| Author | Message | ||
     Advoutlander |
Today I set off from the lights in first and the bike nearly stalled out, I checked to see what gear I was in and I was in 2nd. I could have sworn I was in 1st. Then the same thing happened again but I was definitely in 1st. then it was really difficult to shift from 1 to 2 and then 2 to 1. My clutch lever felt real stiff and then became totally slack and made a whirring noise. I was unable to select any gear apart from neutral. I pushed the bike home and opened the clutch inspection cover. The clutch cable had not snapped. I removed the round piece with the adjusting screw on the primary and found the entire left side of the clutch ramp missing and the right side with a large crack in it. Would this cause the gear selection issues as the disc is not sitting straight? | ||
| Ratbuell |
Um....yes. | ||
| Zac4mac |
That ramp is what actuates the clutch. If it goes, you are "dry shifting". Just a note - there are a couple of options other than the OEM ball/ramp ass'y that reduce the actuation force. at the cost of a little more lever travel. Mueller makes a pricey one. Z | ||
| Pontlee77 |
There is a cheaper option, muller does the whole piece and the other just changes the rear part using the rest of the stock, is what i'm using right now and it's a real benefit for around 70$ you have 3 options: s, xs and xxs. i have the xs and is perfect i tried the xxs but it's to much leverage. | ||
| Advoutlander |
Its the primary casing itself that stressed and broke. | ||
| Trojan |
There is a cheaper option, muller does the whole piece and the other just changes the rear part using the rest of the stock, is what i'm using right now and it's a real benefit for around 70$ you have 3 options: s, xs and xxs. if the stock ramp mechaism is broken then he would have to replace the whole thing. So a 'bolt on' extension lever type clutch lite device won't be any good for him (unless he buys a stock ramp as well of course). if you are going to have to replace it anyway my advice would be to go for the Muller Power Clutch ramp unit. It is miles better than stock and clutch action is much lighter  | ||
| Argentcorvid |
like this? | ||
| Trojan |
Its the primary casing itself that stressed and broke. didn't see that bit  You'll need either a good alloy welder or a new primary cover then I know there will be plenty of people that swear by various superglue/plastic weld/repair compounds/snake oils etc, but welding or renewing the cover are the only real long terms solutions. | ||
| Hughlysses |
Matt- Check the thread linked above. It's a good repair technique that doesn't involve any glue. Repair using steel plate should be stronger than the original. | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
Yeah that steel plate fix looks so good that I was thinking of having that done before mine breaks. I have read here a lot of us 2008 guys have that issue. Anyone have idea of what percentage are getting it? | ||
| Teeps |
Not cheap; but only have to do it once... http://shop.strato.de/epages/63112045.sf/de_DE/?Ob jectPath=/Shops/63112045/Products/PF-Bue-0018 Another fix; maybe more DIY friendly. http://www.buelletinboard.com/forums/showthread.ph p?15873-Primary-Cover-Fixed&highlight=primary+cove r | ||
| Kublak |
I had the same issue occur on my '08 XT last year. Somewhere over 20K miles, and luckily it happened 2/10 of a mile from home on my street. I had gotten the links regarding fabricating and fixing, but don't have that skillset or tools available. I went with a new cover. | ||
| Brother_in_buells |
Kublak ,Gunut75 does clutchramp/primary cover repairs. | ||
| Advoutlander |
I dont have any free time to repair it myself. I just ordered a new primary cover from newcastle hd at $190.00. Can I expect the same thing to happen in another 20000 miles? | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
Advout, I've got 40,000 on mine without mishap. | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
I have slightly more than that without any clutch ramp issues either. They made a bad batch or something. | ||
| Hughlysses |
It'd probably be a good idea to be really careful doing the "major" clutch adjustment after you install the new primary cover. I wonder if at least some of these failures aren't caused by mis-adjustment, so that the mechanism "bottoms out" placing high stresses on the "ears" on the primary cover, eventually causing them to fail. | ||
| Whisperstealth |
>>>Kublak ,Gunut75 does clutchramp/primary cover repairs. I was the first one to have Gunut75 repair a primary cover. His work is fantastic, and has lasted over 20K miles. His repair makes it better than stock for less than half the money for a new primary cover. I would recommend getting a hold of him and having him fix your old cover. That way you have a better than stock replacement if you ever need it. | ||
| Froggy |
Both my 06 and 08 have over 40k miles each without breaking the cover. | ||
| Kublak |
Doh!!! as Homer would say. I left my old primary cover at the garage last year as scrap, never even thought that someday I might find a way to have it fixed for a spare. Damn. | ||
| Brother_in_buells |
They made a bad batch or something. I wonder if at least some of these failures aren't caused by mis-adjustment, so that the mechanism "bottoms out" placing high stresses on the "ears" on the primary cover, eventually causing them to fail. It's a combination of both i guess!? When mine when't south it did almost 20000 kilometers. i never had to adjust it ,but previous owner(s) had it maintained at a h-d dealer  btw ,did someone hear anything from Ian (Gunut75) lately?? | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
The other shoe dropped. My clutch stopped clutching this morning on the way to work. Cable is fine so ramp lip must have crapped out. What gauge of steel plate is the preferred fix? | ||
| Brother_in_buells |
I used some 2mm stainless plate ,and used the clutch inspection cover as some kind of template ,like someone also mentioned in one of the above posts. | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
Just confirmed it. Exactly like the others posted before. | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
Well I just got the cover off and looked it over. Looks like the crack has been there for a while from the wear marks. I'm grateful that it didn't pop on my when I was vacationing in the Carolinas in July. Looks like the surface of the outer "derby cover" and the inner lip are parallel. I think I can rig up some sort of jig in the Bridgeport at work before the weekend. | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
Took it to my friend's place and he milled it down to the top of where the threaded bits extend in. It wasn't quite enough. Looks like I need to take it back and have him take it down another .125-.150 or so. | ||
| Advoutlander |
Since I've owned my bike it makes a loud clunk from neutral to 1st when I first turn on the bike. Is this normal? After installing the new primary cover it is running fine and the clutch screw has not been overtightened. | ||
| Whisperstealth |
Mine has always made a bit of a clunk from neutral to first. Glad to hear your bike is running well now that you have replaced the cover. Happy Riding! | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
The clunk is from having to bring the rotating mass of the inner clutch hub to a stop. BTW, My primary is fixed. We kinda took off a bit more than I had anticipated so I was forced to dremel some clearance in places but my bike shifted like butter on the way to work this morning. I don't remember my bike shifting this good ever. Perhaps the crack was there for years before it finally let go completely? | ||
| Rdkingryder |
Kicking this thread to the top, as mine just broke yesterday morning. Good thing I was almost at work and only had to push it into the parking lot. At nearly 55K, it lasted awhile. |
