XJ1100 stuck in 2nd gear

[ride4fun]

Just picked up this beautifull 1982 XJ1100 low miles. I searched through all of the past forums trying to see if any one else had this transmission problem, found plentifull knowledge of the gear box, but not the same problem. I live in Detroit and planed to restore this neglected bike as a winter project, but fear that the tranny is to far gone. I suspected that the clutch was toast, bc there wasnt very much oil at all in the bike when purchased, dissambled cluth and did not unlock the transmission from 2nd gear. Also would like to know the difference between the XJ and XS.

[DGXSER]

Hello and welcome to XS11!!! Lots of great knowledge here for sure.

The engines in the XS and the XJ are almost identical. The only difference is the YICS system in the head, so the tranny area you are delving into is identical.

This could be a number of things from a missing pin or two in the shift drum, to a fubar shift fork or the like. The simplest way I know to get at the heart of it is to follow the 2nd gear dremmel repair method of opening up the shift fork and the tranny pan, pulling the oil pump and look and see what is there. May have to go ahead and pull the countershaft and gears out as well to see the full story. But the good news is except some gaskets or maybe some RTV, you can put it all back at no cost.

[CatatonicBug]

Welcome aboard! I like the missing pin in the shift drum idea. When I first got my bike, it had no 5th gear. Turned out to be just that. Found the pin down in the oil pan, along with the little tab that had broken off, allowing it to fall out. All I needed was a new retaining plate to keep the pin where it belongs.

As for the clutch, as long as the plates are not stuck together, and are still in spec, you should be fine.

If you're in the trans that far already, I suggest taking the countershaft out and doing the dremel fix while you're in there. 1st gear is the usual problem on the XJ's but it can happen to any gear. It'll add a few hours of work to the project, but if this is a winter project anyway, you'll hate yourself if you get to riding it and find out you have to go back in there later to do it anyway.

Good luck, and post some pictures! We like pictures around here!

[ride4fun]

Thank you all for your help, and i will be updating my proccess more and more as the weather gets colder. Will have pictures up very soon.

[Ivan]

If the transmission is stuck in second, I would suspect the gear is rusted to the secondary shaft in the transmission. Take the left side cover off, and pull the shifter mechanism out. The big bearing cap with three Torx screw heads is directly outboard of the 2nd/5th gear. It slides inboard to engage 2nd, and 5th is engaged on the primary shaft, but power goes through this gear. If the shifter feels stuck, I am betting this gear is rusted to the shaft.

I suppose the shift drum could be siezed, it is supported by bearings. If you pull that outter bearing cap, it will give you a better idea of what is going on.