Just replaced clutch cover basket and bike not shifting through gears

[Guest]

I just replaced the clutch cover gasket on my 81 850GS. Since putting the cover back on, I can't shift down to first and I can only shift up to what seems like fourth gear. Did I do something wrong when putting the cover back on or is there something I may have missed? Thank you in advance for any help.

[bwringer]

There are a couple of different things that might be happening here.

1) If the new gasket was thinner than the old one, the shifter shaft may be binding. There's a little nubbin on the inside of the clutch cover that contacts the end of the shifter shaft. There's supposed to be a little clearance there so that the shaft can move.

2) If you somehow moved the shifter shaft to the side while the cover was off, it may have gotten out of place on the selector.

[jryanmc]

I will need to get back in the clutch cover tonlook, but is there something I should look for in particular to the shaft being moved accidentally to the side or making sure the selector is in the right position?

[Carter Turk]

Does the clutch cover have an arm coming out the top a cable attaches to?

Is the clutch, cable or hydraulic?

Guess I'm no help, don't know the 850.

[bwringer]

Does the clutch cover have an arm coming out the top a cable attaches to?

Is the clutch, cable or hydraulic?

Guess I'm no help, don't know the 850.

Um... OK.



Anyhoo... assuming the bike is reassembled, grab the shift lever and make sure there's a wee bit of play left and right and that the lever can move freely up and down a little bit. Make sure you can feel the spring resistance a little bit.

Here's an overview of things (note that forward is to the left and down).

The shifter shaft (#26) has a geared selector at the end (top of the image) that engages with a pawl mechanism (parts #5-11). There's a strong "hairpin" spring (#28) that returns the shifter to the center after every shift.


Here's what it looks like with the clutch basket removed (hope this random image I found works...). Ponder this for a moment, and you'll see that if the shifter shaft gets pushed to the right of the bike (toward the viewer in this photo) a little while the clutch cover is off, the teeth could come off the teeth on the pawl (the two "sector" gears near the center) and/or the hairpin spring could come off its pin.

[chuck hahn]

Basically remember the word CENTER. The CENTER male cog on the shifter fork meshes with the CENTER female cog on the shift drum when in neutral. When you shift it ratchets the shift drum and the shifter forks slide the gears into whatever gear is being sellected.

[Carter Turk]

Um... OK.

Yeah, I thought he didn't mention the specific bike, then noticed he did after I posted.

Best if I just kept mouth shut, since I know nothing about 850's.

[jryanmc]

Alright, I apologize for responding to all of these great replies so late. Here is what is going on. A couple months ago I replaced the clutch cover gasket, taking off the clutch cover and cable. I rotated the rear wheel and could get to what seemed like first, neutral, second, third, fourth, but not fifth.

The bike has been on center stand for about 3 month now with a battery tender. Just recently I had paint done. I put the bike back together, filled her with gas and fired her up. All good. Then I shifted down to first and it killed it. Not really sure what is going on. I can still only get to fourth, no fifth. I think that the selector may have gotten off, but it is weird because I can still find neutral. Hope this makes sense because I am an extreme noob. Thanks again for the replies, and again, sorry for my late response.

[GSXR7ED]

I replaced the same gasket on my "T". As I was doing this task, I pushed the gear shifter inward and the claw came out of the gear. Not sure if that's what happened to you but here is my documented experience beginning with post #15:

http://www.thegsresources.com

Ed

[jryanmc]

Alright, thank you. I read through that thread. So you had to take the clutch apart in order to fix?

[GSXR7ED]

Alright, thank you. I read through that thread. So you had to take the clutch apart in order to fix?

I had to take the clutch basket out to fix it.


Ed

[jdvorchak]

before you go removing the clutch basket assembly can you post a pic of the clutch cable where it enters the clutch cover? I think your problems may all be related to the clutch free play adjustment at the cable end. When you removed the clutch cover I'm sure that actuator arm got displaced. When you re-assemble the cover that arm will move a few degrees as you're installing the cover. You want it to end up almost parallel with the bike frame, but not quite. If you have to pointing slightly inboard you won't have enough travel to fully disengage the clutch which I think may be your problem. You have to position that lever so the full arc of travel goes from slightly outboard to slightly inboard. Hope you can visualize that.

Yeah... I'm the guy that sold you that bike and you broke it? LOL

[jdvorchak]

I just happened to find this pic of the bike. Note how the actuator arm is positioned relative to the plane of the frame/engine. It is slightly outboard in the relaxed position. What you don't see is that if the cable were removed that arm would forcibly stop moving inboard at that position. So put as much free play in the cable as you can and see if this is where that arm quits moving inboard with finger/hand pressure.