2nd Gear Fix. Any Words of Wisdom? :)

[Schming]

Cool a final drive swap is possible huh? Then thats just another thing to add to the list!!! Did you check out the last ebay link and did you see any parts I could possibly use to help simplify the 2nd gear fix? Btw thanks for all your time!!!

I found some shift forks and they are all sold seperately and have numbers on them like 2 and 3? And how can I tell if they are still good before ordering?

Over here we usually cruise around 140-160kmh on the autobahn for a hour or so at a time when we go to parties in a group. I do agree it seems the xs does love to scream but the bad part is when we fuel up i always need the most fuel out of everybody and i gotta do something about that

I've purchased from Piet Youngtimer and he sells very clean quality used parts. Here's a couple gear sets from your link.

http://www.microsofttranslator.com/b...3ht_2897wt_918

http://www.microsofttranslator.com/b...3ht_4112wt_918

[donebysunday]

1st GEAR DROP

I've found that warming the bike in neutral, then shutting it down, put it in 1st, then pulling the clutch and starting will cause much less wear on the 1st gear. Once it's warm if you want neutral at stops and such it's much less of a clunk to get it in gear if your clutch is adjusted well. If you listen to your bike and understand what is happening you and it will be happy !

[anarchy18]

Hey TOPCAT thats alotta info I will be studying your WALKTHRU and what you just said before I loosen the first bolt I also printed out the Addendum to the 1st/2nd gear tranny fix. Those are such great quality pics that even look good printed! I also have another print out from a couple years ago that I cant find on here anymore called the The Second Gear Repair - Illustrations that had great pics also! I will probably need a new 2nd Gear Shifter Fork as stated above? What you said is exactly what i was gonna work on, 2nd gear and the getting 5th gear back! The other fixes I can look into but I dont even know what the others are for yet? I havent noticed any problems in 1st yet either. And whats this now with the 2nd gear washer swap? And of course I dont want to go in more than once I want to RIDE!!!!!

First thing I need to know is what parts do I need before I begin this job? I mean for all the fixes. Because I wanna be able to do this job in 1 shot (even if it takes days) but without having to stop for long periods in between. If I stay on it and have everything I need when I start Im hoping I will be ok. HOPE DIES LAST THEY SAY IN GERMANY!!!!!

[madmax-im]

there is a washer on the countershaft between 2nd and 5th gears...by moving this washer to the other side of 2nd gear brings the 2 gears closer to each other and results in a more positive engagement of the dogs and slots of those gears...frankly I,m surprised no one else has mentioned it...but its there and easy to do...

[TopCatGr58]

Hey BNE,

I don't mention the washer swap because, 1) it makes putting the gear/countershaft assembly back in a bit more problematic. 2) Also, the washer swap is a great idea with NEW unworn gears, but once the dremmel fix is applied, in some folks opinion, it's not really necessary, the undercut performs the securing of the gears together under stress, and they actually will pull together as close as they can, and so the washer is almost redundent...again IMHO and others.

Derrick, you mentioned the diamond burrs, but I tried them on a die grinder, and they just didn't seem to work as well or as quickly as the actual Dremmel stones. I listed the model #'s of the stones/bits for the Dremmel ones in the tech tip. Aside from the the possible shift fork, the dremmel stones, there shouldn't be much else you'll need parts wise. You can either cut/make your own gaskets, or use gasket maker type sealant without the gasket...ie. Yamabond or such...! The 3 torx screws holding the countershaft bearing assembly can get damaged if you don't have a proper fitting torx bit, so you might want to get some extra screws...they are flat head countersunk style, but I don't recall the thread size/pitch. I had one get buggered up and had to drill the head down/off before I was able to remove the bearing cap, and THEN I was able to grab and remove the remaining screw end.

Then the special tools...an inch/pound torque wrench for the clutch starplate bolts as well as other small bolts with low torque values. Also a "C" ring pliers for the shift shaft clips and the countershaft....IF you want to remove the gears completely from the shaft. I left the ones in place that don't easily slide off the shaft, and then just spritzed the assembly with plenty of carb cleaner and compressed air to remove/wash away the grinding dust before reassembly and lubing with fresh oil.

And as I mentioned regarding the shift drum, the missing pin and possibly bent fancy star washer, I haven't read the other thread yet to see what the other GURU's have said about my suggestions for the shift drum washer mod!?

T.C.

[Martini Man]

I've found that warming the bike in neutral, then shutting it down, put it in 1st, then pulling the clutch and starting will cause much less wear on the 1st gear. Once it's warm if you want neutral at stops and such it's much less of a clunk to get it in gear if your clutch is adjusted well. If you listen to your bike and understand what is happening you and it will be happy !

