John's clutch is getting hard to pull and he's going to the Paradise Road Show in Palm Springs this Saturday. We'll do a an adjustment and see if we can make it better.
I'm impressed Mike I've been a mechanic for 25 years and if I had a light colored shirt on and a grease gun out it would be all over me. Lol. Great video as always guys enjoy this weekend.
I have worked with mechanics that worked very hard and got the job done and didn't have a grease spot on them and I would have grease and dirt in my hair on my face and every inch of my clothing. Also worked worked at a place that ran 24/7 and we shared tools between shift and one guy I worked with would never wipe a tool down and every tool he used was covered in grease. He drove me nuts. There is nothing worse than grabbing a tool off the peg board and it's full of grease.
I have worked with mechanics that worked very hard and got the job done and didn't have a grease spot on them and I would have grease and dirt in my hair on my face and every inch of my clothing. Also worked worked at a place that ran 24/7 and we shared tools between shift and one guy I worked with would never wipe a tool down and every tool he used was covered in grease. He drove me nuts. There is nothing worse than grabbing a tool off the peg board and it's full of grease.
Great work Mike! I stole a hack from a van lifer. I use a Little Buddy heater underneath my bike hoist and now I have added an Eco Fan to blow that warm air for free? Well $100 for a woodstove fan, then five minutes with a cutting wheel on the base and it locks in and sets in the grill of the Buddy heater giving me more comfort. This last cold weekend here in Iowa I was cleaning and syncing carbs for an older Goldwing and I stayed warm even with carb cleaner and fuel on my hands with the cold metal. Gone are the days of a heated shop even though the work continues. Hope that hack works for others to stay comfortable and safe while keeping your bikes running. Thank You again Mike and Mike, with Love and Respect You are in my prayers Hoka Hey
"Break Free" CLP firearms lube is an excellent choice for motorcycle cable lube. I also use it on my bicycle cables. It also makes a great chain lube. It cleans, Lubes, and preserves...It's an old military grade product that I used back during my Desert storm days of yore...
I'm partial to your Evo vids Mike. UPS just showed up with my new Springer fender and parts. Now I'm excited. I almost have everything to swap my FLSTC front forks to a FLSTS Springer front end. My 98 runs like a fine sewing machine thanks to your videos. You just stumped me with the tranny rod. I didn't know that you had to move it like that. Now I know. Thanks Guys for making these vids, it really helps...
That's very cool. Checking that arm is just good procedure. Ever adjust your clutch and take off to find out it's loose and you didn't expect it? Wonder why, readjust, and then it was fine? Now you know why.
Those are "Jesus" clips because every time one goes flying and ends up in a spot that you can't get to you just say Jesus. Also those crash bar bras are wonderful for cold weather riding. First had a set in '87 and didn't think that much of them until I put them on the bike. What a difference they made for staying warm on a cold day. One weekend I rode 1100 miles on a weekend to see my kids in November and when I left it was 22 degrees and never got above 37 the whole weekend and those thin little bras made all the difference. They kind of funneled the air in front of the motor and the air from the engine would wrap around your legs and helped keep you warmer. Later my friend, good video by the way.
Thanks PM I have an 01 road king I picked up a few hot tips that will help. I was especially impressed when you put that snap ring on the lever pin within 30 seconds that’s always the part that tweaks me out your patience, impresses me I’m working on that the Zen of motorcycle mechanics.😎😁
So glad to see your doing well Mike. Miss visits with you at your shop in San Luis Obispo. Still have my 2006 Nighttrain. Ride regularly. Never knew where you went to. My name is Ken Scarbrough. I value the time you spent educating me some of the finer points of Harley Davidsons.
Great video Mike seems like I’ve always had trouble adjusting the clutch on my 04 roadking. Even popped the cable in the transmission and had to do just like you said. Pull the pipes. Pain in the butt. Next time I’ll remember to pull the dipstick and make sure the cable is all the way back. 😎👍🏻
Mike, thanks for posting this video. That clutch cover on the tranny is a real pain. It’s not so much the exhaust as it is those O2 sensors. Makes an easy clutch cable replacement an all day affair.
