i'm giving up!

[jmnjrpa]

Plane Dick.

I can't seem to find anything in your profile that says where you are.

It's in his signature.

North central Wisconsin

[natemoen]

To me it sounds like you have a winter project!. Ride the 750 now leave the 1100 alone. After hunting season pull the bikes in and get to work getting it going for next season. I wouldnt give up on a free bike!

Just dont think about the 1100 this season. You have a ride now so use that one!

[malber]

If you can't get it going from 1st and you can from 2nd then most likely it's the first gear problem, not the clutch.

I can go in 1st gear, but it'll slip and ratchet if I crank the throttle. It slips softly with no ratchet on really hard accelleration in higher gears too, so I'm sure the clutch plates and/or springs need to be replaced. If it is the dreaded 1st gear problem, then I'll probably live without using 1st gear. I don't have a garage and am not really equipped to split the cases and do major surgery like that.

[natemoen]

I can go in 1st gear, but it'll slip and ratchet if I crank the throttle. It slips softly with no ratchet on really hard accelleration in higher gears too, so I'm sure the clutch plates and/or springs need to be replaced. If it is the dreaded 1st gear problem, then I'll probably live without using 1st gear. I don't have a garage and am not really equipped to split the cases and do major surgery like that.

The ratcheting makes it sound like it is the standard gear problem. Most people dont split the case. Never done it so not one to give advice.

[DiverRay]

You don't need to split cases to fix the gears. take a look at the west coast rally and you will see some photos of Special Ed's bike strung up like a buck. That was the easy way to pull the pan and transmission shaft out. We had it "done" in one day, with some problems. If you have someone close to help hold the beer, it's not that bad.
The BAD THING is if it is "slipping" and sounding like a ratchet in ALL gears, you may have to split the cases to fix it. There is a "clutch" on the shaft the chain connects to from the crank. On some of the racing machines in the late '70's, they had to beef this up to get the HP back to the rear wheel. It is POSSIBLE that could be bad, just NOT probable.

[cywelchjr]

I can go in 1st gear, but it'll slip and ratchet if I crank the throttle. It slips softly with no ratchet on really hard accelleration in higher gears too, so I'm sure the clutch plates and/or springs need to be replaced. If it is the dreaded 1st gear problem, then I'll probably live without using 1st gear. I don't have a garage and am not really equipped to split the cases and do major surgery like that.

This could be two unrelated problems. It could be the first gear problem and the clutch. The clutch could be fine, but if your using oil that states energy conserving that can cause the clutch to slip. Just switching to an oil that doesn't say that will often fix that problem if the clutch is ok anyways. That said, the 1st gear fix is supposed to be easy to do, and doesn't require splitting the cases, although you need to pull the clutch assy to do it, so you might as well put new springs in the clutch which will probably help the slipping in there. I did an entire engine replacement without a garage and anything more elaborate than a torque wrench, so it can be done. You might get in trouble with SWMBO if you get her kitchen table greasy though.

[malber]

You don't need to split cases to fix the gears. take a look at the west coast rally and you will see some photos of Special Ed's bike strung up like a buck. That was the easy way to pull the pan and transmission shaft out. We had it "done" in one day, with some problems. If you have someone close to help hold the beer, it's not that bad.
The BAD THING is if it is "slipping" and sounding like a ratchet in ALL gears, you may have to split the cases to fix it. There is a "clutch" on the shaft the chain connects to from the crank. On some of the racing machines in the late '70's, they had to beef this up to get the HP back to the rear wheel. It is POSSIBLE that could be bad, just NOT probable.

If you have a link to the thread that would be great. TC's pictorial on the Dremmel gear fix gives me pause. I'm wondering if I'd be able to find a mechanic who'd be able or willing to do that. I think I could manage changing the clutch plates, but digging in the tranny is a bit beyond me I think.

It doesn't ratchet in all gears, just first. The slipping in other gears is worse if I use 5w oil which I can't seem to find without it being energy conserving. 10w oil seems to be just about fine. It's really not that bad not using 1st gear though. I don't do any drag racing, and it's only a concern if I lose my count while down shifting and inadvertently go into 1st and then don't realize it when I go to start again.

