Shift drum?

Energy One

ChopperJeff

Active Member
Was on a trip and began losing gears. It began when 1st gear was almost impossible to get into, then 2nd gear went. We stopped at a motorcycle shop and the guy pulled the tranny cover and showed me that the shift drum was apparently binding, preventing it from rotating and shifting thru the gears. Loosening the bolts that hold the shift drum freed up everything and it then turned as expected. He ended up sticking shims under the shift drum so as to allow the bolts to be tightned and still allow the drum to tturn freely. This got me on my way, but obviously it's a temporary fix.

1st gear is still a little "finicky", and outside of the fact that the shift lever never gets to that point where it stops (IE: When in 1st, the shifter should not move down any more, but mine always does, as if there's another lower gear to go into), the bike is shifting OK.

He's going to see about odering some shift drum parts, and I'll return the bike to him and have him fix it.

Does this all sound about right? Could the problem really be that the shift drum is just binding and causing all my issues?

By the way, this guy is in Jackson, California, and is apparently known to be a very good mechanic. I was impressed not only by his ability to "rig" the thing and get me on my way, but after working on it for about an hour, and me asking "how much do I owe you?", he just shook his head and said "Don't worry about it". I handed him some cash anyways, which he reluctantly took. Nice to know there are still some good honest mechanics out there. His shop is called "Knight Rides" located in Jackcon, California.
 

Raywood

The Pirate
Staff member
Calendar Participant
Troop Supporter
Sounds like a great shop. I lived down there for many years but never heard of Jackson!

How many miles you got on that tranny now? Mines still doing good.

:cheers: :cheers:
 

ChopperJeff

Active Member
Raywood,

I'm closing in on 55,000 miles!

Jackson is a small town about 50 miles North-East of Stockton. Even though this "Knight Rides" shop is 100 miles away from me, I plan on going there every chance I get. Not only is the guy that worked on my bike, who happens to be the owner of the place, a great guy, their hourly rate is a lot more reasonable than in my area. When I asked him how long will it take him to do the work on the shift drum, he said it should only be about 45 minutes, or $50! That works out to under $55/hour... half the price of Arlen Ness in my neck of the woods.

As much as I trust this guy's expertise, I just wonder if it's possible that the shift forks could be bad. It's strange though that it functions better with the bolts loosened up, or tightened down with shims.
 

Raywood

The Pirate
Staff member
Calendar Participant
Troop Supporter
Raywood,

I'm closing in on 55,000 miles!

Jackson is a small town about 50 miles North-East of Stockton. Even though this "Knight Rides" shop is 100 miles away from me, I plan on going there every chance I get. Not only is the guy that worked on my bike, who happens to be the owner of the place, a great guy, their hourly rate is a lot more reasonable than in my area. When I asked him how long will it take him to do the work on the shift drum, he said it should only be about 45 minutes, or $50! That works out to under $55/hour... half the price of Arlen Ness in my neck of the woods.

As much as I trust this guy's expertise, I just wonder if it's possible that the shift forks could be bad. It's strange though that it functions better with the bolts loosened up, or tightened down with shims.
I remember riding out in that area.

There has been some issues with the shift forks mentioned here before but never heard anything about the drum. You may want to call Baker and ask them about it.

You are catching me fast on mileage!!!

:cheers: :cheers:
 
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