I have to agree with what you say. I own 4 XS1100's. 2 of them have done 300,000 miles and never had any transmission problems. My secret is always put it in gear, usually 1st, pull the clutch and press the starter. I use 2nd to pull away unless I'm on a hill or need to go slow. Putting it in 1st gear produces a loud clunk which is letting you know the bike don't like it, so switch it off before engaging 1st gear whilst at a standstill. If you use this method, you will never have any gear trouble....

[sail4free]

I have to agree with what you say. I own 4 XS1100's. 2 of them have done 300,000 miles and never had any transmission problems. My secret is always put it in gear, usually 1st, pull the clutch and press the starter. I use 2nd to pull away unless I'm on a hill or need to go slow. Putting it in 1st gear produces a loud clunk which is letting you know the bike don't like it, so switch it off before engaging 1st gear whilst at a standstill. If you use this method, you will never have any gear trouble....

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So -- in my own words -- there is no need for 1st gear unless on a hill or needing to go slow. Never put it in 1st without killing the engine first, then pulling the clutch to restart the engine. Good advice! Will be riding soon but I haven't ridden this bike in 12 years and yet I remember the loud CLUNK to put it in first when stopped at a light . . . good to know I can still take off without it -- probably discourages those jet rocket launches as well. ('Cuz we all know slipping the clutch is begging for trouble.)
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So just shift down slow and easy (with the engine running) until you hit neutral and then one click up for 2nd and you're good to go?
JIM P.
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[madmax-im]

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So -- in my own words -- there is no need for 1st gear unless on a hill or needing to go slow. Never put it in 1st without killing the engine first, then pulling the clutch to restart the engine. Good advice! Will be riding soon but I haven't ridden this bike in 12 years and yet I remember the loud CLUNK to put it in first when stopped at a light . . . good to know I can still take off without it -- probably discourages those jet rocket launches as well. ('Cuz we all know slipping the clutch is begging for trouble.)
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So just shift down slow and easy (with the engine running) until you hit neutral and then one click up for 2nd and you're good to go?
JIM P.
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if you are rolling to a stop at 5 mph shift into 1st gear it will not clunk and simply hold the clutch in at the stop...I've been doing that for over 30 yrs...works fine for me...

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Jim P.,

2nd gear is a little tall to use for a dead stop start...IMHO. Like BNE said, shifting into 1st while still rolling to a stop is another way of not experiencing the THUNK without having to actually shut the bike off. But once you're stopped, the gears are spinning...holding in the clutch for a few seconds helps to SLOW DOWN the spinning so that when you shift into 1st, it won't clunk as strongly or heavily providing you don't have the idle too high. But once the bike is warmed up, it's not a hard thing to do to shut it off, shift into 1st and then restart with the clutch held in. Starting out in 2nd will require slipping the clutch a bit more before you can fully release it to full engagement, and so you may be trading off clutch friction disc wear for gear wear....but the clutch plates ARE easier to work on than the gears! YMMV

T.C.

[BA80]

If the clutch is adjusted correctly and the idle RPMs are right the "clunk" isn't bad at all.

[madmax-im]

in addition to what I said above...there is a safety benefit from sitting at a light with the engine running and the bike in gear...holding the clutch...to me stopping and starting the bike at the light is more cumbersome than what i suggest doing and doews pose a safety issue because you need to be ready to get out of the way if something were to happen...intersections and traffic lights are the riskiest places to be ...so i want my bike in gear and ready to go...YMMV

[IanDMacDonald]

Umm . . . unless you're sitting in-front of a railroad crossing, I hope nobody is sitting at a light with their bikes in any gear other than 1st. We're talking about using the bike as it's designed: Start in 1st, cruise in a gear that does not bog the engine. You would not start a car in 2nd gear, let alone leave it in neutral at a light, why would you treat your bike differently?

[BA80]

I put mine in neutral all the time when I'm sitting at lights here. Sometimes it takes 20 minutes to get on the turnpike to get home from work during rush hour.

I have no issues getting it back in gear. Sometimes it doesn't like to go into neutral when the oil is cold but WTF?

[madmax-im]

ok 20 mins is a different story Greg...I never sit anywhere that long around these parts...we do have some long lights but usually no more than 3 mins...around here you really need to watch your back...i've known a few riders to be rear ended sitting at traffic lights... people just dont pay attention anymore

[Rasputin]

If the clutch is adjusted correctly and the idle RPMs are right the "clunk" isn't bad at all.

+1. Gotta say the clutch adjustment is very important.