Cluster gear ID help please

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lilbill
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Cluster gear ID help please

#1

Post by lilbill »

I've acquired a strange (to me) 4spd cluster gear and am hoping somebody here can help me ID it. It is in all respects identical to a mainshaft cluster gear I pulled from a 67 Shovelhead 4spd tranny except for the tooth count. The Shovel gear is 15/20 and the mystery gear is 17/25. Palmer mentions some 3spd's had different 1-2 ratios but doesn't mention this particular combination. To me this gear seems awfully tall for bagger or sidehack work, could it be some sort of racing gear ? No markings or #s and it looks older than any Andrews gear I've seen.
Any ideas ?
Thanks
1950Panhead
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Re: Cluster gear ID help please

#2

Post by 1950Panhead »

80 to 85 superglides used 17/25 mainshaft clusters.
Jerry
lilbill
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Re: Cluster gear ID help please

#3

Post by lilbill »

ah so........makes sense. 80 inches and a light bike. were they still ratchet tops by then ? not sure when they went cow paddy.
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Re: Cluster gear ID help please

#4

Post by Hog54 »

Cow paddy is 79.
lilbill
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Re: Cluster gear ID help please

#5

Post by lilbill »

hmmm..........any chance of that cow patty gear set working in a ratchet case ?
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Re: Cluster gear ID help please

#6

Post by Hauula Pan »

Yes most of the internals are interchangeable between ratchet top & cow pie. Different length main shafts depending on year & kick or electric start but the gears still work. The shift fork shafts are held in different, ratchet top uses a set screw & cow pie uses a c-clip. A few other differences are the main shaft bearings, races & seals, again depending on year & the counter shaft end seal and of course the lids have different bolt/screw patterns, but the gear sets will all interchange.
lilbill
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Re: Cluster gear ID help please

#7

Post by lilbill »

very interesting. thanks for all the knowledge guys :D
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Re: Cluster gear ID help please

#8

Post by Bosheff »

The 1-2 M.S. gear you speak of (17 & 25 tooth), should have a groove machined into it between the gears to identify it as an 80 and later FX piece. 1974 to 1979 M.S. 1-2 gears for FX's are identified by a groove machined around the circumferance of the 1st gear. 1971 to 1973 FX's used the same gearing as the FL's. Obvoiusly by 1974 the "Factory" realized it didn't take bagger gearing to launch the almosty 200lb. lighter "Superglide". For what it's worth, 1980 and later FX's used a 24 tooth gear for both C.S. 1st AND C.S. 2nd. The reason for this I was told, was to pass federally mandated noise standards (tranny whine) at a predetermined speed....bosheff
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Re: Cluster gear ID help please

#9

Post by lilbill »

Bosheff wrote:The 1-2 M.S. gear you speak of (17 & 25 tooth), should have a groove machined into it between the gears to identify it as an 80 and later FX piece. 1974 to 1979 M.S. 1-2 gears for FX's are identified by a groove machined around the circumferance of the 1st gear. 1971 to 1973 FX's used the same gearing as the FL's. Obvoiusly by 1974 the "Factory" realized it didn't take bagger gearing to launch the almosty 200lb. lighter "Superglide". For what it's worth, 1980 and later FX's used a 24 tooth gear for both C.S. 1st AND C.S. 2nd. The reason for this I was told, was to pass federally mandated noise standards (tranny whine) at a predetermined speed....bosheff

My gear doesn't have any grooves machined into it. Aftermarket maybe ? All the Andrews gears I've seen have the ratio and "Andrews" scribed on them.
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Re: Cluster gear ID help please

#10

Post by Bosheff »

It may very well be an import piece....bosheff
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