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Shifter Falling Off

CalRider

CalRider

Member
My toe shifter keeps falling off. It's difficult to really tighten the connection using an allan wrench. I did a search and looked at an earlier thread on the topic. Is there a more certain way to correct this problem? Seems like just tightening it and using locktite is a temp solution to a poor design issue. Has anyone considered drilling through the shifter and the shaft and securing with a bolt and nut? It's and 04 RK Custom.

Thanks,
Rob
 
I ended up replacing the shifter arm, then the shaft, then the other shifter arm and another shaft. The last time I had to do it, I replaced everything at once.

When you install make sure all the nuts and bolts are tightned well. I took off the floor board, it was easy enough and gave me plenty of room to work and get tools where they needed to be.

Good luck.
 
Check to see IF the shifter bottoms out "Together" when tightened to the shaft splines..... IF it does, I usually file out or Hack saw a thickness out of the top(un-threaded) side of the shifter. allowing a better Tight fit...

My thinking there is: then it will Clamp onto the splines hard enough Not to loosen..

Worked on several of my bikes.

JMWay

signed....BUBBIE
 
I've done it two different ways. One was to saw or grind a larger slot because the ends closed too soon on my aftermarket shifter, and it had slop. On a friends worn lever, I drilled the threads out, filed a flat spot on the outside, then used a grade 8, 1/4 x 20 bolt and nut to cinch it down.

HMMM, Bubbie and I were typing at the same time again.
 
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I had the same issue with my 07 RK. I ended up running a chaser through the threads and put some lube on the threads. Cranked it down and it never loosened up again.
 
CalRider said:
My toe shifter keeps falling off. It's difficult to really tighten the connection using an allan wrench. I did a search and looked at an earlier thread on the topic. Is there a more certain way to correct this problem? Seems like just tightening it and using locktite is a temp solution to a poor design issue. Has anyone considered drilling through the shifter and the shaft and securing with a bolt and nut? It's and 04 RK Custom.
Click to expand...

You might try getting an Allen socket (Sears) and use an extension to get on the Hex Socket Screw and put some better torque on the pincher. As long as the splines on the shaft are OK, even if the splines inside the lever are marginal, it should still work.

TQ
 
IMO, the constant rattling of the shifter will contribute to this also, Limey @ St. Augustine Harley showed me a trick using an old valve spring cut down placed behind the shift shaft, worked real good, I seem to remember other kits like wave washers and others to do the same, I never had trouble in 50k miles on my 97 FLHT with the shifter after Limey showed me this trick, Capital Jack:s
 
On my bike the shifter came loose once. Re-torqued very tightly and has never come loose again. Some of the problems with shifter is the aggressiveness used while shifting especially the heel shifter. As others have said the splines tend to strip out at the slightest looseness and strip splines if not attended to.
 
Thanks for all the advice. I ended up putting a crescent wrench on the allen wrench and got a good extra turn on it, and it tighten up. I put blue locktite on it too.
 
CalRider said:
Thanks for all the advice. I ended up putting a crescent wrench on the allen wrench and got a good extra turn on it, and it tighten up. I put blue locktite on it too.
Click to expand...

Good you resolved the issue. If it loosens again, a combination of Jack' spring steel curved washer and filing inside of slot by a few thousandths would allow pinch ends not to contact too soon allowing tighter fit. :s
 
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