Suddenly not finding 1st

[MikeFossl]

Just back from a short ride and I couldn't find first gear when coming to a stop.  After second, nothing...no neutral, no first.  I had to pull away in second a couple of times...no fun.  Once stopped, I could get things sorted by shifting up and down from 2nd to 3rd and back, easing the clutch slightly.

Last thing I did was adjust the shift lever for some heavier boots that I just bought.  That was a few days ago and I didn't notice anything on that ride.

Any ideas?

[montmil]

Big boots, huh? Make sure the shift lever is not hitting a motor mount bolt or other obstruction and reducing the throw.

[Barry]

Does it go into 1st OK at a standstill or are you trying to engage 1st on the move ?  

The gap between 1st and 2nd on our bikes is so big that changing down smoothly on the move would be a challenge at the best of times and is not calculated to do the gearbox a lot of good.

Maybe it's a throw back from the days of car gearboxes having no synchro on 1st but I never attempt to engage 1st while still rolling in a car or bike, nor is it hardly ever necessary as they pull fine in 2nd however slow I go and I often start off in 2nd on the flat or facing down hill.

Low 1st gears must be a German thing because I just bought a Mercedes with a 6 speed manual gearbox and the owners manual advises  "start off in 2nd unless on a hill"  so 1st gear is a rare thing for me.

[marcmax]

I have always had an issue finding 1st on my R65. It requires letting the clutch lever out slightly then pull it back in and then shift into 1st. Its been like that since I bought it and I just thought it was natural. I don't even think about it now, just do it.

[D Mann]

How is the weather there? My trans is a little hard to shift on cool/cold mornings, but things straighten out after two or three miles.

[Bob_Roller]

With the bike on the center stand, with the rear tire clear of the ground, with the transmission in neutral and engine not running, slowly rotate the rear tire, can you shift to first and then upshift through the gears ??
If you can't you need to adjust the shift linkage back to where it was .

I've had two pair of riding boots, that I could not wear while riding the R65 .

Pretty much had a similar shifting issue, as you have .

Also adjusting the left foot peg my help, it's serrated, so you do have a bit of adjustment there as well .

[MikeFossl]

I've put on 15k km in the last year and this is definitely something new.

Once in neutral, the bike goes into first fine (after spinning up with a little clutch first).  Once I'm riding, I can't get into 1st after coming to a stop.  It basically ends in 2nd with nothing left to shift down to.  No neutral and no 1st.  After that I shift up and down from third with a little clutch play and something finally shakes loose and it shifts down to 1st.

As I said, the last thing I did to the bike other than an oil change was widen the linkage between the the shift lever and the lever on the transmission to accommodate my clunky boots.  This actually raises the shift lever (allowing me to get the toes of the boot under) but doesn't effect the lever on the transmission that I can tell.

 

[Bob_Roller]

When I had the transmission on my '81 R65 overhauled 8 years ago, when the shift shaft seal was installed, it wasn't put in straight and the shaft couldn't move properly and I had all kinds of shifting issues with it .
I don't know if this could occur with a part that hasn't been disturbed or not, just a possibility .

[MikeFossl]

OK, here's the admission.  When I was adjusting the lever I did loosen the arm on the transmission thinking that I could adjust the angle that way.  When it became obvious that there weren't any splines I tightened it back up but it did seem to rotate as it snugged up.

What should I do to get things back?  Can I remove and reset the lever?  Is there a procedure for that?

Arg!

[Bob_Roller]

The shaft is in a cam shape, it should realign itself when you tightened it up .

You can remove the bolt that holds the arm to the tranmission and check if it is seated like it should be .

If you remove the arm from the transmission, you will loose a bit of gear oil .

May want to check the oil seal, to see if it is in straight, or possiblby damaged .

[MikeFossl]

OK, full disclosure.  I did try and adjust the foot peg location to help the situation.  Looks like the shift lever was binding on the frame.  The lever wasn't returning up and hence not allowing anymore downshifts.

Interestingly enough the problem started from 2nd to 1st but on a longer ride this morning I lost 2nd and 3rd.  Made for a disconcerting situation until I figured things out.  Until I reset the peg I pulled up the lever slightly before shifting down.

Thanks for the all the suggestions.  Glad I didn't break anything.

 

[montmil]

...Looks like the shift lever was binding on the frame.  The lever wasn't returning up and hence not allowing anymore downshifts.

Winner, winner, chicken dinner!

I have not self-created THAT particular problem but, when fitting an adjustable length shift linkage on '81 R65, I discovered how easy it would be to set up an interference with the frame. Pic is same linkage on my R100S.

[MikeFossl]

Pic is same linkage on my R100S.

That linkage looks allot better then the one I have which can't be adjusted  far enough.  Where is it from?

My lever also looks kind of droopy which doesn't help.  Can I put on a big spanner and bend it back up or is that inviting trouble with a cast alu piece?

[montmil]

Mike, I make up those shift linkages. All three of my Airheads rock 'em. Lots of 'em happily shifting other Airheads across the States.

$40.00 postage paid with photo-illustrated install instructions. If you'd like, PM me for details.

Do Not attempt to bend the cast alloy shift lever. If you decide to try, be advised they are expensive to replace. And you'll likely need to do so after it breaks away 100 miles from Nowhere.  [smiley=sad.gif].