• 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)

• Type - Wet - multiple disc
• Clutch plate thickness
  • Friction plate (fiber) - 0.0866 in + 0.0031 in (2.200 mm + 0.079 mm)
  • Steel plate - 0.0629 in + 0.079 in (1.598 mm + 0.51 mm)
• Clutch pack service wear limit - 0.6610 in minimum (16.787 mm)
• Maximum allowable warp-age
  • Friction plate - 0.0059 in (0.150 mm)
  • Steel plate - 0.0059 in (0.150 mm)¹⁴⁾
• Friction Pack Service Wear Limits - 0.6610 in ¹⁵⁾

• Primary/ Transmission fluid capacity - 32 oz. (946 ml)¹⁶⁾