Breaking the clutch shaft

Yeah, HDs are still fairly stone age too. The nylon tension adjuster, however crude, is really a non-issue. I've personally never had one go and I've put a lot of miles on Harleys. The worst design blunder on HDs, IMO, is the late '80s EVO engines. There is no rear seal, at least that was the case with my '89 Springer. If you experience a rear main leak (it'll start transferring oil to the primary when it goes), you have to have the cases re-worked or simply replace them. Either way is about the same cost, which ain't cheap. I did mine myself to save the labor, but even then I was out close to a grand (cost of cases). Additionally, if you don't work on bikes all the time, which is the case with me, you have the learning curve of tearing the **** thing apart and putting it back together.
 
I got a little info from someone in the know...:D

First, I'll make sure we are on the same page. Lets call the long shaft that fits in the front cover and has the cutout the "Lifter shaft"

Lets call the short rod that is installed through a bearing in the pressure the "Lifter Rod".

Upon assembly the lifter rod fits into the shaft, and when you pull in on the clutch lever the shaft rotates and pulls on the rod, thereby lifting the pressure plate off of the clutch plates.

In theory, the lifter rod shouldn't spin with the clutch, it is mounted in a bearing. There are two kinds of bearings, an early vs. late setup, but it doesn't really matter which kind you have, either bearing should keep the rod from spinning.

Sometimes the lifter shaft breaks in the very narrow area of the cutout, and upon inspection it looks as if the rod had eaten through it, which shouldn't happen because the rod doesn't spin because its mounted in a bearing.

Someone has discovered that the rod can have runout, ie it isn't straight. If you were to pull it out of the pressure plate and roll it on a known flat surface it would have a wobble to it. This runout may cause the rod to bind the bearing causing the rod to spin and eat at the shaft. How this rod gets into a runout situation is unknown.

If your shaft beaks for sure replace the rod also and check it for runout. You could use a dial indicator for accurate results.

As I mentioned earlier, make sure you have 2 mm freeplay at the clutch lever. It wouldn't hurt to shift into neutral at red lights or if you will be stopped for more than just a moment.

Just some food for thought. I'll bet 99% of the bikes out there are just fine. I inspected mine while I was playing with the lockup clutch and the shaft looked like new. So don't run down to your dealer and beat the poor guy up unless you really have a clutch problem. :D

I got a call from Gus at Baxter's today, he said my lifter rod is out of round, that it will not spin freely. Hopefully they can get a new one shipped up there pronto.
 
I called my dealer today and he will look at it tommorow when his "rocket iii specialist" is working. I pressed him for what he thinks is wrong and he said it was likely the clutch pushrod, which sounds a lot like what is being described here. I asked about how long it would be to have a part shipped from England, and I was assured that Triumph is very responsive to waurantee and "good will repairs". When I heard this I started thinking that this is a soft recall ie they only will fix it if it breaks, but they know about the problem. I guess as long as I get the bike fixed thats all that matters, but Im not real confident about the long term reliability...

trying not to freak out and seek out an old reliable BMW like U used to have, Il keep you all informed

Tom
 
I called my dealer today and he will look at it tommorow when his "rocket iii specialist" is working. I pressed him for what he thinks is wrong and he said it was likely the clutch pushrod, which sounds a lot like what is being described here. I asked about how long it would be to have a part shipped from England, and I was assured that Triumph is very responsive to waurantee and "good will repairs". When I heard this I started thinking that this is a soft recall ie they only will fix it if it breaks, but they know about the problem. I guess as long as I get the bike fixed thats all that matters, but Im not real confident about the long term reliability...

trying not to freak out and seek out an old reliable BMW like U used to have, Il keep you all informed

Tom

Riding a Beemer compared to a Rock is like watching paint dry on a barn. I'll go with what Gus says...... He said the bike will outlast me now that it's all better. It won't have to last too long I'm sure.:D
 
I happen to know a guy that runs tours and his customers insist on beemers for rental bikes. You ought to hear what he has to say about the reliability of the current generation of GS and RT bikes. It ain't good.
 
I happen to know a guy that runs tours and his customers insist on beemers for rental bikes. You ought to hear what he has to say about the reliability of the current generation of GS and RT bikes. It ain't good.

Thars why I said OLD reliable BMW. I am fully aware of driveshaft failures, surging problems, and various other character building issues with BMW's. I guess Im just more comfortable w/ them because of my experience with them. I have faith that the R3 will win me over again, I just am in fear of the unknown mode.

BTW its Wednesday night and I havent heard from the dealer yet, I expected as much and will call them before they close.

To be continued...
 
Dealer told me the bike needs a new "clutch basket" which he explained was all of the parts that make up the clutch. He put in for a warranty claim being as the clutch is shot and the bike has only 3k miles. I guess the clutch isnt normally covered under a warranty. Anyway I find out tommorow if the claim goes through otherwise the parts alone are over $300...

Im not real happy right now, I dropped the bike off last Saturday and it isnt even close to being fixed yet and no timeline on when it will be fixed. This is my 1st experience w/ Triumph, Im pretty much on the fence right now and will wait until everything is done before I judge
 
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