shifting kaput!

[don_honeydew]

I was recently riding home, entering an onramp and as I was shifting the bike went into neutral and that was IT. The shift lever would go down or up and spring back into position, it just wouldn't shift into gear. I was able to push it off onto a surface street and FINALLY by the grace of the powers that be got it into first. From there I was able to hobble the 8-10 miles home. So what's going on? Is it fixable without mortgaging my house?

[strom]

OK, first off, DO NOT force the bike in gear... u could bend the forks.
Maybe a spring broke or sth... however, take off the oil pan and check the gearbox.
My guess is, it's the spring, where the gear lever turns the gear selection rotor thingie.. shift drum
http://xs1100.vinden.nl/Technical/Schakelvork.htm
here's the pic... the spring is no. 27 on the pic.
It basically keeps the 28 on the 1 (shift drum).

To get to that part of the engine, u just have to pull off left engine side cover, and be prepared to replace the gasket or to seal with some silicone paste for sealing engines. Drain the oil first.
After u've done that, check that the 28 has no play (the spring should keep it on the drum, and it should move away only when changing gears.

That's my guess.. if it was spring 14, u should still shift, but the lever still wouldn't pop back into place.
It would probbably pop out of gear too.

So, 1st take off the side cover and check that spring. U can replace it with any similar spring, as long as it stays on.

I don't think it broke, since there's no great force there. It may just be streched. Replace it anyway, if that is the case.

If that is the case, u should buy some engine degreaser (dunno bout the prices over there... bout 5$), new gasket or some silicone paste (If u can get a gasket, get it. It's much more simple that way). Gasket 3-15$, silicone bout the same. Just get the right one. The one for windows and doors won't work. The spring should be cheaper.
Since u know what we think bout the shops, try doing it yourself and take your time. Get a friend who knows what he's doing to help, if u never done sth like that. U'll learn, everybody has to.

Ride safe!
LP

[strom]

OOps, almost forgot... there's another spring that pops the lever back in the place. I don't know why it landed in neutral..were u in 1st or 2nd?

I hope that's it... if it's not, take the oil pan off...

LP

[don_honeydew]

thanks!

Thanks so much! I'll check it out this weekend and let you know what I come up with. It would be nice if the problem is something pretty simple. I just found a gasket for $11 and I'm going to see if they have a spring too while I'm at it. Thanks for the link to the pic too, that was really helpful. (I have a manual coming from the friend who gave me the bike, but I don't want to wait to work on it.)

Thanks again,

[strom]

OK, just wait to see what's wrong till u buy anything...
I'm just making an educated guess (just put my gearbox back together a few days ago).
Wait for the manual or print out the microfiche.
There's a round thingie (25) on that axle, DO NOT forget to put it back on... if it's streched, replace it as well.. u should get it at any HW store... buy two, they have a tendency to fly in any most undisireble direction u can't even think of when putting them on. Special pliers help, but are not necessary.
The only items u should remove in there are no. 25 (the outer one) and assembly 26-27-28.
When I assembled the gearbox I was wondering, why doesn't it work... it seems this axle was 1-2mm too far in.. so watch out.
And lots of luck!

LP

PS: I reffered to the XS 79 microfiche at http://xs1100.vinden.nl/ - technical. I don't know which model u have, but the engines were basically the same.

[TopCatGr58]

Re: shifting kaput!

Originally posted by don_honeydew
I was recently riding home, entering an onramp and as I was shifting the bike went into neutral and that was IT. The shift lever would go down or up and spring back into position, it just wouldn't shift into gear. I was able to push it off onto a surface street and FINALLY by the grace of the powers that be got it into first. From there I was able to hobble the 8-10 miles home. So what's going on? Is it fixable without mortgaging my house?

Hey there Don,
Another possibility is the little shafts that are mounted onto the end of the shift drum that the shift pawl(hook like thing) grabs to turn the drum. Several people reported those dowels falling out due to fatigue and breaking/bending of that metal plate on the end of the shift drum, so inspect it closely when you take the shift cover off! Good Luck.

[kenkrieger]

The little round thingy is a snap ring,,,and the special pliers are snap ring pliers,,,available at most hardwares Home Depot tool areas,Sears,,,,and they keep the rings from flying everywhere,most of the time.

[strom]

Originally posted by kenkrieger
The little round thingy is a snap ring,,,and the special pliers are snap ring pliers,,,available at most hardwares Home Depot tool areas,Sears,,,,and they keep the rings from flying everywhere,most of the time.

Eh, well.. english is my 2nd language.. or is it 3rd... dunno.
Don't expect me to go look in a vocabulary for every little piece of equipment. I'll just write "the thingie that lets in the air-fuel mixture and another such thingie lets the fumes out", and I'm gonna hope that u'll figure out I'm talking bout valves.

Thanx kenkrieger!

[don_honeydew]

works for me

Hey, as long as I can figure out what you're talking about, you can state it in Mandarin Chinese for all I care. It's all cool. I just appreciate the tips. I plan to take the sidecover off in the next few days to see what exactly is wrong. I have the gasket, but the torsion spring (27) has been discontinued through the dealer (was listed at $4.18). Found one at another place and the guy wants $45! That's friggin' highway robbery! Oh well, nothing to get too worked up over until I figure out the actual problem.

[kenkrieger]

Just tryin to help out with the proper nomenclature for those that don't interpret as well as you folks,,,,,lol,,,

[don_honeydew]

huh?

Okay, so I removed the cover and the arm dealie (28) had popped off the shaft (1), but nothing appears to be broken. Could the tension spring (27) be stretched out? When I put everything in place it seems to shift fine by hand. If it IS the tension spring, any ideas on where to pick one up? They're discontinued at the dealer.

Another question, is it normal to have a great deal of play in the shift lever shaft (sliding in and out)? Just curious.

[strom]

Hmmm.. so the shift lever (28) popped off... is it in line with the shift cam (1) or is it next to it?
If it's in line, then check the torsion spring, but I guess it's next to the shift cam. Was the circlip (25) on the end of the shift fork guide bar (21)? Caution.. when putting that circlip back on, be sure it pops in the groove properly.
If u can remove the 26-27-28-29 assembly by hand and there is no circlip to remove, then it fell off.
The spring is not a very strong one. It doesn't need to be. Just enough to keep the shift lever (28) on the shift cam (1).

How much play is there on the shift lever shaft and where? Does it slide in-out or does it turn around?

If it slides in and out, check the bolt (20), and if it turns around, there may be sth wrong with the 13-14-15-16 assembly...
However if the 20 bolt is loose, the 1 could pop out and the cam stopper (13) isn't in line with the stopper plate (11).

Also check the 29 circlip.

And don't buy the spring yet... if u have to replace it, try finding a similar one... as long as it stays on and does its job...

OK, this time I was checking the http://www.geocities.com/saxsbiker/F...m_and_Fork.jpg

LP

[strom]

Any feedback?

LP

[don_honeydew]

?

I looked over everything for loose stuff or missing pieces or broken stuff and could see nothing. I put it all back together filled it with oil and took it around the block. Everything seems fine. Shifts through all of the gears with out any weird noises or feeling. I'm puzzled because I assume the folks at Yamaha didn't design part #28 to pop out of part #1, but it certainly did. For now I am going to call it a freak incident and not worry about it. If it decides to do it again it will likely be when I am several miles away from home rather than just going around the block anyway. Thanks for all the input and if it happens again I'm sure I'll be right back here asking what to do next!

thanks again, don

[strom]

Excellent, don... It seems u didn't have to sell the house after all
Ride safe!

LP