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Strange shurge in 2nd gear? HELP

  • Thread starter Thread starter GS 550E 1980
  • Start date Start date
G

GS 550E 1980

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This ones got me stumped, in secend gear above 6000 rpm the bike starts to cut in and out baaaa baaaaa baaaaa let off and works fine. It works fine in 1st up to 9000. The thing that gets me it the trany does not slip it's like the coil quits and recovers or the trany binds and releases?

anyone? [-o<

Thanks
 
I could be that the engaugement dogs on 2th gear are worn, It slips in & out of gear. Does it do it if you give it gas SLOW ?
 
I guess I have more questions than advice but here goes. Is there any mechanical noise associated with this event (transmission). Although you mentioned it happening at high rpm, does it happen say at 3500-5500 rpm especially in higher gears? Is it worse in higher gears (you only mentioned second)?

A couple of more likely possibilities to transmission trouble, are that you are experiencing ignition breakdown due to load in higher gears (reason for the questions) which might be system voltage related (check this) OR may be an actual ignition problem. The GS550 I owned once was point ignition, is yours? Perhaps you need a little tune up TLC there ;)

A transmission gear dog that is missing and catching will probably have violent smashing symptoms (not merely something you hear or feel a slight surge) and won't last a long time. That's my experience at least.
 
It actually pops in and out of gear? That'd be pretty dramatic and you'd know right away what's happening. Plus I don't think it'd pop out, then in, just out. Or are you just saying the engine surges or looses/gains power?

I think you're saying the latter.

So two things come to mind:
1) Ignition. You mentioned this already. I'd suspect the igniter, not the coils, though. Coils are pretty bulletproof, but GS igniters are constantly going out. First check the plugs and plug wires/caps, though. There are procedures for testing the entire ignition system in your manual (if you have one) or in the archives (do a search).
2) Carb float bowl breather tubes. If routed improperly, you can get a surging or lack of power at speed. Sounds weird, and I wasn't sure about it at first, but it happened to me. Make sure they're routed so they aren't subject to air currents at speed.
 
Also you didn't mention whether this happens while accelerating or cruising or both?
 
t3rmin said:
It actually pops in and out of gear? That'd be pretty dramatic and you'd know right away what's happening. Plus I don't think it'd pop out, then in, just out.
Click to expand...

The dogs on 2nd gear were bad on my 550, and it would pop in and out. Something about the gear ratio on 2nd is just the right combination of torque and load to cause it to pop in and out. It would do it at 6000 rpm and then again at about 8000 rpm. After I split the cases to part the thing out, Kevin and I inspected the dogs, and we found no visible wear on the dogs. His comment was that a heavier spring would keep them engaged better.

To describe the feeling, the bike would "jump" when it happened. Essentially you'd be accelerating very hard, then the bike would lose its push, and when the dogs caught again, it would jump the bike back to acceleration.

But the OP described it as “cutting out”, so it doesn’t sound like this is happening. At the same time, if the description of the problem is just misleading, I think the dogs are a very likely cause of the problem. Seems to be common with the 550’s. They’re just too powerful!
 
Last edited:
LeeGS550E said:
The dogs on 2nd gear were bad on my 550, and it would pop in and out. Something about the gear ratio on 2nd is just the right combination of torque and load to cause it to pop in and out. It would do it at 6000 rpm and then again at about 8000 rpm. After I split the cases to part the thing out, Kevin and I inspected the dogs, and we found no visible wear on the dogs. His comment was that a heavier spring would keep them engaged better.

To describe the feeling, the bike would "jump" when it happened. Essentially you'd be accelerating very hard, then the bike would lose its push, and when the dogs caught again, it would jump the bike back to acceleration.

But the OP described it as ?cutting out?, so it doesn?t sound like this is happening. At the same time, if the description of the problem is just misleading, I think the dogs are a very likely cause of the problem. Seems to be common with the 550?s. They?re just too powerful!
Click to expand...

I stand corrected! Thanks for the insight, Lee.
 
It actually pops in and out of gear? That'd be pretty dramatic and you'd know right away what's happening. Plus I don't think it'd pop out, then in, just out. Or are you just saying the engine surges or looses/gains power?

I think you're saying the latter.

yes it seems to me to be the engine but only happens in secend gear If it was a coil or control box it would do it in the other gears. unless the 2nd gear light is shorting out and drawing too much power from the system. I thought it might be a fuel problem but i tested it buy runing it in first gear for a while and then romping on it to see if i could get it to run out and it worked fine. In all other gears the bike works perfect.

There are no noises with this event but the engine dyeing and then within a sec kicking back in and repeating as long as i give it gas. this happens at about 5k (bad tac cable) and bike will go faster gaining speed and rpms with the surge if you hold it wide open.


??????????????????????
 
LeeGS550E said:
The dogs on 2nd gear were bad on my 550, and it would pop in and out. Something about the gear ratio on 2nd is just the right combination of torque and load to cause it to pop in and out. It would do it at 6000 rpm and then again at about 8000 rpm. After I split the cases to part the thing out, Kevin and I inspected the dogs, and we found no visible wear on the dogs. His comment was that a heavier spring would keep them engaged better.

To describe the feeling, the bike would "jump" when it happened. Essentially you'd be accelerating very hard, then the bike would lose its push, and when the dogs caught again, it would jump the bike back to acceleration.

But the OP described it as ?cutting out?, so it doesn?t sound like this is happening. At the same time, if the description of the problem is just misleading, I think the dogs are a very likely cause of the problem. Seems to be common with the 550?s. They?re just too powerful!
Click to expand...

Did it slip or go into neutral when it popped out?

8-[
 
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