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Clutch or starter drive issues?

5K views 13 replies 6 participants last post by  SCHMIDTY 
#1 ·
I'm hoping someone on here has ran across the issue we are having! I'm helping a buddy change the clutch on a 2004 Road King Police bike. We pulled it down, and there was a tiny amount of play in his clutch hub/basket bearing. We thought the bearing was fine but he decided to get a new one while we were in there, as he plans to hang onto this bike. Got the old one pressed out and the new one pressed in. We put it all back together and notice that the ring gear on the clutch basket has no clearance with the gear on the starter drive and it's actually engaging the teeth of the ring gear. We're thinking there must be a little difference with the new bearing so we pull it back down and press the old one back in. Same issue when put back together with the old bearing. Both times we start the bike just long enough to hear the starter gear is not pulling out of the ring gear on the clutch hub.

We are thinking this is the first time the primary cover has been off the bike. Are we overlooking something? Is it possible that something has come apart inside the starter drive from removing the cover. If feels tight when pushed and pulled on. This is a first for me, as the clutches I've changed in the past have been a breeze on the newer bikes.

Any ideas, thoughts, or advice would be greatly appreciated!
 
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#2 ·
I had a bunch of teeth worn on my 97 Heritage and the Dealer wanted to replace the entire basket. I took it to a machine shop and he showed me the new plate and that it was slightly different. He sold me the corresponding starter gear that meshed with the new clutch plate and everything was fine. I just remember him telling me that using the original starter gear would cause a problem similar to yours.

My friend walked me through the install, my knowledge is pretty limited, just thought the experience I had might be of some use.
 
#4 ·
Kinda sounds like the hub isn't pressed into the ring gear housing far enough especially since the old bearing worked correctly before it was removed and now it doesn't. I would recheck the clutch to make sure it's assembled correctly.
 
#6 ·
We've checked it four times. Both snap rings dropped right in place on the basket and the hub, I'm thinking if they weren't in far enough you couldn't get the snap rings in.

What really stumped us was when we put the old bearing back in, and still had the issue. That's when we started considering something with the starter drive?
 
#8 ·
The coupler that the pinion gear fits into has to be flush to the inner primary case. The splines on the pinion fit into the splines in the coupler and the coupler slides into the case flush. If it's sticking out the pinion will contact the ring gear when the clutch is installed.
Also that coupler has an internal c-clip that's offset, closer to one end than the other, and has to be oriented correctly.
 
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