Shift Lever won't return to neutral position

Hello all,

I have a '81 xj 650 maxim with 16k miles. Just this weekend I noticed that my shift lever does not pop back up to the neutral position after I down shift. I have to manually lift it back up with my foot in order to drop down to the next lower gear. Any suggestions?

I am an ex-auto mechanic, but with limited bike experience. The side cover looks easy enough to access, but I figured that I better ask some experts before I start digging around there and regret it. Is it a possible easy fix? Expensive?

Thanks in advance folks!

Smit

 

You're bike shouldn't "pop back up to the neutral position" unless you make it do so with your foot. That sounds correct.

Are you saying that you can't shift directly from 2nd to 1st without stopping at neutral?

 

No, sorry, let me clarify. I don't mean the neutral "gear" position, I was referring to the neurtral "shift lever" position. When I press down on the shift lever to down shift, it stays down in a lower than normal position. (not level to the ground) In order for me to shift down to the next lower gear, I must manually lift up on the lever slightly to bring the lever back to its "neutral" resting position and then I am able to go down to the next lower gear.

I can down shift from second to first without stopping at neutral, it is just that I must manually lift the shifter up before doing it.

Thanks for the quick reply!

Smit

 

Sounds like one of your Torsion springs inside is broken.

Part #4 or #6 in this diagram

 

Thanks Altus,

I was hoping (and thinking) that it was something like this. Doesn't look too complicated. Also, thanks for the helpful schematic!

Smit

 

I've had spring #6 break on me before, been there. Got my very first ticket for it too since I got really lazy and didnt' want to down shift into first and coasted through a stop sign in San Diego.

 

where can i get this spring

 

Hey before you go crazy...I've had several bikes do that, and all it was is the little bit of oil seepage around the shifter shaft gets all hogged up with dirt and starts making the shaft sticky and draggy in the seal...spray some cleaner around where the shaft goes through the case and then spray with WD-40...good chance it may work fine after.

Now if it's something that just happened suddenly, it could be mechanical...but if it just seemed to get progressively worse, give the clean a try...

 

pretty common for that spring to break

xj4ever has them email info @ xj4ever.com (no spaces) you should also ask about a new gasket for the cover you have to remove to get to that spring.

 

Spring # 6 is the one responsible for returning the shift lever to the centered position. Think of the lever positions as such: down, centered and up. FYI spring #4 is for the detent wheel which keeps the shift drum in the proper location for any given gear position. Spring #2's purpose is to regulate by mechanical means to shift into gears in a sequential manner; you should note that there are 2 "hooks" on this part; as you press down or lift up this part makes the shift drum rotate both clock-wise and counter clock-wise.