Neutral problems

[SkipHanson]

All,
  Hello. I have a 87 R65 with only 15K miles on it. Its been a long Winter and I am just now getting out to ride. However, my transmission will not disengage if the bike is not running ? If it is running I can push it around at will.

  Also, when it is running my neutral light is ON, I have the clutch in but when I try to shift into 1st the bike lurches and stops as if the clutch is not actually in neutral.

 Any ideas before I head to shop ?

Thank you,
Skip

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

It sounds like you need to pull the transmission, just to see what your clutch and input splines look like.

On your year bike, the input splines where hardened and lasted longer between lubrications, but if they are dry or dirty, they need to be cared for.  And examined.

Push and pull on the input shaft with your hand.  There should be just enough play that you can notice it, but nothing excessive.

Drain the transmission oil before doing anything and see what is stuck to the magnet.  Fine fuzz is O.K., but chunks of stuff are not!


How long have YOU owned the bike?

[SkipHanson]

Thanks Rob. I have owned it for 2 years and I bought it from the original owner who happens to be my brother-in-law. Thanks for the advice, I am not confident with pulling the transmission so I guess its off to the shop...bummer.

Cheers

[nhmaf]

Check on the back of the transmission, where the actuating arm for the clutch pushed into the little rubber "boot" at the back middle of the transmission cover - maybe the bolt&nut which push into the middle have come loose and gone out of adjustment.   How far does the actuating arm move when you pull in the lever on the handlebar?

You may still need to service the splines, but it pays to check some simple things first.

[SkipHanson]

I will give that a try. I did look at the arm and it was working but I am not sure how far it is supposed to move ? It did not appear to move all that much, maybe 3/4 inch. I will take a closer look tomorrow. Thank you.

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

Do you have the book that came with the bike?  
It details adjusting the clutch.

[nhmaf]

The process to adjust the clutch is a bit lengthy to get into here, but we can try to walk you through it if you don't have the little blue owners manual book.   Definitely recommend that you order one of those for the future.

The clutch arm doesn't move very much - probably around 3/4 inch as you note, but it is possible that ht elocknut on that screw that pushes into the middle of the rubber boot loosened, causing the screw to back out a little bit and cause incomplete disengagement of the clutch.   It doesn't take much.

[Bob_Roller]

Was everything working when you put the bike away for winter 'hibernation'?

I might be misunderstanding the problem a bit, but it has the sound of the clutch plate being 'rusted' in place between the pressure ring and pressure plate, and not releasing .

I see from your info, that your are on the Pacific coast just south of Santa Cruz, possibility, all the wet/damp weather the last few months, has been a factor .

[Ed Miller]

"I might be misunderstanding the problem a bit, but it has the sound of the clutch plate being 'rusted' in place between the pressure ring and pressure plate, and not releasing ."

That's what I thought, too, though I don't understand the neutral light issue.  Nor why the bike would have to be running before you can push it around.

[nhmaf]

The neutral light is turned on by the switch that is mounted on the bottom side of the transmission, near the left side frame tube (on the bottom).  As it has nothing to do with the clutch, it would seem that it is working (UNLESS, the neutral light comes ON only when you squeeze the clutch lever - if that is the case, you've got a bad diode in the wiring harness).  

If the neutral light is on, engine not running, and you cannot push the bike by hand - or not easily - without squeezing the clutch lever on the handlebar, then the neutral switch is bad and it says you are in neutral when you are not.

IF neither of the above items are true, but you seem to have a hard time getting the bike to shift into first gear with the engine running, bike not moving yet-> squeeze clutch lever and bike tries to lurch forward and engine stalls, then indeed you have rusted/sticking clutch plates.

Are any of the above scenarios what you have?

[SkipHanson]

Thanks everyone, this is a great forum. It appears the rusted clutch plate may be the culprit. Based on the feedback. Yes I live near the coast and although I do have bike cover it is kept under a carport.

I just bought a manual...funny it just arrived as I was typing. Before I fall asleep on the couch reading, any hints on how to unstick the clutch plate ? Of course I will check the lock nut first.

Thanks again !

[mattardi]

Sorry to hi-jack the thread Skip, but I too have an 87 R65 (with some clutch issues...but I'll get to that later).  I've been trying to find the owners manual for this bike for awhile now and it seems like it's not available anymore.  Where did you order yours?

Thanks,
Mike

[nhmaf]

This thread we discussed last month has the recommended procedure for freeing the stuck clutch plate syndrome.
http://www.bmwr65.org/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1268927337/6#6

Also, if you haven't already found it, Robert Flesicher a.k.a "snowbum" has alot of valuable info on airhead wrenching on his website.   It is hard to read and filled with minutiae/streams of conciousness stuff, but there are also valuble "gems" of info on his site and I recommend that you bookmark it:
http://bmwmotorcycletech.info/techindex.htm

[SkipHanson]

Hyphen,
  I didn't order an original manual. I got the Clymer manual from A&S Motorcycle Parts Inc. in Roseville CA. It covers BMW's from 1970 - 1996 and at first glance will be worth the money. There is a lot of information on care and maintenance.

Cheers,
Skip

[mattardi]

Ah, I see.  I got both the Clymer and the Haynes from the previous owner.  Lots of good info there, would still like to get my hands on the original owners manual though.

Mike