Ripping my hair out

If I knew Jenny was going to be THIS much work I would've never saved her. So I'm having this problem with the fact that I was riding today and when I got to a light halfway between work and home my bike decided that it liked 1st gear so much that it refuses to shift out. I know it's not my clutch because otherwise it would still shift when the revs were high enough.

What could it be?

 

You have a broken spring behind the shifter cover, try not to get too upset, it's an easy fix. First, remove your foot shifter from the bike, then remove the 8 or so 5mm allen bolts that hold the cover on, after the bolts are out, gently tap around the plate with a plastic headed hammer and pull the cover straight away from the engine. Inside you will find the shift mechanism with 3 springs, there are 2 large springs and 1 small one. Replace any that are broken, put it back together and you'll have your gears back.

 

And hope that's it.

If not, then your primary chain guide has begun to disintegrate and pieces have jammed the shifter forks.

When you're inside the cover checking the springs in the shift mechanism "mousetrap" you'll see a large hole at the upper left of the rear of the casting that allows you to look into the transmission.

If the mechanism is fine and it still won't shift, get a flashlight and a long pair of hemostats and go fishing for big hunks of broken black plastic jammed in the shifter forks. You can see the shift shafts and the tops of the forks through that hole.

 

Hey fitz, just a thought... If that happens, the plastic chain guide dies, you pull the pieces out. Then what? Replace the whole shaft? Does it keep working without it? Get a replacement chain guide?

 

+1?

 

Good luck.
I hope it isn't serious.

It's > THIS < Spring that has a history of failing.

You might find it has fallen completely off.
Sometimes one end breaks and the Spring is hanging off the side that didn't break.

::: SMALL SHIFTER SPRING :::

 

Granted what I wrote is a best case scenario, and what BigFitz is refering to is the alternator drive chain on our bikes, (650 &750), there is a guide bolted to the inside of the engine that can shed some bits as it wears, and it's these bits which can fall into the shift forks and drum.

If you don't have any broken springs, you'll have to drain the oil and remove the oil pan. With it off you can see fairly well into the transmission with a flashlight and mirror.

The worst case scenario is that you do find guide pieces in the forks, cause it then means you have to split the cases to replace the guide. If left untreated, the chain will some day saw a hole right thru the top of your engine.

 

Correct. The short term fix is to pluck the pieces out of the gearbox and keep riding.

Long-term it requires splitting the cases to replace the guide. Once it starts to break up, it's a "warning shot" that it's time to pull the motor and get ready for some major surgery.

IF the shifter springs are fine,

It would be a good idea to drop the pan, and see if you have any hunks of broken plastic there as well; but you won't see the chain guide or any big hunks from below.

The chain will not saw through the top of the engine case; but if the metal support that the plastic pieces were once attached to were to break up, bad things would happen.

 

All the above are really good answers (and I had to do this on mine at about 65,000 miles), but in the hope that you've overlooked the obvious - there's no way that you've bent the gear lever (unlikely as it was fine for the first half of the journey) so it fouls on the casing or you have worn splines on the gear change shaft so there is so much slop on the lever that you're not getting full movement. In this case that sounds unlikely I grant you, but it would have been the first thing I checked and you didn't mention it.

 

Another "very obvious" or two:

1. check your oil level. If the oil level gets low you can have shift issues. My 650 was really good at doing that. As soon as the level would get about halfway down the window, she'd get 'sticky'. refill oil....nice shifting.

2. Check your clutch adjustment. May simply need to be adjusted a bit.

But yes, pay attention the all the guide comments above.


Dave F

 

If you look-in and see fragments of the Primary Guide lodged on the Drum preventing the Drum from rotating ... the Emergency Surgery technique can bail you out.

Having two Special Tools will be advantageous if you are going to attempt the Emergency Technique.

Fabricate two Handy-dandy Tools out of an old Magnetic-mount type - CB Antenna.
Cut 2 lengths of the solid stainless antenna 12 ~ 14 Inches long.
Prep them for doing the "De-chunking".

Heat. Flatten-out. Quench; and SHARPEN the end of one to a Razor-sharp Cutting-end.
GRIND. Heat & Quench; then Sharpen the other length to a slender, sharply-pointed end.

You'll be able to Cut and Remove the pieces with Tools that are strond enough to deal with the Hard Rubber fragments.

 

Oh how I'm hoping it's just that spring.

My new clutch cable in the mail yesterday when I walked in so I'll do that

I did an oil change not too long ago but she could just be burning oil(my first thought) so I'll check that.

Greg- I checked to see the shifter wasn't bent.

Hopefully if it's not that spring and it's a lack of oil

I'm closing to selling her and hunting down a secaII

 

A Seca II is just a 550 Seca with a few more CC's, downdraught CV carburetors and a FUEL PUMP. And chain drive.

What makes you think it would be LESS hassle?

Put it on the centerstand and slowly rotate the rear wheel while you try to shift gears. You should be able to run through all the gears as long as you turn the rear wheel a bit between each gear.

If it flat WILL NOT shift out of first, it's not the oil level or clutch. Either a "mousetrap" spring lost an end, or you've got hunks of plastic jamming your shifter forks.

Either can be easily diagnosed by removing the shifter housing cover.

 

I didn't mean bc it would be less hastle but I'd be more willing since it's way more attractive and I know people who have them so they can physically help me

 

I would recommend replacing all three springs in the shift mechanisms if any of them are broken. I had one break, replaced it, rode two weeks then a second broke. At that point I was fed up with the interruptions to riiing and purchased both remaining springs.

 

BlueBass has a good point, better to screw Mr. Murphy before he screws you.

 

Well, If you name your bike after a woman. then expect lots of expense and she is bound to have an akward and perverse nature.

LOL

 

+1.
On a side note, NEVER let your wife or girlfriend know you are spending more on your 'mistress' than you spend on her. That counts for time AND money. LOL