BLOWN TRANS ?????

Energy One

rbil

New Member
trans prob

Add me to th elist. 07 K9
main shaft broke on the way home from Sturgis last year. Fully replaced under warranty. Now less than a year after getting it back, more trans noise. a whinning on decel. said they gave me a whole new tranny last year because I complained and said I was in a hurry (less than a month to them). Anyway, warranty is out and talked to a cust service guy and now he will not return my calls (over a week now)
 

chacha

Chaff Your EHC!!
Calendar Participant
Have you talked to Baker about a fix and a rebuild while they're in there?
 

bkingjr

Active Member
My trans died too. 08 pit with 4500 miles.

Anyone know what we can do to prevent this from happening again?
 

bfitz

Member
When my shaft snapped last year I was told Baker had a heat treat problem on a series of shafts, made since at the time, but after seeing all this thread sounds like someone was blowing smoke up my a$$
 

skully

Active Member
Calendar Participant
the curring of the main shaft was allways said to be the problem. (?) both times the trans broke I never had any warning. thank God the dam thing went into netural and did not lock into gear. locking it up at 70 would not be fun. two tranies in under 12000 miles, both times Baker replaced all the internals and when i sold the bike with 15000 miles on it, all seamed well. other than it catching on fire again with the new owner. lol
 

Bigbass

Member
Here is pictures of two shafts that broke in my bike

Okay, You want pictures here is the pictures of the two main shafts that broke on me. The post about adding all the up grades is the reason is total bull shit. The first one broke on a completely stock fuckin 2006 mastiff. Pisses me off when a person wants to blame everything on the owner because he added a new wheels or chrome.


I bought the bike with 2100 miles on it, drove it 75 miles to BDM in whichita to have it looked over and was headed home. 3 miles from my house I had down shifted to 5th gear to pass by a casino because those damn people will pull out in front of you. I pulled in the clutch shifted to 6th.

Let out the clutch and the drove about 1/2 block and trans went to neutral and the motor went to high revs. I shut it down. I hauled it home and because it was not under warranty because it is an 06 I knew BDM would do nothing even though it only had 2,100 miles on it. I knew the previous owner and new how much he babied it so I knew it was not from rough riding.

I took it apart and found the first shaft in the picture broke right inside the Baker transmission. I found a bearing on the other shaft a little stiff so I replaced it also.

I called Baker and JT said he had never heard of a main shaft breaking on a BDM. I was not aware of this site so I did not know any better. I replaced the parts and went on.


Damn smooth break for rough riding imo

Well I changed that shaft and added pipes and air filter. I rode it for 850 miles I was on the highway at 70 mph and the second shaft broke.I called Baker and this time another guy told me the same story that mine was the very first BDM that mine was the one and only one they have ever heard of breaking a main shaft.


I said this is my second one in less than six months what the hell gives. I once again bought another one and installed it. I put it in two weeks ago.

I have 250 miles on this one and there is the same vibration as the last two. Well I am doing a major upgrade this winter so Monday I tore the bike down to do zero decking, port and polish, 650 cam and open primary.

I was just curious as to what the vibration may be so just for shits and giggles I put my dial indicator on the end shaft and found it to be bent .007. That is on the brand new shaft with only 250 miles on it. I do not dump the clutch, I do not do burn outs because I use this bike at the car shows.

I called Baker and they said deflection should be no more than .002 to .003. I said this one has .007 and they said it needs replaced. I explained this is my 3 one and only 250 miles on it. They said it is so odd that out of thousands of BDM mine is the only one that keeps breaking or bending.

The tranny is headed to Baker as we speak because I am tired of tearing it down.

I am glad I found this site. By the way put me down for a total of 3 main shafts. I think part of the vibration we have is the main shaft is not true from the factory. Watch your primary chain for it too get tight and loose when you remove your clutch pack and spin the inside hub.

It will tighten and loosen your chain which then cause stress on the gear if you happen to set the chain tension when it is slack then spins and torques the gear causing the
shaft to bend more.
this is just my opinion.

Still pisses me off that someone comes on here and instantly says it is the fault of the upgrades when my first one was 100% stock and the second one I have done nothing but baby my bike. And also pisses me off when he says there is such a small percentage of us with this problem. Seems like enough of them I can argue with Baker about me not being the only one.

Sorry for long post but when the fuckin post was made about the upgrades causing this and there is so few of us that we should just deal with it makes me want to blow a damn gasket.
 

Attachments

Bigbass

Member
I have one of the shats here at the house and i had my brother stop by the shop to send me the pictures of the second one. look closely and you will notice both broke in the same spot. right inside the Baker transmission. I did not bother BDM because they did not buiold the tranny.

