shifting question

question for yous guys:

it seems that under hard accelleration (revving to 6 or 7k RPMS before shifting) sometimes, shifting into second feels kinda weird and often will leave me in neutral. it kinda feels like the shift lever does a little judder or dance on my left toe. bear in mind this doesn't happen all the time.

it did this both before and after i changed the oil and i switched from the old yamalube that was in there to the new rotella T that's in there now.

i've been baby-ing it until i get into second gear and all the other gears seem to shift fine - and taking it easy has never given me a problem shifting into second.

possibly related (but i kind of doubt it) is that my neutral light seems to intermittently not work - i.e. i'll be in neutral, but the light doesn't come on.

i'm not as concerned about the light as i am about the shifting.

i'm guessing either the shifting forks are wearing or maybe 2nd gear is wearing - and maybe it'll last as long as i take it easy from first to 2nd.

i just read some info on seafoam prior to an oil change and was hoping maybe something like this would help me out.

any thoughts or input would be appreciated.

 

IMO - sounds like selector fork. I've heard that a bent shifter can cause issues too so I would look there first.

 

hmm - my level of mechanical aptitude is at the "i'm pretty sure i could successfully remove and reinstall the head"

is this something that can be done without pulling the engine? go in through the side? flip the bike upside-down and pull the bottom cover off?

 

once it's in second does it ever pop out?
you might be able to see the shifter forks through the bottom but i don't think you could do anything to them
at this time of the year do you really want to pull the engine ?
personally i'd baby it till it got worse or got cold if it was my only bike
try some oil on the ball joints and some grease on the shifter shaft,
that made a big difference for mine
consider lowering the shift lever a bit ? might help
April is "get out there and ride" month, you missed "split my cases" month

 

it's never popped out of gear - and the only time shifting is *occasionally* problematic is at hard accelleration from 1st to 2nd. and, yes, i have no plans whatsoever to work on this until a) i can no longer shift into 2nd or b) it is december.

i was mainly looking for something new to obsess about since i think i've got my carbs all straightened out.

i'll try the ball joints/shaft greasing - thanks for the tip.

 

There's a shot that it could be something as simple as replacing or putting back in place a few springs.

The small Spring gets lazy after time.
The Front Spring can come "Un-hooked"
If the back Spring gets loose and unclips ... the Shifter doesn't move anything.

The YELLOW area is your Shift Pedal Height Adjuster.
Oil it.
Don't break it ...
If it will work after loosening the Nuts ... Roll the Center Shaft to raise or Lower your Shifter for more accurate shifting.

 

thanks for the diagram, rick - i'm at work right now so i can't really do anything yet - but i did go out to the parking lot and mess with the shifter and i can tell that the shaft (part #15) needs some grease - i can hear some squeaking in when i move the lever.

a few years ago, i was lucky enough to aqcuire (some of) a '78 Honda CB750K for $10. it was basically a rolling frame with a seized engine. i completely dismantled the engine and can say it was one of the best educational experiences i've ever had. that said - the part depicted in your diagram (different engine, but similar in concept) was definitely the most mysterious part of the engine (to me, at least). but, having gone through that process - at least i'm no longer terrified at the thought of a complete engine tear down and rebuild.

 

Could it be in need of some clutch cable adjustment?

 

I have a 550 with the same problem. It has something to do with going from 1st, through neutral, to second. Ever drive a semi? You have to either float the gears (not using a clutch but sliding them into place as they are moving together, or you have to "double-clutch". A car has a transmission built to automatically sync the gears. Bikes and semis do not. If you are flying down the road and put the bike in neutral and just coast, you'll have hell trying to put it back into gear. The reason is the output shaft is either spinning faster than the input or vice versa. They are only syncronized by momentum and when on slows down or speeds up too much more than the other it makes it a pain in the ass to fit back together. At one point everything moved smoothly in the transmission. Everything was brand new and the momentum was carried further with a lot more ease. Now everything has stiffened up from wear. Shifting on a bike happens a lot faster than on a car so there is no need for a synchronizing mechanism. In a semi, the manufacturers and teachers will explain why you must double clutch.
When you are in gear everything moves together. But the moment you press the clutch the weight of the components and time it take to get to the next gear will cause slowing down between the components. Flywheel is spinning, clutch is spinning, gears are spinning but not together. When youlet off the clutch in between gears it gets the clutch moving with the flywheel and better able to reengage the components which are moving with the drive shaft (sorry this is so choppy... don't remember the names of all the parts) and you have a close sync. On your bike, when going from 1st to 2nd you are going through neutral where the fork is not at all engaged with the transmission. Shift to quickly and you cause an effect like a sling. You've raced the engine and the components and snapped the control collar away from the moving parts letting them spin off into outer space and then try to catch them again blindly. When your bike ends up in neutral its because the part that links to the gear or gears you are actually engaging and gets everything moving was kicked away from it leaving you in neutral.
Your transmission, otherwise, is fine. Thats my guess. Just try a little more time between 1st and 2nd. Let the rpms drop a little and go a bit more easy if shifting at the higher rpms. Otherwise you probably will wreck something, the fork or collar. And pollock is right and always ends up saying funny stuff like "you missed 'split my case month'". haha.

Oh yeah... never try floating gears on a bike. Thats bad and only to be used when your clutch cable breaks. Haha