Shifter very sticky

[cpotts454]

I rebuilt a 77 XSD a couple years back and have loved tooling around town on it. I have TC bros forward controls and some home made linkage. From day one the shifter has always been very hard to shift, Im talking probably 10-15 pounds of pressure to go up or down. Ive got a manual but havent been able to figure out if there was some kind of adjustment, or maybe my linkage doesnt have enough leverage. Id like some advice and some opinions on what to do? My girlfriend wants to start riding, and this is the perfect size bike for her, but she doesnt have enough strength to shift it.

Thanks for any help, here are a couple pictures to show you what I have going on..

Snifter Mech

Girlfriend on said bike.

 

[xHolepunchx]

what kind of seat did you put on that?

 

[jamesgs4]

looks like a la-z-boy?

 

[blackbetty]

I'm wondering if the leverage point you have at the shift shaft is too short....

 

[ReycleBill]

Here's some things to check:

Clutch adjustment
Are the pivot points too tight?
Lubrication?
Fitment where the bolts go through the rod ends. Too loose or too tight will make it harder to shift.
Is the shift rod in a bind? I can't see close enough to be sure. If the rod ends are not parallel it will require more effort. The rod ends allow for a little play but not much. It might require bending of the arm on the factory shift rod.
You do have rod ends and not just arms with holes in them, right? (Again, can't see that close.)

Making the arm at the back longer would reduce the effort required but would lengthen the travel needed to make a shift.

 

[ReycleBill]

what kind of seat did you put on that?

Looks like a Mustang to me.

 

[cpotts454]

Its actually an old sportster seat.

I personally believe the length of the clutch arm is to short, and I am going to try and make a piece to make it longer first. As far as the joints, they are $15 a piece joints made for go cart steer linkage. Real high quality stuff.

Onto the clutch adjustment, I believe its ok, Its a pretty loose pulling clutch compared to my harelys, but after second gear it actually shifts better without using a clutch... so I dont think its a clutch adjustment. I was hoping there was some adjustment to the shift fork that someone might chime in and tell me to try.

Thanks for all the input so far!

 

[cpotts454]

Also, quick question for you welder guys. What kind of metal is that shift arm? Im not good at spoting metal, but it looks like some kind of cast? Is it weldable?

 

[shotgunjoe]

cast steel... yes its weldable. wait stock right?

 

[cpotts454]

Yeah, its stock, just cut down to clear the tail pipe. I plan on finding some round steel from home depot, weld and bend an extension to see if leverage is what I need. Its that doesnt work it sounds like I will be taking the primary cover off to check the shift forks. Thanks shotgunjoe!

 

[shotgunjoe]

I personally don't like to do butt joints when welding cast steel. I prefer a lap joint of some type in this situation. However, you can probably get away with it since its just the shift lever... your choice.

 

[Gordon]

I would try extending the shift arm on the transmission for more leverage where it's needed. About 1-1 1/2 inch would be enough. Locate another arm instead of welding it, less worry.
Mikes has them for like $15.

 

[cpotts454]

Im an amature welder at best but the plan in my head is to cut the splined part off of what's left of the shifter and then weld on arm that's longer and makes the shift linkage more parallel. I may even take the piece to a machine shop that is more capable. Im great at welding steel for frames and suspension, but this seems like a job I could screw up.. lol.

 

[shotgunjoe]

Bah, you can do it. I welded my new pegs directly to the pegs brackets. I cut a slot in the end of the peg, and a tab to on the bracket to fit the slot on the peg, I also left a groove around the whole thing to get more penetration. So instead of about an inch of weld for a butt joint, I have more like three inches. I stand on these things all the time, I jump on them, and I'm 200lbs. After all was done, I smoothed it out to make it look one piece, no stress cracking or anything after 300+ miles.