1991 HERITAGE SOFTAIL w/sidecar
- Thread starter Duff
- Start date
Sunnysideup
Junior Member
It will get resolved soon and you'll be so happy. When you do and have time to get all settled in with it, we would love some photos of the bike. Looks great!
Breeze3at
Experienced Member
Hi Duff; I've been on a roadtrip and just saw your post. Help me to understand a couple things (in red) Did you shift into third, or did it do it by itself? What happens/sounds when you put it in gear? Can you feel/hear the gears engage, does the bike try and move at all when you release the clutch?
Does the clutch lever feel right, a tiny bit of free play, then a firm pressure as you pull it back to the grip? When you move the shift lever down, can you feel the spring return it to center, or does it just stay down? If you put the bike in gear with engine off, can you push the bike forward or backward at all? And lastly, any nut or bolt that YOU will be working on is lefty loosey, righty tighty. The odd ones live way inside the clutch assembly.
To the forum guys: my questions are aimed at a stripped primary pully, or a broken shift return spring.
I hear you Breeze. I have had the stripped pulley problem and once it happens I could not get the bike to move at all. The splines were gone and all the bike would do was rev up/no go. Duff has not said if it is the stock clutch or not and if it is the original plates and pads. After she has adjusted the clutch she can better tell us if it is slipping or not. With the added weight of the sidecar I thinking that we may be helping her rebuilt the clutch.
J
Jack Klarich
Guest
Are you talking about the nut in the center of the clutch hub used for adjustment? This is normal threaded nut, put the bike in gear after following the instructions in post 2 with Bubbies clutch adjustment. With the bike in gear if you use a long ratchet and socket and bump with the heel of your hand it should come loose, it is normal for the inner plate to want to rotate
Duff
Member
Hello Breeze3at;;;
Thanks for the reply..didn't realize I had one..thought I would be notified through my email .
Answers to your questions...I shifted it my self but then it seemed like at that time the engine reveed but did not pick up speed.Then I shortly thereafter pulled over. No sounds that I heared, I slightly feel the gears engage, Bike does not want to move when the clutch is released, No plAy in clutch but it seems tight to me. Shift lever does not seem to return to the center, but didn't seem to before this problem either although I haven't even put 100 miles on it yet... Not fimiliar of this tye of lever . I wonder about the play that it seems to have, Makes me wonder, I have not tried moving with the engine off..I will and I'll get back with you...Any further input would be greatly appreciated just so I have some knowledge when it goes into the shop... Thanks you so much Duff
Thanks for the reply..didn't realize I had one..thought I would be notified through my email .
Answers to your questions...I shifted it my self but then it seemed like at that time the engine reveed but did not pick up speed.Then I shortly thereafter pulled over. No sounds that I heared, I slightly feel the gears engage, Bike does not want to move when the clutch is released, No plAy in clutch but it seems tight to me. Shift lever does not seem to return to the center, but didn't seem to before this problem either although I haven't even put 100 miles on it yet... Not fimiliar of this tye of lever . I wonder about the play that it seems to have, Makes me wonder, I have not tried moving with the engine off..I will and I'll get back with you...Any further input would be greatly appreciated just so I have some knowledge when it goes into the shop... Thanks you so much Duff
Hello Breeze3at;;;
Thanks for the reply..didn't realize I had one..thought I would be notified through my email .
Answers to your questions...I shifted it my self but then it seemed like at that time the engine reveed but did not pick up speed.Then I shortly thereafter pulled over. No sounds that I heared, I slightly feel the gears engage, Bike does not want to move when the clutch is released, No plAy in clutch but it seems tight to me. Shift lever does not seem to return to the center, but didn't seem to before this problem either although I haven't even put 100 miles on it yet... Not fimiliar of this tye of lever . I wonder about the play that it seems to have, Makes me wonder, I have not tried moving with the engine off..I will and I'll get back with you...Any further input would be greatly appreciated just so I have some knowledge when it goes into the shop... Thanks you so much Duff
Is there any way for you to get the rear tire off the ground? If you can put the trans in 1st gear and see if you can rotate the wheel.
Duff
Member
I just bought the bike so not sure about the clutch being original...and also not for sure how much the sidecar was on it... I bought from the family of an elderly guy who passed away..and didn't know much...So they had it completly checked out at a harley place which gave it a clean bill of health... Bike only has 27,000 miles.... Is it a issue having the sidecar on this bike ? I read somewhere else on this forum that it is not a good idea ? Thanks Duff
There is an upgraded trans pulley that has more spline depth than what came on the bike originally. It does sound like the trans pulley is stripped and replacing it requires removing the outer primary cover and the clutch, comp. sprocket, primary chain as a unit and the inner primary cover.