fixin' 2nd gear. extra spacer or not?

[beechfront]

I'm considering performing the 2nd gear fix while I have everything apart.

Bob Jones, merriam cycles, simply moves the spacer to the other side of 5th for a better 2nd/5th engagement - but others add an extra spacer. My current plan is just to take it apart and move the spacer to the other side.

Just wondering if anyone feels strongly one way or the other.

[Jerry]

Most people just move the spacer to the other side of the gear. 3 reasons:

1. Extra spacer is no longer available from Yamaha, so finding a 2nd spacer is not easy.

2. Adding the extra spacer means grinding down the face of the gear the .040 or so to fit the extra spacer, or having the gear cut at a machine shop. Either way, more time or expense involved...it cost me $35.00 to have the gear cut, also more down time if you are repairing the gears to go back into the bike.

3. Moving the spacer works and fixes the problem.

The only reason for adding the 2nd spacer is that if you do not, the face of the gear could rub the "C" clip that holds the 2nd gear in place on the shaft. One post, long ago from a guy who raced XS11s, said he did not add the 2nd spacer and eventually had a gear failure which he attributed to the rubbing on the clip. This type of failure is highly unlikely on street-ridden bikes. Adding the 2nd spacer does not increase engagement of the gears over just moving the spacer to the other side of the gear; it only protects the "C" clip from contact with the gear.

Your decision will come down to your comfort level, time, and budget. I weigh in at 260 pounds and frequently pull a small trailer, loaded weight around 180 pounds, so didn't want to play the "maybe I should have" mind game with the tranny. Realistically, adding the 2nd spacer probably doesn't make any difference, but I am glad I did it when I had the chance "just to be sure".