• The rear compartment of the left and right engine case halves form the transmission housing or case. An access cover, or trapdoor, is mounted on the left side of the case (inside) behind the primary cover. The main components of the transmission are mounted to this trapdoor to allow you to detach the one cover (together with all the transmission components)for easy removal and servicing without having to split the engine cases in half which otherwise would be a full engine re-build.

• The rear compartment of the left and right engine case halves form the transmission housing or case just as in the four speed. An access cover, or trapdoor, is mounted on the left side of the case (inside) behind the primary cover. The main components of the transmission are mounted to this trapdoor to allow you to detach the one cover (together with all the transmission components) for easy removal and servicing without having to split the engine cases in half which otherwise would be a full engine re-build.

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(Click any picture to see a full-sized version - Check out this thread about rebuilding the 5-speed transmission: http://xlforum.net/vbportal/forums/showthread.php?t=1848977)

Overall Gearing is a ratio of the number of engine revolutions to drive the rear wheel one revolution. See the Gearing Chart in this section.

Primary / Transmission fluid capacity is considered 32 oz. (946 ml) when fully dry³⁾ . However, it is typical to only need 28-30oz when replacing the oil. Be sure to refill the cavity so that the level is just above the bottom of the clutch basket.

The shifter components outside the trapdoor:

Shifter Shaft & Shifter Pawl

• The shifter shaft extends out through the primary cover. The foot shift lever is attached onto the shaft splines at the end. The shifter pawl is attached to the shifter shaft allowing the pawl to pull or push the rotating transmission shifter drum into gear as the shifter shaft rotates. In the detailed picture of the pawl, the shifter detent plate has been removed to show the pawl and the end of the shifter drum with it's four protruding pins.
• Be sure to carefully adjust the shifter pawl as outlined in the factory service manual. This procedure is critical to center it's travel of movement to create accurate gear shifts. You must use a #32 drill bit for accuracy - no other size works properly. ⁴⁾
• The shifter drum pins are an issue. Due to the engine heat cycles and the constant push and pull by the shifter pawl, the drum pins tend to come out (somewhat) from their mounting holes, causing the detent plate to skew from perpendicular. This causes stress on the retaining detent plate retaining clip and wears the detent plate due to the skew. Whenever the shifter assembly is accessible, these pins should be homed into the shifter drum with a minimal tap on them with a hammer & punch.⁵⁾

Shifter Detent Plate, Arm & Spring

• The detent plate establishes the proper position of the shifter drum to keep the transmission in a particular gear, as well as to define the neutral position. The detent roller lodges between the lobes of the detent plate to resist slipping out of gear or neutral.
• The original detent plate was upgraded in 1999 (33656-90A) to provide a more certain engagement of the gears and to make the neutral location easier to find. It is backward compatible. ⁶⁾
• Due to the above mentioned shifter drum pin issue, the OEM spring clip is often replaced with an E-clip and a thin washer in order to help the detent plate keep those pins in place.⁷⁾

(Click any picture to see a full-sized version)

• For 2004, HD redesigned the transmission / engine case to confine the transmission fully within the engine case - the trapdoor was eliminated. In order to service the transmission components, now sealed inside both case halves, the engine cases need to be split.

Remember, the Final Drive Belt Sprocket has left-hand threads! Use a locking tool when removing or installing the sprocket.

The Final Drive Belt Sprocket (from the transmission) must align with the Rear Wheel Sprocket, which is determined by the wheel width. The Drive Sprocket has a belt guide flange on one side only.

Pre-2004, on the outer flanged side, the center mounting splines are relatively flush with the flange face. But, on the engine side of the sprocket, the center mounting splines are recessed from the edge of the belt drive face. On 2004-later, the flange is on the engine side (with recessed splines there) and the mounting nut and lock plate are on the outer, flangeless, side.

On 1991-94 Sportsters, the flanged side of the sprocket is away from the engine. On the opposite side, between the case bearing seal (for the transmission Final Drive Shaft) and the recessed splines on the Drive Sprocket, is a spacer to fit in that recess. The width of the splines in contact with the Final Drive Shaft is 0.5”.

On the 1995-03 models, the center spline contact area of the Drive Sprocket (to the Final Drive Shaft) was widened to 0.766“ and the recess spacer was reduced accordingly. The flanged side of the sprocket is still away from the engine. (As a set, the seal, spacer & sprocket from 1995 can be retrofitted back to the 1991-94 models.)

Note: To fit a 1995-03 pulley to a 1991-1994 model requires the matching seal. The '95+ spacer has a larger outside diameter than the 1991-94. Also note, that 1994 was a transition year to the later style pulley; “early” '94s had “early” pulley setups, “late” '94s had '95+ pulley setups.

On the 2004-later models, the Drive Sprocket design was reversed. The flanged side was placed toward the engine, thereby pushing the usable belt surface farther away from the engine to allow for a wider rear tire (150mm). On the flanged side, the center mounting splines are recessed .40” from the flange face. For 2004-2005, the older spacer, as used on '95-'03, between the case bearing seal and the sprocket, was still used. However, on the 2006+ models, the spacer was incorporated into the transmission output shaft bearing.

Note: The early trans pulleys will not mount to the '04-up's (even with the flange turned inboard) because:

• 1) the “extra” 1/4“ for the inner spline is only a “bump”, there is no area for the nut and lockplate on the early versions.
• 2) The splines need to be recessed .40” from the (now inboard) belt flange - they are not recessed on the early versions.
• 3) With the flange outboard, the early version Final Drive Sprocket cannot be properly aligned with the 2004+ Rear Wheel Sprocket. If the belt rides against the flange, overheating may occur and the flange (press fitted) can separate from the sprocket.

This XLForum Thread was used for collecting the above information. Thanks to those who contributed, especially Sirrom1.

1991-92 883 Deluxe
1993-94E 883 All

1994L-2003 883 All

2004-06 883 All

2007-2010 - 883

2011+ - 883

1991-94E - 1200

1994L-03 - 1200

2004-06 - 1200

2007+ - 1200

• 40110-89 - HD offered a 4-speed chain-to-belt conversion kit
• … but stopped offering them in 2005
• 40111-91A - HD offered a 5-speed chain-to-belt conversion kit
• … but stopped offering them in 2005
• PBI Sprocket #280 is for pre-belt drives and has
• … overall width of 0.85” and offset of 0.5“ with a Spline Width of 0.5”

• Reference:
• http://xlforum.net/vbportal/forums/showthread.php?t=1931756