I took the ole girl out for the first time, BUT....

[LuckyEddie]

Greetings all,

This bike has been sitting outside under a tarp for 20 years, and now I know why! I've spent the winter putting this 1980 XS1100LG back into shape and took it out on Saturday for the first time. This bike is a rush to ride until you get to Fifth gear. It's not there, just rocks rattling around in there.
I've comenced to tearing it down to find the offending parts.
Any links, guidance or comments are welcome.

Thanks,

[DGXSER]

Seems like I have seen where there is a pin in the shift fork drum that can fall out and may cause this. Search for threads on 5th gear.

Otherwise, the procedure would be very much the same as the 1st and 2nd gear dremel fix. That at least would guide you in tearing things down enough to see the problem.

[bikerphil]

Yep, I'd check the shift drum for a missing pin under the shifter cover. You can just tilt the bike to the right side and you won't have to drain the oil.

[LuckyEddie]

Would this "pin" be just laying inside the cover somewhere? If so, I'll have a look when I get home today.

Thanks for the response.

[DGXSER]

might be...then again...it can get from there to the oil pan. Hard to tell until you get in there.

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Eddie,

Yep, missing 5th gear is usually the missing pin on the shift drum, and a bent plate that hold the pins on the shift drum. Once it's bent, it looses is strength, and even if you bend it back, it won't hold. You will need to order a new plate, and possibly a new pin if you can't find the old one, but you'll probably need to pull the bottom oil pan to find it. But take off the shift lever cover first to inspect the shift drum.

Another problem that can occur with shifting is a difficulty in downshifting. This occurs when the shift lever return spring gets sprung, looses tension, so after you downshift, it doesn't return the lever back up far enough to reset the shift pawl to grab the next pin on the shift drum, and you can't downshift, until you gently pull up on the shift lever enough to reset the pawl without actually shifting up to the next gear! The spring is about $10.00, and so could be good insurance to replace it while you're in there!?
T.C.

[LuckyEddie]

Thanks for all the replies.
The shift pin is right where it belongs, so I finished pulling the motor out. It is on the bench. I will see about splitting the case tonight and figure out what is in need of repair or replacement.
Again comments and guidance are apreciated.

[randy]

Luckeddie,

Before you go so far as to split the cases, pull the oil pan off, the whole transmission can be seen through the bottom.

[LuckyEddie]

Thanks. Will do.

[LuckyEddie]

I took the bottom pan off last night and everything looks to be in great shape.
No chunks, no shavings. I manualy ran it through the gears and after 3 or 4 tries, it went into 5th consistantly. Maybe that tention spring in the shifter drum was at fault all along. I like to think that most catastrophies are caused by something simple. I will check and recheck everything again before I button things up. I'm thinking that now may also be a good time to do some painting on the motor and frame.
Has anyone used and had good results with the full engine gasket kit from Partsnmore? The price is good and I've been pleased with other things from them.

Thanks,

[bikerphil]

Has anyone used and had good results with the full engine gasket kit from Partsnmore?

The Partsnmore complete gasket set is of decent quality. I've used a few sets with no problems. My only beef is that it doesn't come with the half moons for the valve cover. If yours are decent, they can be re-used with a thin coat of RTV black. If not, you can get new ones on eBay.

[LuckyEddie]

Thanks BikerPhil. I see that they also carry the half moons seperatly.

[LuckyEddie]

Here is an update: I put the motor back together and installed it. Same problem. RATS!!! I tore into it from the bottom, removed the bottom set of gears to find what I missed on the bench because I did not dig in this deep. The second gear from the left (shifter side) in the row of gears that are still in the bike is toast. I need to replace that gear and anything else I find once I have it out.
From looking at the bike and the reference materials that I have, it looks as though I have to split the case to get it out. I plan on removing the engine leaving the top end intact, and remove the bottom portion of the case to do what needs doing in there.
It seems to me that this is the best plan of attack. Right?
All constructive comments would be welcome.

Thanks,

[John]

That is the proper angle of attack. The head and cylinders do not need to removed to dio the trans work. Just split the cases and have at it.
Sounds easy when you say it like that.

[XSPastor]

Here is an update: I put the motor back together and installed it. Same problem. RATS!!! I tore into it from the bottom, removed the bottom set of gears to find what I missed on the bench because I did not dig in this deep. The second gear from the left (shifter side) in the row of gears that are still in the bike is toast. I need to replace that gear and anything else I find once I have it out.
From looking at the bike and the reference materials that I have, it looks as though I have to split the case to get it out. I plan on removing the engine leaving the top end intact, and remove the bottom portion of the case to do what needs doing in there.
It seems to me that this is the best plan of attack. Right?
All constructive comments would be welcome.

Thanks,

That makes sense. The second gear on the shaft is 2nd, but it meshes with 5th which is the first gear on the left end of the shaft under the bearing cap that removes with the three torx head bolts. Are the teeth gone or the slots? Make sure 5th looks good or you'll be back in there again. Check out the 2nd gear fix in the tech tips. I can't imagine that 5th is any good if 2nd is toast. Use some lock-tite blue when you put those torx screws back in. I HIGHLY recommend replacing the shifter spring also. It made a HUGE difference in the ease of downshifting in my case. If in doubt, replace whatever looks questionable or you'll be buying another gasket set soon... Good luck.