Shifter oil seal thoughts

[Refrigerator]

Afternoon gents,
I just wanted some feedback on this, after seeing WingAdmins guide on the shifter brace and oil seal, I looked into mine. Think I have to replace the seal or does it look alright? I’m only hesitant because I read the 97 is a model year that’s near impossible to remove the dogleg without significant issues. Thanks for any input.
Excuse any inconsistencies, this is my first forum post

[bellboy40]

It appears your shifter seal is leaking a little. In my observations, all models of 1500s are subject to the shifter shaft being hard to get out. It seems some have the problem and others it just comes right out. Mine is a 2000 model and it was hard to get out. I had to loosen some motor mount bolts and pry on it some to get it out. Then I ground some material off that shaft where it was too big so it would go back in with no problem. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to whether the shaft will come out freely on any particular bike.

[DenverWinger]

My '93 is a little moist around the shifter seal, but as things go it's a pretty insignificant leak. When I installed the shifter brace I decided to leave it be as I was going to have to do a lot of prying to get the dogleg out. This last cross-country trip 2800 miles it only took about a quarter of a quart to get the oil back to full on dipstick.

Not too concerned about being moist around the seal, and the shifter brace will help that seal last longer. I imagine I will need to replace it at some point, but as long as there's no oil drip on the garage floor I'm not going to worry about it.

[GreggRich1]

Always park your bike (overnights) on the centerstand, and never over-fill the oil. Be very careful to put the right amount of oil in, and more does not mean better. It'll never leak.

[WingAdmin]

Always park your bike (overnights) on the centerstand, and never over-fill the oil. Be very careful to put the right amount of oil in, and more does not mean better. It'll never leak.

Not true. The cause of that leak is the fact that the shifter itself is on a long, cantilevered lever that puts a lot of pressure on that shaft, which is supported only by the bearing inside the case. The result is shaft motion up and down as the shifter is stamped on. Over time, this enlarges the seal to the point that it begins to leak.

That's why the aftermarket shift pivot works so well: it puts a second bearing at the outboard end of that shaft to provide support at the outer end. This ensures that the only force being applied to the shaft is rotational, so that seal doesn't elongate and leak.

[Happytrails]

Its a pretty crazy design if you look at how it pivot that dogleg. A shifter pivot is so welcome.

[Refrigerator]

Thank you all for your input. I've decided to purchase a seal and keep it on standby in the case the leak gets worse. So far so good with the Shifter Pivot, so hopefully that will hold off the seal replacement for a while longer.

[Wingsconsin]

Thank you all for your input. I've decided to purchase a seal and keep it on standby in the case the leak gets worse. So far so good with the Shifter Pivot, so hopefully that will hold off the seal replacement for a while longer.

So you DID the shifter pivot and did NOT install a new seal ?
That would seem to me to be a waste of effort -
I did 3 of the shifter pivots (one on a 2000) and they were all not to tough -
I installed a new seal on each one - the seal is cheap and you are THERE already ..

[Swagonmaster]

To those of us that have gone a few more rounds with the (sometimes) special tools it is no big deal but I think that the Frige is saying that he would rather let a sleeping dog lie if all is quiet and that is ok. At worst he knows how to get the new pivot off now so another trip in is less of a job.

[RockportDave]

Afternoon gents,
I just wanted some feedback on this, after seeing WingAdmins guide on the shifter brace and oil seal, I looked into mine. Think I have to replace the seal or does it look alright? I’m only hesitant because I read the 97 is a model year that’s near impossible to remove the dogleg without significant issues. Thanks for any input.
Excuse any inconsistencies, this is my first forum post

If/when you decide to replace the seal, try a long screwdriver to force the shifter arm off the shaft. The shaft is tapered on the end and on my 1999 I was able to remove the shifter arm and reinstall it with a long screwdriver without damage to either of the parts. It is a tight fit, but mine came off and back on with minimal pressure.
I posted on the forum with photos how I positioned the shifter arm and screwdriver to pry off and pry back on.
Dave