and my shifter shaft sheared sending both of my front and rear shifters onto the interstate somewhere....I didn't know until I went to shift from 6th to 5th gear of course. Imagine the look on my face.

I had 80 miles to think of how I would down shift until I could find the closest harley dealer to get the bike fixed.

Yes, you can downshift with your left hand w/out pulling in the clutch if you run down to about 2K rpm. It is tough to do safely but certainly possible. I got help from the good folks at four lakes harley in paducah, KY. These dudes had me back on the road in about 45 minutes and the parts were under warranty. Great dealer imo.

Worst things could certainly happen so I was just happy to make it home.

 

Oh yeah so I forgot to ask, what is your worst road trip maintenance experience and how did you get out of the mud?

 

Four Rivers not four lakes......