stuck in first gear

I let a friend ride my 650 (1982) to the store she calls me and says she cant get it into neutral to start it so i drive there check it out and it is locked up solid in first gear shifter feels like it is intact doesn't seem like anything is noticebly broken she swears up and down all she did was pull into the parking lot downshifting normally everything felt and sounded normal and OK pulled in the clutch and shut it off came out of store and could not get it into neutral to start it i bypassed neutral safety switch started it and rode it by now probably 5 miles trying to get it out of first gear reefed on the shifter as hard as i dare and do not want to completely disassemble this engine (it appears that you have to to get at the first gear detent please can somebody tell me there is an easy fix for this i do have a good 750 seca motor i think will fit if so is that the "easy fix" ? can anybody answer any or all of these questions? thank you mike :cry:

 

Check out this post:

http://www.xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic ... first.html

Hopefully some ideas there for you.
Good luck.

 

Hi there,
Had exactly the same problem a few days ago. Seems the starter chain guide had broken up and a piece of it had become jammed in the gearbox. I removed the sump after draining the oil and found other pieces of the guide in there. Hopefully this is not the case for you as it resulted in a engine removal and complete strip down.
Good luck,
Regards,
Pete

 

Read the post Fraps linked to. Either it's simply a broken spring (there are a couple of them on that mechanism that can break) or the chain guide is starting to disintegrate.

 

mine did this a few days ago, hope its the spring or else ur in for a big project

 

My turbo did that too me about a month and a half ago. I changed the engine and presto the problem went away Bad part is I still have to go into that motor and figure it out.. That motor was barely broken in, only approx 80,000 miles on it
Sean

 

fraps: good post indeed! thank you especialy the part about not having to completely tear down to split cases if that is how it has to be seperate engine from trans, split cases, fix trans, reunite and install. sounds way better than rebuild while you fix trans. and with just alittle luck problem will be under shift cover and i wont have to pull engine at all and i will be riding tonite in 2nd,3rd 4th.... the way it was meant to be rode! thank you every one else also your posts were all appreceated. gotta get busy now. C-YA ! mike

 

Did you try turning the bike upside down and taking off the oil pan and pulling out the stray bits inside? No tear-down of any kind for this procedure.

 

To Pull the Sump Pan ... and peek into the Bottom of the Trans ...

You need to ...

Prep the Bike for being turned ... Up-side / Down.

I have never done this.
Remove Battery
Tank
Drain Oil
Remove Exhaust Pipes
Collector

There's a Time Bomb waiting to go off every Nut and Bolt you need to loosen without Breaking.

I feel your pain.

 

rick ,wouldnt it be better to suspend the bike first at least until you have removed the sump pan so as not the let anything laying in the bottom stay in the bottom then turn it over to make it easier to work on. i also have never done this but if i have the capability to do it this way then if possible it would be the smart way to do it or is it not going to be that big of a deal and all the debris will be right there and easy to remove and cleanout ? i really want to work this out in my head first but i suppose there comes atime to quit thinking about it and do it and i think that time is near. thanks, mike

 

Sure.
If safety isn't compromised. Go for it.

But, you still have to undo a whole lot of stuff to clear your way in.
I'm sorry you have to go through this.
I wish there was a much simpler way to deal with the fragments on that Chain Guide.

>>((Almost make you want to Blow the whole opened-up area exposed by removing the Sump ... out, ... with Air or even Power-wash the thing, to remove all the fragments))<<

Good luck.
Be careful.
Every time somebody comes-up with a shortcut for doing a job, ... they leave out a detail or two they hadn't thought of.

Take your time.
A Rubber Mallot helps loosen the Exhaust Pipes from the Head and Collector Box.