Starter gear trashed, trans seized.

[LambdaMatters]

Alright so it has been a huuuge while since i have been in here. Moved, new job, etc. Bike had not run in 3 years sadly. Well i got it running again and rode it last weekend, ran great! Went to start it yesterday and the starter started freely spinning (not unusual for this bike it has been going bad) i kept trying. Nothing happens so i take the starter off… what do i see? The starter gear INSIDE THE ENGINE CASE is missing an inch section of teeth.. on top of this the transmission is jammed up and the rear wheel is locked up. From what i have seen in the limited reference materials i can find the gear that broke is pretty much the last gear that you can get to… im not sure i can fix the old girl with what info i have… has anyone ever had this happen? Is it as hard as it looks to replace this gear? Im not sure what to do here.

[DiverRay]

I've seen two engines eat transmission gears. The ONLY fix is to split the cases, or find a complete donor engine. I have one engine in a box, with almost all the new/refurb parts I need to put it back together that had the trans locked up. The PO of the bike was about 230 and tried to ride and shift it like a race bike every time he was on it.

[LambdaMatters]

Oof, that sounds not great, luckily for me it decided to do this in the garage, so it never even moved or started. Guess i will have to tear it down… not looking forward to it. I can’t find any real reference materials.

[Tonyxs11]

if it was mine i'd pull the sump off and have a good look around, turn the engine backwards slowly and see if anything drops out, you can turn the gears and check for any broken teeth before you strip the engine. also pull the clutch cover off and strip the clutch out for a look see.

[LambdaMatters]

I plan on starting the pull tonight, i have a good idea where the pieces are, since it is right above the trans geartrain, i don’t think there is damage, i just dread the process…

[tarzan]

When I had to do the 2nd gear fix on my XS’s, I turned the bike upside down and went in that way. Way easier to get in there and pull the gears. I never had to split my cases. Will this approach work for you?

[LambdaMatters]

Im not entirely sure how I would flip this big ole thing upside down ahe is HEAVY, could you maybe elaborate? I was not aware you could even get into the trans without splitting the case?

[Radioguylogs]

https://www.partzilla.com/catalog/ya...g/transmission

We know the drive axle can be removed from the oil pan.

It seems probable you could remove the main axle if you removed the bearing cap from the end of the shaft..

I wonder about the middle gear......if that happens to be your problem.

[DEEBS11]

THAT is just awesome.

[Ranger_xs1100]

Im not entirely sure how I would flip this big ole thing upside down ahe is HEAVY, could you maybe elaborate? I was not aware you could even get into the trans without splitting the case?

I've flipped a few. It's best to have help but I have done it alone also. I used a come-along tool suspended from the beam in my garage as pictured below. Here is a link to a little more details about how I did it: https://projectxs11.wordpress.com/19...standard-2016/

[LambdaMatters]

https://www.partzilla.com/catalog/ya...g/transmission

We know the drive axle can be removed from the oil pan.

It seems probable you could remove the main axle if you removed the bearing cap from the end of the shaft..

I wonder about the middle gear......if that happens to be your problem.

My issue is gear 1 in this diagram in the starter clutch sub assembly. Whether or not this gear can be removed without splitting the case is kind of a make or break for me. Im not entirely sure I possess the workspace or tools to get that far into it and have a chance to put it back together, i am a mechanic but not specifically for small engine stuff. Mind you i will definitely give anything a try!

[Ranger_xs1100]

Sorry, I don't know what is involved with replacing the starter gear at issue. But if it has missing teeth, they are likely laying in the bottom of the oil pan. And as Tony said, if you can rock the crank back and forth a little, that may free up some bits and pieces that are lodged elsewhere and allow them to drop. So if you do end up flipping the bike, it is extremely important to remove the oil pan first before flipping so that the gear bits and pieces don't end up falling back up into the transmission gears or into other parts of the engine. You can take a wild guess at how I know that!!

[LambdaMatters]

Im fairly confident at this point the pieces are lodged to a point where it requires tearing down, i cant budge the wheel at all, backwards or forwards. Guess ill just have to open her up and see!

[bikerphil]

Splitting the cases is not that bad if you have a Factory Service Manual to refer to.

[LambdaMatters]

Splitting the cases is not that bad if you have a Factory Service Manual to refer to.

I unfortunately do not… is there a pdf somewhere? I really don’t want to go in blind but i will. I may even record everything so i can remember.