Hot Bike's Tech Tips featuring Danny Wilson: Drivetrain Components

In this installment of Hot Bike's Tech Tips featuring Danny "Motorwitch" Wilson, we dive into the drive and clutch upgrades you might need when adding horsepower or torque performance.
In our last installment, we covered the first service on a Milwaukee-Eight Harley-Davidson (in Touring and Softail configurations). In this installment, I am going to cover the commonly overlooked items that are impacted when adding horsepower, the factory big twin compensator and the factory clutch. I’ll break down the differences between the stock parts versus the more performance-oriented drive components. But first...
I hear a lot from our customers, and it seems to be the opinion of
the “master tech” on the forum, but a lot of people seem to think that stock Harley parts are shit. This is not the case. Stock parts are designed to handle the bike in the stock configuration, and they do so very well. When you start to build more power some of the supporting components simply aren’t designed to take that kind of abuse. Because our Low Rider ST is getting the Trask Turbo treatment it will be making far more power than the stock compensator and clutch were engineered to take, which is what we’re changing them out.
Let’s talk about exactly why we’re changing the compensator and
clutch out. One of the first parts that will fail with more power is the compensator. The compensator is basically a ramp system with springs. It is designed to absorb the shock from acceleration and deceleration. If the compensator is deleted that shock will be absorbed by the clutch hub bearing which will fail rapidly. Aside from the mechanical use, it also provides you with a smooth power delivery and a much more pleasant riding experience.
For this we are using a Baker Drivetrain (bakerdrivetrain.com/) compensator assembly, which has a decreased ramp lobe diameter which significantly reduce velocities on the part, ultimately reducing wear. The radial width of the ramp lobe is increased which reduces the PSI loading, again increasing the lobe of the part and reducing wear. There are seven supporting spokes that structurally tie the inner ramp to the hub of the sprocket.
The mass of the sprocket is concentrated towards the center so that the ‘flywheel effect’ is minimized, which reduces operational noise. The parts are all made in America of heat treated 4140 steel alloy.
The next component is the clutch. I’m sure most of you know what
a clutch is and how it works, but we’ll cover it anyway. The clutch in a big twin is a basket with starter ring gear, a hub pressed into a bearing, and a series of plates that are friction and steel.
Evolution Industries’ (www.evolution-industries.com/) clutch assembly is my go-to clutch for many reasons. The main clutch components are made of forged 7076 steel, which automatically trumps some of the weaknesses of the stock configuration. When you get this clutch, it’s complete. I simply soak the plates in ATF, install it and I’m done.
The Evolution clutch also has multiple options for spring pressure. The default springs handle up to 150 horsepower, but the heavy springs can handle up to 240 horsepower. You can also use different spring rates to get lower effort without sacrificing performance.
This setup is as good as it gets for your bike, so if you’re planning on building some power this will sort out your primary drive. Please check out the video that accompanies this article, which provides the step-by-step installation so that if you decide to do this yourself you can do so after purchasing a few tools you may not have. We’re already working on more videos for you guys so until next time stay tuned and ride safe.

[@davidyager8817]

Great info and great video.

[@ghostdaddy83]

All hail the motorwitch!

[@jerrym2321]

Did the same setup on my 2018 FLHTK. One thing....don't use an impact on your compensator bolt....the hammering could loosen magnets in your rotor. Get a lock tool and use a breaker bar instead. Other than that, nice video....thanks.

[@tobpitbull]

What type of trans fluid is that being green?