cant get into 5th

[Yard Dogg]

Well I guess you have a point there.

[motoman]

That star plate is a weak design. That's why it's such a common fix. I feel a lot better about having thicker steel in there after my home fix. Just saying.

The star plate is not designed to take a side load! It just keeps pins in place. Check the two slash marks when in second gear to make sure they align with each other. If not make the adjustment at the shifter shaft that is on a cam having a screw slot adjuster and lock nut. With the shifter cover off, also check that there isn't end-play of that shaft that the catch pawl is on. If there is, refer to the unlucky #13 post I made. On mine several yrs. back, the large bolt that retains that lower gear shaft assembly had come out, allowing the shaft assembly to 'walk' back and forth. This caused the jumping in and out of second gear under the slightest load,and caused the shift fork shaft to kick sideways bending the tab on the star plate. Eventually, after replacing several star plates and pins(sometimes pin would be laying in side case, other times, would be found in tiny slivers in bottom of filter housing bolt after tranny gears pulverized it, which also showed just how hard those gear teeth are. A 'lost' pin causing a tranny gernade is an urban myth.....BTDT, several times. After pushing that overwieght Venturer home one mile two different times, it went up on center stand with stand on a 6"x"6 block for more room under bike and I dovetailed the load side of slots and 'dogs' on all gears so as not to have to ever repeat the procedure and replaced shift fork shaft C-clips and the large retaining bolt of the lower shaft. That was 7+ yrs. ago with not so much as a hiccup now. IMO, the shift pawl alignment marks, and to make sure there is no end play of that small retaining shaft that carries the shift forks( which tells if the C-clip has come off of opposite side, causing the oil pump idler gear to come off same shaft) is the best indication that there may be a mal-function . BTW, that idler oil pump gear is 'captured' if it is off.....just kinda dances around in there but still does its job causing the oil pump to function.