I am dealing directly with Baker on it. One broke smooth as a baby's bottom and the other had three very distinct nipples on it. I took the second one by my machine show and there diagnosis is bad casting.

:bang::bang::bang::bang:
 

Attachments

Vegas

Well-Known Member
You have something else going on in my opinion. It's just to much of a conincidence. I wonder if your case was machined incorrectly or something is out of alignment. I'd be looking for the cause of your thired main shaft.
 

Bigbass

Member
I would normally agree but this shaft I have now came from the factory that way. That is why the one shaft went to the machine shop for inspection and it shows a casting problem.

There is no stress cracks and the shaft is not twisted of from being in a bind. It is flat like you cut it with a saw. To bend inside the case be external stress should screw up the seal and such. How do you bend it inside the case, inside the bearing housing without screwing up a lot more.

All the guy's posting about broken shafts experienced the exact thing I did. No warning just quits. Doesn't matter if you are shifting or driving. The vibration is the same in all three shafts and I finallyu found waht is causing the vibration. I know the 117 is going to vibrate but I just think they got a bad batch of shafts.

The 250 miles I put on it was going to and from Car shows so I was going easy both ways to not get an ass load of bugs on it to clean. We checked alignment and and clearance. The beltend of the shaft is true. To break inside the case like the others have had happen is not a place that can bed due to stress.

The bend would be outside the case if it was alignment or torque. It is too far inside the case to be a stress problem. The gears are mint and there is no fee play for binding.

I can pull in the clutch while driving at 55 to 80 and the vibration leaves. The gears are still rottaing the only part you are stopping is the outside part of the main shaft. If there was binding of any kind there should be a noise of some kind or a grinding sound or slow your bike when you coast. I have let it coast forever trying to hear anything or feel anything it just keeps on going.

If it was an internally caused problem the vibration should remain when in nuieatral coasting. Trust me I let a well educated custom Bike engine and tranny man go through this with a fine toothed comb before I installed this last one.

I thought it odd that Baker said they have never heard of this but yet several on here have the same problem. This is why I am not blaming or upset with BDM. I love my bike enough to keep on going. I will find a cure no matter whaty it costs.

Worst case scenerio I will find a way to run another type tranny if it happens again. You can bet I will check the shaft for deflection before it goes back in.

My brother helped me with the first one and he set my chain tension. He has worked on them for years and very good with a wrench. W went riding for a bit and it had the same vibration so I figure it was normal because I had never had a BDM.

When I got home I checkd the bolts and found the primary had a little oil smear on the bottom of it so I got a new gasket pulled the outer primary and noticed my chain loose.
I thought maybe he didn't get the chain tensioner tight. I adjusted and tightened it back up.

When I went to change the primary fluid I noticed the chain was loose again. I thought what the heck is going on. re adjusted and went on. I then decided to do the easy pull clutch and found the chain loose again. When I removed the clutch pack I spun the inner hub and it would cause the outer hub to move the chain loose and then tight.

I called Ironlightning in Tulsa to ask if it is normal do that and was told they would call back. I waited and called again and they said they would call back and still no call. We had a ride coming over that weekend so I adjusted the chain so it would not get tight enough to torque the tensioner.

When I found the bent shaft on this one I set the hub on it and it was doing thew exact same wobble as the last one that broke.

I rode A friend of mines Bulldog and his vibration is substantionally less. I truly think they have a bad batch or the ones they are sending me are ones they removed and they are not happy I was doing it myself because both times they were real adiment about me letting them do it for cost of parts, labor and shipping.

I was saving money because I am a pretty good stick with my wrenches when I know what I am doing. That tranny is so simple to build anyone can do it. There is no way to get anything in backwards or crossed up. It is all cut and dry.

Too many having the exact same problem. I just was unfortunate enough to have it more than once. That I believe truly is a 1 in a million.

I do believe Baker is wrong in saying they have never heard of any shaft on a BDM breaking. Baker should say I am the first to have it more than once...

Does that not seem odd that there are several that have had the shafts returned to Baker and they claim nobody has ever returned one. The weak point is the hollow center but a small imperfection in casting can be the culprit as much as anything else.
 

Vegas

Well-Known Member
Sounds like my kind of luck. You'll get it fixed but what a pain in the ass. I've adjusted my chain once and it's stayed consistent since. Baker is full of shit. There has been a bunch of main shaft breaks.
 

TCALZ06

Well-Known Member
bigbass,


You seem to have the worst trans of anyone on this site.
I don't think I've heard of anyone breaking two and you have three

I don't remember who it was on this site that used to work for BDM but he stated that at one point there were
a whole lot of trannys coming in on a weekly basis to be rebuilt.

