reverse gear

[cc]

I recently converted my 2001 Hertiage Softail with a motor trike kit.It has a five speed ,with a champion reverse gear.I Can't get it in reverse while sitting on the bike.It will go in reverse when i get off and shift at a differant angle.Ihave only put 80 miles on the bike since installing the kit.Has anyone else experienced this problem?I Don't think it is a mechanical problem.

[Mr.Wizard]

Let's take a shot in the dark.

When you are on the trike is it running when you try to put it in reverse?

When you are off the trike is the motor off?

Does the lever stick or do the gears grind?

[cc]

Mr. Wizard thanks for the response. I can't get it in gear while sitting on the bike,with the motor running. got off the bike with the motor running ,put it in reverse easily ,and it started going to the rear without me on it and stalled out.when off the trike,motor off it goes in and out of reverse ok. Shift lever seems like it's stuck. no grinding of the gear.Checked with a friend of mine who got the reverse gear the same time as me and he has not had any problems.Spoke to the dealer today he said one other had the same problem after some miles put on the bike it was ok.

[Mr.Wizard]

That's weird that sitting on the trike would put it at such a dissimilar angle as not to be able to move the reverse shifter. Since the lever and gearing is mechanical this has to be a mechanical issue. I'm learning something new here, never experienced this.

My shifter moves smoothly when you push it down then slide it up or back and easily locks into position with the mechanical spring and pin. It doesn't hang like yours does.

The only issue I have is getting it into reverse without the reverse gear grinding while the motor is running. The trick to that is to leave the trike in 1st gear with the clutch pulled in, push down on the reverse lever and slide it back so it can engage the gear teeth. I shift out of 1st then slide the reverse lever the rest of the way back and lock it in. When I'm parked I pull it out of reverse and reengage 1st for a parking brake.

Not sure if time and mileage will help your situation. Maybe someone else here has heard or had this before and will chime in.

[hitime]

Talking with a builder today when I picked up my trike, and he told me that there was a bad lot of reverse gears on the motor trike kits for the harleys. Motor Trike doesn't even know which ones they are, so it is a grab bag when you get a trike from them. Take it back to the builder and see if they will replace it. You may have gotten one of the bad ones.

[cc]

Hitime thanks,I'll do that

[ultraboy]

I've seen this happen b-4. In all of those cases. it was traced back to faulty installation. M/T does not make the reverse kit, it's most likely from Champion.
Not to say you don't have a slightly over/under sized set of gears, but these gears are, from what I've seen, pretty accurately made. Taking it back to the folks who installed it is your best bet.

[Mr.Wizard]

Welcome back UB

[Gorilla]

UltraBoy,

I must be miss informed, I thought Lehman used an electric motor reverse that drove a gear on the side of the rear sprocket. At least that's what I thought I saw when I went through the plant in Spearfish in "08". Do they use the Champion mechanical reverse?