned something. Of course I had to order a long enough 1/4 hex socket bit to the damn bolt. I have not attempted to tighten it yet. Will do so today. Like I said I am livid.
 
Khafre said:
Running stock shifters. The angle of the shifters were made more parallel last year when the front/outer lever wore out the spline. So since July of last year I was riding with the shifters essentially parallel and using bother the front and rear shifters. I actually tightened the front/outter lever as it was feeling a bit loose. and did want to wear out the spline like last year and have the same issue. Unfortunately I thought I was good but did not check the inner/rear lever which apparently was loose as all hell. So I learned something. Of course I had to order a long enough 1/4 hex socket bit to the damn bolt. I have not attempted to tighten it yet. Will do so today. Like I said I am livid.
Click to expand...

Should still be under warranty. Maybe you should have Harley deal with it?
 
Well, so much for my theories. I just checked mine, and the outside one was definitely loose. I removed the bolt, put some locktite on it, and tightened it down. Did the same to the inside one. Checked everything, and it's good and tight.
 
I was shifting into 2nd and the lever went to the floor and flopped around. Luckily I was only a couple of miles from the dealership. The lever was tight but the shaft/ spline was loose. The said they greased the spline and tightened the lever and did not need to replace anything. I have ridden a couple hundred miles since and no issues.

I don't see how the shaft and spline could slip but they said it happens, there was some sand in it that caused the problem.
 
MisterB said:
Should still be under warranty. Maybe you should have Harley deal with it?
Click to expand...
So. I was not able to resolve it myself. I ended up getting the bike in 3rd gear and took to dealer. At first they told me they would be able to look at it on Tuesday, mind you it was a Friday that I am dropping it off. So I was wven more pissed but they had a lot of work to do. About 4 hours later they called me and said my bike was ready. So that made me happy of course. The replacement part and work was under warranty. Funny thing is that was the last day of my normal warranty. I am glad i sprung for the cash for the extended sercice plan. Apparently it is going to be needed.

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I'm having the play now.. at 20k.. taking her n this week


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