So the question is has Baker been sending you old inventory they got stuck with when BDM's sales tanked or do they
still have a problem?

Good luck let us know what you find.
 
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bigdogtech01

Well-Known Member
I have one of the shats here at the house and i had my brother stop by the shop to send me the pictures of the second one. look closely and you will notice both broke in the same spot. right inside the Baker transmission. I did not bother BDM because they did not buiold the tranny.

I am dealing directly with Baker on it. One broke smooth as a baby's bottom and the other had three very distinct nipples on it. I took the second one by my machine show and there diagnosis is bad casting.

:bang::bang::bang::bang:
Looking at your pictures you had both older style Main shafts installed. I can tell by looking at the threaded end of your Main shaft. The threads should go all the way in with no ledge on the new heat treated ones. Looks to me they installed one of the old ones just the same as the one that broke the first time.
If you are able to take your transmission out of the bike with no problem I can rebuild it for less than the Baker guys can or any other shop around. Just package it up with no Oil in it and send it to me. I have all the Bigdog tools and parts needed.
However, if you are having this many problems, you may also need a countershaft assy. it is not cheap but will be worth it in the long run.
Did they replace your shift forks before?
Anyone else that is interested in having me rebuild their transmission just give me a call or PM me.
(607)743-4327
-Andrew
 

bigdogtech01

Well-Known Member
I can pull in the clutch while driving at 55 to 80 and the vibration leaves. The gears are still rottaing the only part you are stopping is the outside part of the main shaft. If there was binding of any kind there should be a noise of some kind or a grinding sound or slow your bike when you coast. I have let it coast forever trying to hear anything or feel anything it just keeps on going.

If it was an internally caused problem the vibration should remain when in nuieatral coasting. Trust me I let a well educated custom Bike engine and tranny man go through this with a fine toothed comb before I installed this last one.
This well educated man should have known that under load the transmission can act differently and give different symptoms than it would in neutral or with the clutch pulled in. In most cases I have seen your transmission jumps, vibrates and lurches in acceleration in 3rd and 4th gear. Now if you are having vibration issues that you are sure are caused from the transmission you may have a bad countershaft along with a bad Mainshaft and bearings. When you take your top cover off along with the shift drum and forks, reach down inside the trans. and grab hold of the countershaft. Grab it tight trying to hold a few of the gears, try to move it side to side(left to right) if you feel play on the shaft, any play at all then it is time for a new countershaft.
Also keep in mind vibration can come from a lot of other things on the bike....
-loose exhaust system
-loose drive belt (spec. 3/16"-1/4" on side stand)
-loose or tight primary chain (spec. COLD, 5/8"-7/8" free play)
-wheel out of balance
-flywheels in motor shifted causing it to be untrue or unbalanced.

Good luck with it all, keep in mind you do have other options besides taking it to a dealer or sending it to Baker.
I work independently and have very little overhead so can keep the labor cost very low:up::D
 

montana

Active Member
My trans died too. 08 pit with 4500 miles.

Anyone know what we can do to prevent this from happening again?
I see many riders who don't know how to properly shift; especially downshifting. I don't know if it's the cause of some of these issues but shifting properly can definitely help preserve your transmission. When I downshift, I simultaneously pull in on the clutch, give it a bit of throttle and press down swiftly on the shifter. This allows the transmission to smoothly shift gears. When I don't do this my transmission thumps and sometimes grinds on the downshift.
 

Bigbass

Member
Andrew, thank you very much for the reply and insight. I sent it to Baker Wednesday to have them resolve the issue. I just happened to be browsing the site and found out about this. Had I read this first I would have taken you up on this offer.

I assumed Baker was not pleased that I rebuilt it myself so I ended up with what I got. Like I said I am hard headed and love my scooter enough that I will do what ever it takes to make it run and go on. I knew Baker built it so I could not see raising cane with BDM on a bike that is out of warranty on a part they had no control over.

I do very much assume there will be vibration in my bike of some kind with that big beautiful 117 at the heart of the machine. When the vibration stayed the same on all 3 I just thought it to be normal until I rode the Bulldog and seen his vibration is only about 10% of what I am having.


I am going to add you to my list of people to contact when I have future issues. You have gained a customer just by taking the time to try and help Thank you sir. You have been most insightful on this and given me more to think about on possible causes.
 

goose52

New Member
just had the same problem on tranny 2005 big dog mastiff going down highway big pop no clutch like in neutral. talking to mechanic he thinks 6th gear went out it's the pits had LOT or trouble with my big dog here goes another 800 bucks or so with all the trouble you think big dog and baker would fix this problem. goose52
 
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