Well today was a beautiful day in the GWN. Rode downtown to meet family at a restaurant. After the meal, went to fire my roadie up and the starter just spun and didn't engage. NICE! Thought it had something to do with the starter pinion gear, it sounded like it was just spinning and not engaging onto the ring gear. So son in law and daughter were trying to push me and I would jump start the bike. They didn't have enough momentum and the bike would not start. Out of no where and young guy pulled up in his truck and offered to help push. He saved the day. Got the bike running and headed for home. Checked battery connections, all tight. Pull the primary and found that the ring gear had come off the clutch basket, the threads on the basket were oblong. So not what??? New clutch basket?? Or is there some other option? This next week is hot and sunny. Go figure. Thanks for any help.


Where the bolt is on the clutch basket is were the threads are stripped




This was floating around the basket. All these bolts are tight on the ring gear. And the ring gear was floating around the outside of the basket

 

First of all, somebody has replaced the ring gear and installed it wrong, because from the factory they come riveted together. When I say installed wrong, I mean if they threaded the hub and tried to bolt up a threaded ring gear to it, there's no way to achieve the clamping force needed. You can not put two threads object together and expect it to hold. Don't worry about the clutch hub being stripped, because you don't need threads in it. How snug do the bolts fit in the hub holes, because the don't look that oblong in the picture. If they are snug just install longer bolts, as I mention later in response. Now for the fix, If the bolt holes in the hub are to oblong, this is how I would fix it. Take the ring gear and set it on hub. Rotate the ring gear so the holes in ring gear are in the middle of holes in hub. Use a marker in ring gear holes and mark hub for the new position of holes on hub. Center punch marks on hub and drill new holes the size of bolt diameter. Clean ring gear threads and bolts with some brake clean, then install ring gear on hub and screw bolts into ring gear threaded holes from backside of hub. If you want you could get some longer bolts and put locking nuts on them after you torque ring gear down. Make sure you use RED LOCTITE on threads.

 

Whoever installed that should get a kick in the rear end.....
I would drill out basket holes so bolts pass through then install ring gear with bolts coming from back of basket. Check clearances of bolt heads if all is well take bolts back out and red Loctite them. If it gives you piece of mind you can install locknuts / stop nuts on bolts. You will need longer bolts though.

Good luck and keep us posted.

 

@Toofat thanks for the quick reply. I installed that ring gear, I was having starter issues,where the starter pinion gear and rear gear didn't mesh and the teeth on the rear gear were broken in some places, I have a higher compression motor (107) and I do have CR on the heads which I use every time. The hub was threaded, I didn't thread it myself, that is why I just bought the ring gear and bolted it to the hub. The hub threads are somewhat oblong. I put the bolts into the hub and they wiggle. Are you saying to drill new holes between the existing holes? And then thread the new holes? Or just drill the new holes and install bolts from the backside of the hub and tighten them to the ring gear
I appreciate your help thanks

 

@chrisg81983.. I'm the guy, and I will kick my self in the rear. I bought the ring gear from one of the big parts stores on the web. They described it as a part that is designed for my bike. Live and learn,

 

Hey,it worked untill it came loose.Fix it again and make sure bolts do not loosen.

 

I blew up the picture of hub and those bolt holes don't look to oblong. I'd would just run a drill bit , the same size diameter as bolt, through the hub holes, as Chris suggested. This will get rid of any remaining threads left in holes. DON'T NEED THREADS IN HUB. I would go with longer bolts and locking nuts. Install bolts from the back side of hub, screwing them into the threaded holes of ring gear. Torque bolts down and then install locking nuts on bolts that are protruding from ring gear. RED LOCTITE is your friend.

 

In the second pic, where the threaded hole on the bottom of the ring gear without a bolt in it, is that a crack or a piece of hair or something?

 

@dawg could just be the pic, looked at everything, no cracks.

 

Ok thanks to you guys on the forum. I went to the auto supply house and bought 11/2" grade eight bolts with washers and nuts. Drilled out the oblong holes in the hug with a 5/16' drill. And then put in new bolts, tightened them up to the back of the hub and then put a washer and nut on the other side of the hub. Used some red lock tight and tightened every thing up Going to finish adding oil to primary tomorrow and bolt on floor board and lowers, shifter linkage and then go for a rip. Thank you to those of you who guided me along.


drilled out the threads on the clutch hub, and put 5/16 grade 8 bolts through the hub.




Used a socket and bar to turn the clutch hub so that I could install the bolts from the back of the hub,and then add a washer and nut.




Everything is buttoned up and ready for the primary to be put on.