Inspecting A 1975 Harley-Davidson - Four-Speed Inspection

27. With the bushings pushed out, we checked the kicker cover inside and out for any cracks around the shaft hole. We cleaned the bore with a piece of 3-M pad and a squirt of brake cleaner. Then we pressed in the new bushings (one from each side) until that bushing is flush with the cover. Once again, you can perform this job on the benchtop

28. Here's a job you might have to source out: Reaming the new kicker shaft bushings to size. An automotive machine shop equipped with a Sunnen hone should be able to help you out by honing the bushings to a slip fit. We found a set of adjustable reamers a few years ago at a swap meet, so we were able to do the job ourselves. We clamped our reamer in the vise and-using a micrometer-set the diameter to that of the new bushings. We then placed the cover over the reamer and turned in one direction (clockwise) until the reamer cut both bushings.

29. After a thorough cleaning of the kicker shaft bushings and the rest of the kicker cover, we trial-fit the shaft in the bushings, checked for smooth operation, and when there was no binding or tight spots, inserted the O-ring that is included in the new bushing kit between the kicker shaft bushings. We used a generous amount of grease on the kicker shaft and inside on the bushings, and inserted the kicker shaft. Don't forget the thick washer with the bevel that faces the kicker spring.

30. Before installing the kicker gear, it's much easier to install the clutch release shaft and fork into the kicker cover first. The washer under the clutch release arm is important; it insures the fork is centered on the throw out bearing. If you forget the washer, the fork will drop that small amount, putting pressure on the throw out bearing (reducing its life), which will not allow the clutch to function properly and making the transmission hard to shift.

31. The last piece of the "kicker cover puzzle" was the kick-starter gear, which has to be installed with the stop at the seven o'clock position. With a new lock ring in place, we tightened the nut to Factory specs and checked for free rotation of the shaft and gear. If your kicker shaft/gear assembly does not rotate smoothly, retrace your steps to find the reason and correct it. There have been instances where the kicker shaft is machined short

32. Next, we installed the kick-starter return spring on the shaft, but didn't wind it up until after the cover was bolted to the transmission. We then rotated the spring clockwise until the hook of the spring was past the stud and easy to slip over and catch on the stud.

33. The next operation was to install our new 23-tooth sprocket. We slipped the L-key in place to lock the seal collar to Fourth gear, then slid the sprocket on to Fourth gear, followed by the new lock ring and the sprocket nut. Remember, the nut has left-handed threads. We then reached inside the trans (the top was still off) and slid the shifting forks so that two gears were engaged at the same time. We used JIMS Machine's sprocket nut wrench to do this job properly. The socket and the guide made this a clean and painless deal. We threaded the guide on the main shaft (left-hand threads), slid the socket over the guide and the sprocket nut, and tightened the nut to the factory specs for our model. Then we bent an ear of the locking tab over one of the flats on the sprocket nut.

34. Last but not least was the ratchet top. To assemble, we shifted the ratchet to neutral, then moved the shift forks to their neutral position midway between their gears, making sure the shift fork rollers were in place, then greased the shift drum grooves and rollers and lowered the ratchet top onto the transmission case. The top went into place on the two dowel pins and sat squarely on the case. There was no hammering needed. If your top doesn't fit smoothly, take it back off and find out why. Most of the time, the reason is one of the shifter forks moved to one side or the other. Once the top was in place, we reassembled the screws and were done.

35. Back in the now modified frame, the four speed, ratchet-top transmission is ready for a new life. We'll have the ratchet top tune up for you in the next issue.