Sportster Primary Chain Cover Gasket Seal

Sportster Primary Chain Cover Clutch Problem

The Iron head Sportster clutch could stop working right as the rider pulls on the clutch lever for a couple reasons. The clutch control cable might need to get readjusted. The six lock nuts on the the clutch pressure plate might have vibrated loose. One might start by adjusting the clutch free play through the clutch lever. If that fails one could try adjusting the clutch control coil. If none of that makes any difference the clutch pressure plate is probably loosened off of the six stud spacers. That happens to an Iron head Sportster when some of the six clutch pressure plate nuts come loose. No matter where this happens the Sportster primary chain cover needs to be removed. That is the only way one can get a tool to work at tightening the nuts back up. Why do lock nuts usually have to be used to stay tight?

Sportster Primary Chain Cover Removal

Some chopper riders might never have known the six lock nuts should have been replaced by new ones the last time the clutch was taken apart and worked on. That is mostly why they could easily vibrate loose just about any where the chopper is ridden. If this clutch problem is encountered it helps to have memorized how the Sportster primary chain cover is supposed to be removed. First one must drain all the transmission The trick is to loosen the clutch cable adjusting sleeve. The shifter lever gets taken off. If the chopper doesn’t have foreword controls the stock or else the nut and spacer used to take its place have to get taken off. Now the chopper rider has to loosen all the primary chain cover bolts. That allows the biker to drain the primary chain cover some before it is actually removed. One then only has to fully remove all them bolts and pull the primary chain cover all the way off. Why shouldn’t chopper riders be able to get the custom motorcycle back on the road no matter where it breaks down?

Sportster Primary Chain Cover Removal Tricks

There are a couple tricks in taking an Iron head Sportster primary chain cover off that makes sticking it back on a lot easier. If it has to be removed some where on the road one ought to wait until some more gear and chain case lube for their Sportster can be found. It might be gotten at some auto parts store in some small town just off the freeway. Once the chopper makes it there the shop might be able to lend the biker some thing to drain the Sportster primary chain cover in to so nobody can start complaining to the messy biker. If the work must be done at home in the motorcycle shed a cat litter box that fits under the Sportster chopper works fine. It also helps to sit the primary chain cover bolts in order so they get put back where they came from. That helps because not every bolt is exactly the same length as all the others. Once the primary chain cover is finally removed the custom motorcycle rider can easily work on the chopper clutch and get back on the road. Why shouldn’t lock nuts be replaced by new ones every time they get messed with?

Sportster Primary Chain Cover Mounting

Sticking an Iron head Sportster primary chain cover back on is basically the reverse of taking it off. One just has to be more careful. If the clutch gets worked on away from home the old primary chain cover gasket normally has to be used again. It has to be properly put in place upon the engine before the primary chain cover gets pushed against it. One has to watch out and make sure the clutch release ramp and lever stays in place as the primary chain cover is raised into place. Once set against the engine the primary chain cover bolts have to be tightened up. The Harley Davidson stock Sportster owner’s manual says they each should be torqued 80 to a 110 inch pounds. An inch is a lot shorter than a foot so this means 80 divided by 12 or 5.15 foot pounds to 110 also divided by 12 foot pounds. It really helps to learn how this feels so the bolts do not get wrenched to harshly. One should watch out and not strip the threads out. Why don’t they make many inch pound torque wrenches?

Sportster Primary Chain Cover Gasket Sealer

An old chopper builder technique is to purchase old used parts when ever needed. Used motorcycle parts are a lot cheaper. That means some custom motorcycle builders have been forced to buy a used Iron head Sportster primary chain cover when the one on their Sportster actually needs to be replaced. The bikers that are still into riding their custom motorcycle no matter what could have a hard time keeping the Sportster primary chain cover from leaking. In order to avoid having to fight that problem with putting more gear and chain case lubricant back in all the time any motorcycle rider can stop the problem like this. One can find and purchase a thicker than stock primary chain cover gasket. Custom motorcycle shops can sell the thicker ones made for drag motorcycles. In order to make sure this really works all one has to do is use silicone gasket maker. It can be put on both sides of the primary chain cover gasket so every place it leaks from gets sealed. This is some thing that can get purchased at an auto parts dealer. It’s just that the instructions with it say it must sit for some time before one can go ahead and re-fill the primary chain cover. Why isn’t silicone gasket maker used all the time?