Help with MadMax...Calling all Gurus'

[randy]

That's what I'm thinking.

[madmax-im]

Can this be done with the bike upright?

If so then we can dispense with alot of the prep that was done the first time....I'd have to remove the exhaust to drain the engine oil but thats abt it.....sorry Randy...didnt think this would come back to bite us in the a$$...well all I can say is when we do it again... I'll have the beer in the fridge ... Just tell me what you like...do you think we can reuse the new gaskets ???

[madmax-im]

Originally posted by motoman
Hey there madmax..............sorry to hear bout it not shifting right. I'll give you a little clue, even tho most hear would'nt agree..............put that bike up on some blocks on the stand so it's a bit higher off the ground...............don't flip it upside-down......repeat: don't flip it upside-down. Let gravity be your helper. When putting shaft assembly back in, first start shift fork shaft through. Holding No.3 fork in correct position, push it above so the curved fork area will ride on top of shaft. Don't slide shaft any farther than it takes to hold fork out of way! Now put shaft/gear assembly in. It's a close fit, so just jiggle it a bit as you slide it's shaft into bearing on the clutch side. It will now stay in place by itself. Pull the fork shaft back a bit and No.3 fork will almost drop in place by itself! Slide shaft on across and through No.2 fork. Before sliding shaft across any farther, put fork No.1 in its correct direction, holding it above where it goes. Take the other hand and slide fifth gear back on shaft. Let fork come down enough to slide shaft through it and on across through hole in case. I messed with mine for quite a bit, then studied the situation and when I re-approached the situation using this series of steps, it was child's play and way easy. Like I said, using gravity as a helper made it easy. Laying on a piece of carpet on garage floor on my back was only complaint. Every slot and ear got a serious matching angle when ground.

Brant,Thanks for that...I'd prefer to take this on with the bike standing upright.I have a floor jack and jack stands..so I could get it up off the floor a bit.If the #1 fork is the one responsible for the engagement of 2nd and 5th gears...then it shouldn't take too long to open the bike up and get in there ...for sure we need to dry shift the gears before we button it up...I dont recall that we did this...so hey just remember...this is for everyone...to err is human...but to really F#%# things up...requires a computer...

[randy]

Ben, before opening the bottom, I would first investigate the shift pawl alignment, which only requires removing the shifter cover. You don't even need to drain the oil IF you can lean the bike over to the right.

[madmax-im]

Yes Randy ... I will get back to you all when I have checked the shift pawl... the earliest I can get to this will be tmrw late afternoon...after work...so I will keep you posted...and dont worry guys I'm not gonna do anything rash...come too far...and the outcome is not in doubt...but hopefully sooner rather than later I also am not happy abt the funkyness of my wiring...I suppose that is a major PITA...I'll do a tech search...cuz things are gettin weird... I dont quite understand how the shift fork will fall into place if the bike is leaned over to the right...assuming we have to go that route...I'm not clear on which side of the gears the #1 shift fork is on?

[BLUEJEEPLAB]

When I did the Battle Cruiser, I did it from underneath. One word of advice... ... A shift fork hitting you in the teeth really hurts. Hang on to the parts.

[bikerphil]

#1

The #1 shift fork is on the left side transmission. The neutral pos. is in-between gears 2 & 5.

[motoman]

Would put it on center stand on a long enough fourX four, a block under front wheel to level it some which will keep it from shifting forward off center stand. Still have to open both sides, clutch removed and all that so your able to slide fork shaft back a bit to drop first fork out if it is backwards. Shift pawl alignment makes no differece in this case. If shifted and no second, but shift again and third and the rest work, verifies what I stated, pawl alignment makes no difference at this point. If a pin was missing out of drum, it would not of worked prior to tear-down. After doing mine this winter, I saw the simplicity of how it all works..........very ingenious actually. As for gaskets...........don't worry if they tear cause it all including the pan can be put together without them. Use a can of CR Brakcleen to remove any oil reidue then apply a THIN film of High-Temp RTV (grey) to one surface, let become tacky and assemble. All these covers are machined surfaces and mate perfectly. The pan, shift cover, and clutch cover have no gaskets on mine and not so much as a seep exist.

[79XS11F]

The shift drum MUST be in the right position when the forks are engaged in to the drum. Check your manual on this because if you engage the forks when the drum is in the wrong position that forks movement will not be correct.
Rob

[trbig]

Are we calling the shift cam the shift drum?? Just trying to follow along here.

I realize that if you aren't splitting the cases, you should have the cam in 4th gear to give you a little bit of room, but if you can get the forks in there, it really doesn't matter what gear it's in for installation.

Only thing I can think of is maybe the fork was installed upside down with the follower not in the right position on the cam??


Tod

[79XS11F]

I call it the shift drum.
Is it possible the forks got mixed up and are not installed it the correct order?
Rob

[madmax-im]

Originally posted by 79XS11F
I call it the shift drum.
Is it possible the forks got mixed up and are not installed it the correct order?
Rob

No...they were not mixed

[madmax-im]

Logically thinking?

The most likely and logical source of the problem is the shift fork that shifts the 2nd/5th gears...Since as was stated earlier that 1st,3rd and 4th gear do engage when the shift lever is engaged...most likely the shift pawl alignment is a moot point.I was going to look at this last nite but realized that I dont have Torx tools to remove the cover...going to the hardware store today...also will need a small torque wrench...

[madmax-im]

Trailer Queen

I know... I'll trailer the Max to the XSEast rally and we can make it an XSive tech event for the Max.I can then earn the prestigious Harley Award and relieve TC of the burden...LOL...sounds like a win-win situation

[TopCatGr58]

Hey MadMax,

As much as I would be happy to assist you in getting your Transmission working properly, I think it's a bit longer job than just a few hours. OUR rally rides are usually quite lengthy and we don't get back to base camp until around 6pm. And unlike the Euro style of rallies, we actually RIDE at ours! Just not sure if there would be enough time, daylight, after we return from the day's ride to get it done??

Now, I do plan on getting there Friday, but it might also be late in the day since I will be actually RIDING Godzilla there, due to gas prices, and that it's a relatively shorter distance for this event. But I ride a Special, so I'll be stopping every 100 miles to refuel, stretch, drink, drain , snack, etc. taking my time in a leisurely pace this time.

Do you have a 2 bike trailer so that you would be guaranteed a bike that will be ready to ride in case "WE" can't get Max fixed in a timely fashion?? I'm sure it's doable, just want to be sure that your rally experience isn't just a REPAIR experience!
T.C.