The Harley Evo models have a clutch hub that's pressed into the clutch shell (the part with the sprockets for the chain). The clutch has friction plates and then metal spacer plates between them, all of them cut to fit over the splines on the hub. Here's a photo to give you an idea of what I'm talking about:
When all of this is on the bike, it's all covered in oil and, when you take off the parts that hold the clutch plates in place, and the bike is leaning on the side stand, the pressure plates and spacers just slide off like hot butter. When you're trying to put them back on, it's impossible unless the bike is leaning such that the hub is facing up a bit, rather than down. Otherwise the plates fall off faster than you can put them on.
This is all prelude to a story from a few years ago. I was at an HD dealership in Wyoming with an intermittent electrical problem. Out back was a grassy area with some shade where I went to rest.
Some outlaw types pulled in and one spoke with the service manager. Apparently he was having some sort of primary issue. The manager said they couldn't get him in until Tuesday (this was Saturday). After a lot of yelling and swearing, the outlaw went outside and started removing the primary cover, then the adjuster plates and clutch plates and all sorts of parts. He bought some part (can't remember what) and installed it.
He then started to put things back together. It was hot, and he was getting frustrated, or at least the number of swear words made him sound frustrated. Then he got to the clutch plates. He'd put one on, and it would slide off. He'd do it again, and the plates would slide off.
One of his fellow outlaws--a guy about 300 pounds--was sleeping on a picnic table. I said to the outlaw working on his bike, "you know, if you had your buddy over there hold the bike so it was leaning away from the clutch, you'd have an easier time getting those plates back on."
Of course, nobody tells outlaws how to work on bikes. "**Expletive deleted** you", he said.
OK, fine.
I watched the plates keep falling off for another fifteen or twenty minutes. Then finally the outlaw yelled to his fat buddy to get over there and hold the bike leaning away from him.
With the bike leaning, the outlaw was able to get the plates on quickly. He then started to put on the compression spring and adjuster plate--backwards. I was going to say something, but decided to keep my mouth shut. After all, these are outlaws, right?
He got the primary cover back on, started the bike, and all sorts of noises came from the clutch. I can only imagine what parts were breaking.
The HD mechanic had taken care of my electrical problem, and I was loading my bag on my bike when the outlaw went in to ask the service manager when they could look at his bike, and the location of some cheap motels.
As I pulled out of the lot, I thought about wishing the outlaws good luck, but then said to myself, "**expletive deleted** them."
