Hitchcocks Forum

For the very last time ..... After replacing the clutch and springs changing the ATF for 15/40 oil, careful adjustment of the clutch cable, the only difference it has made is to my bank balance, nearly £100 down. I still can't change down to second gear without a false neutral most of the time, the wife's gone ape (never known before). I thought by asking experts I could fix the problem, but then again experts built the Titanic .....Dennis

Hello DENNI,---- Bit unfair on the workforce at H&W in Belfast, but I know what you mean....Alas, we're not experts---- just fellow riders and enthusiasts, much like you, with only our combined experiences to offer......OK, that said let's have another think ??..The Electra X has the "Mk1" 5-speed gearbox I believe the same as fitted to the Bullet Sixty Five ??.. I ran a Sixty Five for a couple of years and from what I can remember its' operation is based on the use of a rotating cam plate that actuates rollers connected to sliding forks which engage/dis-engage the sliding dog-clutch and appropriate gear wheels for selection..So from that it can bee seen that it's impossible to OVERTHROW any sliding gear...So perhaps it's not fully engaging ?? On the edge of the cam plate are a series of indents that, in conjunction with a spring-loaded plunger, keep the selector mechanism at whichever gear has been selected..A weakening spring here might be the problem.....Similarly the gear lever has a coil spring that centralises it after use... This also might be the problem...Have you given our hosts a call for a chat ??

- On the L/H column of this page, select PARTS BOOK ONLINE / 500cc INDIAN BULLETS / 2005 ELECTRA X / page 22..

Dennis, it is nearly impossible to fix a clutch on these things that doesn't want to be fixed and even harder to do via the internet. I have spent countless hours and dollars on these bloody clutches, I get them working in the end but no two seem to fix the same way. Bad design in the first place and you are forever playing catch up to try getting it to work. My only advice in your situation is to sell it and move on because it is playing with your head and bank balance. The best fix is fitting a Bob Newby clutch, fit, setup and forget, but it will cost nearly as much as your Electra is worth

Dennis. I'm sorry you seem to be no further forward. No one here is arrogant enough to claim to be experts they merely give advice based on their experience, with the hope others may benefit. So long as the clutch is now adjusted so that drag is not an issue then you have done all you can with it. The clutch is the first thing to investigate, in our experience, but maybe the problem does lie elsewhere. It won't be cheap in money or time to sort I fear.