5th gear issue

[GoRacers]

I only found one other post about this issue, so I'm looking for more info.

5th gear sometimes make a grinding noise. It its very light, not the grind of gears that aren't meshing. Works perfectly, just sometimes makes a light grinding noise. When it happens, I can feel the vibrations in the shifter.

Is it possible that the 5th gear has slid along the shaft far enough that it sometimes contacts the case? The grind definitely sounds like this is what causes it.

Is there a circlip for 5th, and can it be accessed somewhat easily since it is on the end of the shaft?

[BA80]

Unfortunatly it sounds as there is a bearing out on the intermediate shaft. Or as it's called in THIS exploded view, the main shaft. The engine has to be removed and the cases split to get it out of there.

That is the shaft that the clutch pack is attached to. pull the clutch cover and see if there is any kind of play when you wiggle the clutch pack. Also, there is a bolt, #29 in the diagram, in the end of the secondary shaft, called the main axle in the pic, that has been known to back out and grind on the gears on the back of the clutch pack.

[GoRacers]

Unfortunatly it sounds as there is a bearing out on the intermediate shaft. Or as it's called in THIS exploded view, the main shaft. The engine has to be removed and the cases split to get it out of there.

That is the shaft that the clutch pack is attached to. pull the clutch cover and see if there is any kind of play when you wiggle the clutch pack. Also, there is a bolt, #29 in the diagram, in the end of the secondary shaft, called the main axle in the pic, that has been known to back out and grind on the gears on the back of the clutch pack.

It definitely only makes the noise in 5th, if that helps.

[DGXSER]

I wonder if your shift fork is bent. Has the bike had an issue with the dreaded 2nd gear slipping before? Often times folks will stand on the shift lever to hold it in gear causing the shift fork to grind or even get bent. If this happened, it could move 5th gear to close to the case...possibly.

[BA80]

Is it a grind or a whine? These things whine pretty good at about 5K in 5th gear. That's normal.

[BA80]

I wonder if your shift fork is bent. Has the bike had an issue with the dreaded 2nd gear slipping before? Often times folks will stand on the shift lever to hold it in gear causing the shift fork to grind or even get bent. If this happened, it could move 5th gear to close to the case...possibly.

5th gear is on a completely different shaft Don. It's that on fork all by itself above the shaft with 2nd on it. The gear slides one way engages the secondary shaft with 1st - 4th on it and the other way is direct drive (5th)

[GoRacers]

Is it a grind or a whine? These things whine pretty good at about 5K in 5th gear. That's normal.

Light grind. Sounds like a metallic object spinning and touching another.

It is also intermittent, it comes and goes. Sometimes a second, sometimes 3 seconds, etc. When it is making the noise, though, there is a definite vibration in the shifter. And only in 5th.

[BA80]

Light grind. Sounds like a metallic object spinning and touching another.

It is also intermittent, it comes and goes. Sometimes a second, sometimes 3 seconds, etc. When it is making the noise, though, there is a definite vibration in the shifter. And only in 5th.

You really need to get that figured out. You don't want a tranny locking up on you going down the highway.

Start with what I suggested and see if there's any play in the shaft the clutch is mounted to. There should be none at all.

You might want to drop the oil pan and see what's laying in the bottom. That will give you an opportunity to look into the trans and mybe see what's going on.

[GoRacers]

You really need to get that figured out. You don't want a tranny locking up on you going down the highway.

Start with what I suggested and see if there's any play in the shaft the clutch is mounted to. There should be none at all.

You might want to drop the oil pan and see what's laying in the bottom. That will give you an opportunity to look into the trans and mybe see what's going on.

I'll drop the pan this weekend, then. I've only ridden it on the freeway 4 or 5 times, so that's when I finally used 5th gear and noticed the noise. At first I though it was wind noise in my helmet, but then noticed it stopped if I shifted to fourth.

Bigger question is, do I just drop the pan and look around or go ahead and pull the engine and replace the gears (2nd is useless, pops out of gear with any amount of throttle)?

I don't want to take the bike out of commission this early in the season, but it's sounding like it isn't really safe to ride.

[BA80]

Yeah, with the bad 2nd and the noise I wouldn't ride it. It may not end well.

Drop the pan before you flip the engine over, you don't want the crap laying in the bottom falling up into the engine. The engine comes out real easy with the pan, oil pump and filter cup removed anyway.

[GoRacers]

Yeah, with the bad 2nd and the noise I wouldn't ride it. It may not end well.

Drop the pan before you flip the engine over, you don't want the crap laying in the bottom falling up into the engine. The engine comes out real easy with the pan, oil pump and filter cup removed anyway.

Bummer. Just got it back together and road-worthy (I thought) and registered.

[DGXSER]

5th gear is on a completely different shaft Don. It's that on fork all by itself above the shaft with 2nd on it. The gear slides one way engages the secondary shaft with 1st - 4th on it and the other way is direct drive (5th)

HUH!!! Did you not just repair the gears on one of these bikes? You need to quit smoking your home grown cigarettes and then posting.

5th gear is on the same countershaft as 2nd gear, 3rd, 4th, 1st, and the middle driven gear. Its the dogs on 5th gear that lock into the slots on 2nd gear to put the bike in 2nd gear. This is the mating, or lack there of, that causes the 'ole familiar 2nd gear grind. The main shaft of gears is up above it, that is where the gear that slides for 2nd and 3rd gear is located, the middle shift fork.

5th gear can slide all the way over to the case or in this application bearing attached to the case. When you perform the tech tip gear repair you pull the countershaft bearing out (the one with the three torq head screws), remove the shift fork shaft, and slide the shift fork up off of 5th gear and it slides off the countershaft out the bearing hole. So the only thing keeping the 5th gear from sliding all the way over to the case is the shift fork. If it were bent towards the case side, As it might be if someone tried to hold 5th gear toward second gear while the dogs were slipping out of the slots in second, it could cause the gear to contact the case. And it may well be intermittent.

Now that we add in second gear issues, it seems even more likely. I would agree that dropping the tranny pan and pulling the shift cover is a good first step. Not sure I would go through pulling the engine out just yet. Look at the tech tips for the 2nd gear dremmel repair. It guides you through pulling the countershaft with the engine in the bike. When you pull the countershaft bearing out that is held in with the torq screws you can look and see if it shows signs of the gear rubbing on it. You can also drop the shift fork out and see if it is worn down badly or bent.

[BA80]

If you get on it and stay on it you should be able to get it done over a weekend, depending on the parts you need.

Holler if you need anything. Trans parts are something I'm buried in here.

[GoRacers]

If you get on it and stay on it you should be able to get it done over a weekend, depending on the parts you need.

Holler if you need anything. Trans parts are something I'm buried in here.

Got a good set of gears? I'd probably rather just find a good set, inspect/repair any spots I don't like on the dogs and slots, and then do a straight-forward swap in a weekend.

Are the gears interchangeable for all years? Mine is a 78.

[GoRacers]

I'm updating this in my build thread, but figured it wouldn't hurt to link the two for searches in the future.

http://xs11.com/forum/showthread.php?t=38040&page=3

Looks like the gear was rubbing on the fork. Pics when I clean it all up.