Harley-Davidson Gear Shift Linkage and Neutral Issues
Bob LaRosaDescription
If you are experiencing Harley neutral issues, “hard neutral,” or having a tough time shifting your Harley, you may need to address your Harley-Davidson gear shift linkage as an assembly. Sometimes, misaligned shifter linkage splines will be obvious to diagnose. Other times you may need to examine the assembly more closely.
As Bob explains, proper clutch adjustment should always be confirmed. When attempting to fix a Harley-Davidson gear shift linkage issue, verify correct adjustment at the clutch pack and in the cable per your service manual’s specific requirements for your year, make, and model. Also, be confident that your clutch lever is capable of completing full travel. Sometimes, path of travel can be limited, or cut short by an oversized, after-market hand grip, or possibly some other add-on.
If your shift arms are not properly aligned or your Harley-Davidson gear shift linkage is set to an incorrect length, you may experience binding, which will limit or diminish your leverage. If you are replacing or reinstalling the stock shift linkage on your Harley, it is important to assemble it back to the exact position it was in previously. When installing an after-market shift assembly, it is important to try to copy the original, stock, and configuration whenever possible to achieve the same correct leverage.
Last but not least, always set your foot lever(s) for correct function and for rider comfort. When setting your forward-most lever, be sure to allow for the boots that you will most typically ride with. When set correctly, you should be able to up-shift without having to lift your entire leg in an awkward motion. If your bike is equipped with a heel shift, be sure that you have enough clearance between the lever and your floorboard. If the lever is set too low, it may have a limited path of travel that will restrict or limit your up-shift.
How often should I check my Harley-Davidson gear shift linkage?
It is important to inspect your shift linkage assembly regularly. Try looking it over every time you check your lights and tire pressure. If pinch bolts become loose, remove them, clean them, and reinstall to factory torque specs with Loctite.
If shift arm splines or shaft splines are worn, the components should be replaced. If a shifter shaft is to be replaced, it is also important to replace shifter shaft bushings at that time.
Proper shift leverage is very important. Whether you are riding a 2015 Touring model or a 1989 Sportster, the theory is the same.
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Hi, I'm Bob LaRosa. Welcome to Fix My Hog. I like to take a moment and just review a common issue. I get a lot of questions, a lot of concerns. I, myself do a lot of adjustments when it comes to a hard neutral, or a difficult time finding neutral particularly when forward controls are involved. Obviously your clutch needs to be adjusted correctly both internally and in the overall cable length you need to make sure you have proper lever movement that nothing's impeding the lever from going all the way to the bar. A lot of times I see oversize hand grips cause a multitude of problems that don't allow the lever to go all the way back and allow the clutch pack to release but taking for granted the clutches adjusted correctly inside the cables adjusted correctly on the length of the cable you have proper free play on the lever at the perch. The next logical step to address is leverage. And I can't stress enough how important proper alignment between the shift arm that enters the case on a sportster and the overall length of the shift rod Is I see a lot of these motorcycles set up where this particular shift arm is not in correct location on the spline. So when you go to shift the motorcycle the arm itself contacts the outer primary and limits the shift. And again, it's something it's very noticeable, but until you do it incorrectly, you don't really realize the importance of proper leverage between the arm, the shift rod, and the shift pedal, and peg itself. In this case you're never gonna get a nice firm first gear. You're gonna push down on the lever and it's gonna cause binding against the outer primary. So the first thing to do is make sure that this arm and it's typically only one spline away has plenty of room to the outer primary. There's just one spline difference in what I did there. You can see it, won't contact there, but one spline back and the whole thing mashes against the outer primary. That is the most critical area that I most commonly correct. And it seems to correct a lot of the issues with difficulty getting into gear or finding neutral the next in line. Now you can certainly run this shift arm in any position. You can run it to the point where it hits the wrong side of the outer primary, the forward side. Typically you want these to be almost straight up and down got way there. They've got lots of room to do their job. Once you have that in the correct position where there's clearance to shift through the gears find neutral. The next in line is to adjust the heim joint and shift rod as an assembly in order to get the correct distance between the shift peg and the foot peg. And when I say correct distance, I'm talking about riding comfortably where your foot fits underneath the shift peg, and it's easy enough to raise your toe or raise the front of your shoe in order to upshift. But again, it's easy enough to put your foot on top of the shifter to downshift. Again leverage plays a very important part in proper shifting and ease of finding neutral.
2013 Streetglide front shift arm and shaft stripped. Also happened twice, to a friend with 2012 Ultra. We don't think it's abuse on our part and the dealer made a comment on this being an issue with touring bikes. I guess I'm looking to see if anyone makes a better part or if there is a way to stop this from happening. Thanks, Mike.
Not finding video for my model 1995 Harley Davidson flhtc relating to neutral problems and shift linkage