Secondary Gear Tips Party

[suedehead]

So I'm a total beginner at this...do I chalk the the edges of both gears? And can I get to the inside of that gear housing without much hassle? Isn't there a bearing in there? I thought I would pick a new one up and replace it just to be sure. Thanks again for all the advice, its meant alot to me to have people that have done it before banter back and forth over the correct way to do it. Haha. Seriously though, thanks guys. I think I'm gonna dig into it this weekend. Parts are in and the weather is supposed to be nice enough.

[willie]

And can I get to the inside of that gear housing without much hassle? Isn't there a bearing in there? I thought I would pick a new one up and replace it just to be sure.

There is a bearing in there. I was going to replace the one in my housing until I discovered several bad teeth on one pinion gear. I've decided to replace the entire cluster assembly now instead of just the bearing. IMO, replacing the bearing is going to make shimming all the more important and, perhaps, more difficult, due to pressing the bearing onto the shaft having a direct effect upon the clearance (or lack of such) between the gears. I suggest that you make absolutely certain everything is adjusted (shimmed) properly before installing the swingarm.
Good luck and keep us posted of your results.
Willie in TN

[Zooks]

The gear will definitely come out without loosening the engine. I've done a few and you just have to be patient. It clears (at a certain angle) by about 1.5mm.

Of course, it may just be easier to loosen the engine in it's mounts and jack it up anyway. Your call.

[rapidray]

Welcome to the GSR.

Mine had sheared right where the machined thread starts. The stub area was softer than expected. I could file the remaining piece. I drilled and tapped into it and used a high tensile bolt with the head machined off as it's replacement stub, loctiting it into the pinion. It's been on the bike for 6 months now, with no apparent problems.
You may find that your replacement unit will also fail if it's a design/material/tempering fault.

It never ceases to amaze me at the KIWIS ability to McGuyver things!!! Very impressive fix!!! Ray.

[49er]

It never ceases to amaze me at the KIWIS ability to McGuyver things!!! Very impressive fix!!! Ray.

Come on Ray, McGuyver would have hand drilled and trapped his. At least I centered mine up and drilled and tapped it in a lathe!!

Seriously, thanks for the compliments. Kiwis have a #8 wire mentallity. It stems from years of living remotely from the rest of civilisation. Our ingenuity has decreased somewhat with the advent of the digital era though.

[Zooks]

It never ceases to amaze me at the KIWIS ability to McGuyver things!!! Very impressive fix!!! Ray.

I did the same fix. Mine is written up with pics on Basscliffs website. http://members.dslextreme.com/users/...pair_zooks.pdf

I just drilled and tapped (in a lathe) and then used a high tensile 'allen' bolt.

[ironpan65]

I also just did the same fix on an 82 GS1100 GL............thanks to the info from this site....and the wisdom from 49er and Zooks....Snow has melted enough now to get the bike out of the shop....200 KLMs on it...... so far ... so good !!

[suedehead]

What were the underlying causes of the gear snapping for everyone? Or is it just something that just wears out with the age of the bike and all the torque put on that specific place?

[willie]

IMO the failure is caused by a defect in the machining or hardening process. FWIW, I found a broken shaft on my '82 1100G over the weekend when I removed the flange from the output shaft.
Willie in TN

[suedehead]

Hey, if I bought the upper and lower secondary gears off another bike, the only thing I would need to replace when I put them in mine is the o-rings right?

[TheCafeKid]

Yes, BUT be completely AWARE of exactly WHICH bike you are getting them from. The 850 gears wont work. They are too small/short whatever you want to call it. it must be off an 1100G, 1100GL or 1100GK...There are no visible differences in the gear that the shaft bolts to, but the drive gear IS visibly different. If the outer plate (the part you see when you take the shifter cover off, before you take the gear out) looks different than yours, its off an 850...

[TheCafeKid]

I have a spare set from a 1000GL, part numbers are the same as the 1100GK. Have the O-rings too. Let me know if you want them.

Ed, if he doesnt want em, My roomate just might for his GK. We bought a set off of Joe and they were for an 850, he didnt know they were different and neither did we so no ones fault there, but I havent been able to locate him a set on ebay that im sure are decent, and a new set (have to be purchased in a set apparently, otherwise i have a good driven gear) are 200+ bucks...

[Nessism]

Ed, if he doesnt want em, My roomate just might for his GK. We bought a set off of Joe and they were for an 850, he didnt know they were different and neither did we so no ones fault there, but I havent been able to locate him a set on ebay that im sure are decent, and a new set (have to be purchased in a set apparently, otherwise i have a good driven gear) are 200+ bucks...

Josh,
The gears are yours if you want them. I deleted my message because I think it came across as hawking my old parts. I don't think sueadhead needs the gears, just some new O-rings.

[TheCafeKid]

Josh,
The gears are yours if you want them. I deleted my message because I think it came across as hawking my old parts. I don't think sueadhead needs the gears, just some new O-rings.

You have a PM Sir

[Zooks]

You don't 'have' to buy them in pairs Josh. You can 'lap' them together using grinding paste, the same way they do crown wheels & pinions in diffs. It's a bit of stuffing about but it can be done.

They're generally kept in pairs in case they have 'meshed' together over time. Putting two 'new' gears together would cause huge amounts of whining and maybe chip teeth, wear unevenly etc.