[crazy steve]

...if I use 5w oil which I can't seem to find without it being energy conserving. 10w oil seems to be just about fine...

5 wt oil!! Even 10 wt is way too thin for these unless you're riding in temps no higher than 60F and freezing temps a lot; you really should be using 20-40 (original spec) or 20-50. Just changing to the correct oil will probably fix the clutch slipping. As to the tranny fix, I've never had a bit of trouble with mine, so I can't speak to the difficulty of that. These bikes do need to be shifted firmly, and I think the 'tranny problem' is the result of not doing that all the time...

'78E original owner

[cywelchjr]

5 wt oil!! Even 10 wt is way too thin for these unless you're riding in temps no higher than 60F and freezing temps a lot; you really should be using 20-40 (original spec) or 20-50. Just changing to the correct oil will probably fix the clutch slipping. As to the tranny fix, I've never had a bit of trouble with mine, so I can't speak to the difficulty of that. These bikes do need to be shifted firmly, and I think the 'tranny problem' is the result of not doing that all the time...

'78E original owner

+1 on the 5 wt oil . That low of an oil weight can cause problems with the internal lubrication system because it was not designed for oil that thin, which means it can't maintain proper pressure, which can cause some areas to not get enough oil. Don't even start it again until you have changed to at LEAST 15w40 at a minimum (some have had good luck with 15w50) or better IMHO 20w50 which is what I have found runs best in mine. You might be able to get away with 10w40 in the winter if you ride then and it gets cold enough where you are, but never ever 5 wt. Hopefully you haven't already damaged your engine, and while very unlikely, the right oil might even help the gears.

It will certainly help how it shifts to have the heavier oil. Remember that the engine oil also in the transmission oil, and they typically need thicker oil to protect the gears.

[malber]

5 wt oil!! Even 10 wt is way too thin for these unless you're riding in temps no higher than 60F and freezing temps a lot; you really should be using 20-40 (original spec) or 20-50. Just changing to the correct oil will probably fix the clutch slipping. As to the tranny fix, I've never had a bit of trouble with mine, so I can't speak to the difficulty of that. These bikes do need to be shifted firmly, and I think the 'tranny problem' is the result of not doing that all the time...

'78E original owner

I ride until first snow in the Northeast and start back up after first thaw, so that means cold starts in late November and mid March. 20w was just too sluggish.

Last oil change was with 10w non-energy conserving. It solved the most severe slipping and now it's really only a 5th gear thing where I'm going 70 on the high way and throw the hammer down to pass a semi.

[cywelchjr]

I ride until first snow in the Northeast and start back up after first thaw, so that means cold starts in late November and mid March. 20w was just too sluggish.

Last oil change was with 10w non-energy conserving. It solved the most severe slipping and now it's really only a 5th gear thing where I'm going 70 on the high way and throw the hammer down to pass a semi.

I would suggest trying 15w40 designed for diesel engines, it generally doesn't have the friction modifiers, and may work for you and provide a little better protection for the gears. But you may need to replace the springs in the clutch anyways, and ask catatonicbug about the 1st gear fix, he has done it to more than one bike, and I don't think he has a garage either. He did it on the center stand IIRC.

[cheezy]

i've decided to hold on to the bike, for the winter, and then decide how far i want to go with it. i just found out my job shifts are changing, and i'll have days off in the week without the family. i should have plenty of time to wrench. i'm just giving up every weekend off for every other. no worries!

[natemoen]

i've decided to hold on to the bike, for the winter, and then decide how far i want to go with it. i just found out my job shifts are changing, and i'll have days off in the week without the family. i should have plenty of time to wrench. i'm just giving up every weekend off for every other. no worries!

Good Choice!!

[cywelchjr]

+1 on the good choice. If you go through it really well, and do it right, these things can be very trouble free. Very few of the problems I have had have been anything other than how hard it's been to do some things (get the forks apart to replace the seals) or something I or the PO did wrong.