Hard Shifting And Oil Leaks

In the last issue, we went through some of the steps necessary to keep your Big Twin, four-speed transmission shifting smoothly and staying oil tight. This time we'll deal with looking over the ratchet top for problems that would cause hard shifting or oil leaks, plus we'll show how to align or time the ratchet top to the gearbox. The gaskets we used came from the same gasket/seal set from last issue, which we bought from V-Twin. One of the keys we have found over the years to smooth shifting is careful assembly, double checking your clearances, and making sure all lock tabs are secure. But above all else, don't forget to put oil in. You won't believe how many people rebuild their transmissions, put them back in the bike, shim and align it to the engine, and then forget to fill them with oil. Don't be one of them.

Note: This article is a companion to last issue's article on fixing the oil seals and kicker covers. In the last photo we have not attached the kicker cover to the transmission; we usually save the kicker cover for last. We have included as much information as possible to fit on these pages, this information is meant to augment your service manual, and the service manual will have all the torque specifications you need.