Listening to your comment about over filling your tranny, I think I was doing the same with my 2000 FLSTS, Heritage Springer, only where it leaked was out at the in line adjuster from the boot. Each time after a ride, I would ring about a half dollar size puddle in front of the motor. 🤷 So now, I only fill the transmission to the halfway point on the dip stick. I've replaced the cable once and it still does it once in a while. The bike has about 68K miles, all original. Well, a few mods but no don't think it would cause this. I installed S&S gear drive cams about 44 k miles back and have had no problems with the motor. I also made sure the transmission case vent was clear and it is. Thanks for the video..😎👍
Puddle in front of the motor is usually from the engine oil filter. It is very difficult to change that oil filter without losing a little oil onto the crankcase.
Hi Mike and crew. Always love your videos on the older bikes. Especially like this one as I ride and wrench a 2001 Road King. Guess that means that mine is now officially an old bike? Harley seem to think so.
If you listen to what he says, Mike considers that 2000 RK to be one of the "later model" bikes (with the cable access hassles), so I don't think he'd deem yours an oldie even though your Harley dealer certainly does! Cheers from Oz. 👍🇦🇺
I have a 2000 Night Train Twin Cam. The clutch was good, but I noticed that HD did a modification for the early Twin Cams that improved the clutch action. I had it done at my local Harley dealership and found it to be a great improvement, now if you can still get the kit, is another matter. If your friend John wants one I will dig out the paperwork a see if I can find the part number.
Hi Mike & Mike, thanks for another great video! And hey, you know a guy's a pro when he can work on a bike wearing clean jeans and a white shirt, and come out the other side unscathed... well done mate!😅 Cheers from Oz. 👍👍🇦🇺
Thank You. The propane heater warmed the place up and I had to remove my jacket. We don't stop and start the camera. We turn it on, do a video, and stop when I'm done. Keeps us from having to edit.
Mike, I like the back a 1/4 turn, I like early lever engagement. I run 3/8 back, but I'm going down to 1/4, Thanks to you. Forever Evo, and a 45. Evo loves the pink synthetic tranny oil. Shifts like butta up n down.
A friend told me not to over tighten that primary idler shoe.A minimum of 5/8” slack is needed to keep pressure off of engine and transmission bearings.
Great video. When adjusting the primary chain it is made at tightest point on chain as you rotate rear tire with bike in gear. By not doing so you have no idea if the adjustment you made was on tight or loose spot on chain. Unless you did so off camera
You are right. But, believe it or not, with todays primary chains submerged in oil, they don't normally develop that tight, loose condition like they used to.
Always love watching your videos Mike. Hope you had a great Christmas. I hope your new year's. Is a great 1? Keep the videos coming. Pace in love always brother.
I was having a similar issue with my Moto Guzzi V7. The clutch pull was so stiff that I was beginning to get tendonitis in my left wrist because I had been adjusting the clutch lever barrel alone to compensate for stretch. After taking all the slack out and adjusting the cable down by the clutch fork first, I was able to dial in the lever to have a much more comfortable pull while still giving me the friction zone engagement where I like it.
And that's what getting the correct geometry on the mechanism is all about. That's why most directions for clutch adjustments tell you to back off on the cable and adjust the mechanism first.
So so true. I had to do that with my son's 02 fat boy, and my 04 road king. Put an EZ pull on his. May do that to mine this spring. I tried to send you pictures of my Panhead Alternator,but it failed on my phone. Maybe I will figure it out eventually.
Mike,you're pretty handy with those snap-ring pliers,aren't ya? Great video as usual. Been waiting for you yo put up a new one. Have a great and safe trip.
Hi Mike, thanks for the vid. Good stuff. Where are you at with your project bike? Last I saw you had your front wheel and bars mounted. Can’t wait to see it all together.
Funny you should say that. It bothered me. So, I replaced the spring and the rubber snubber that goes on the frame and cleaned and lubed the assembly. I actually had those parts in stock, left over from my old shop. But, I had already taught the kickstand (jiffy stand) thing on the channel.
Mike did you just realy started adjusting the clutch without removing the battery power ? I meight be a numbnut but I always remove it when doing anything near those parts, am I too carefull ?
Great vid as usual but I wish the other guy would stop talking. Really annoying and disrespectful that he keeps interrupting you. Can’t hear what he’s saying anyway! Pls tell him to shut up - it’s your channel!!!!
I just wanted to say that nineteen seventy five seventy four inch shovelhead that I own. The transmission always had problems with leaking oil. The vent screw from the factory wasn't drilled through the threaded part all the way. I drilled it out problem solved.😊
