Hello all. I'm writing this post because I'm stumped with a frustrating shifting problem. I have a 2001 v11 Sport. The bike runs well but I was experiencing some poor shifting performance: difficulty shifting out of neutral into 1st gear (had to really stomp on the lever), missed shifts going up from 2nd into 3rd, false neutrals between 3rd and 4th. The neutral light also sometimes would stop coming on after riding and the bike was warmed up.
After reading the forums here and on v11lemans, I became acquainted with the fact that the shift pre-selector mechanism sometimes came with a flawed pawl arm which would wear out its spring, and that sometimes the spring would fail while riding and leave the bike unable to shift. Sounded scary. Other users seemed to be of the opinion that this was also the cause for missed shifts and false neutrals. So I ordered a new pawl arm and all new springs, some redline oil and moly additive from harper's, and replaced all the suspect parts. No damage to any of the old springs was evident. The gear oil had no shavings in it, and the inside of the gearbox looked in order as far as I can tell. I moved the forks around and they all slide well and I was able to find the correct neutral position. The old pawl arm in the selector had the wrong diameter boss (16mm) the new one is the correct 15mm diameter, so at least that was worthwhile to swap out.
After reassembling the selector, the mechanism seemed to be working fine. It clicks smoothly through all its positions. The neutral switch finds its hole in the back of the cog. When I reattach it to the gearbox, the shifting is not smooth. I can't get it to shift down into first at all. Well, I can, but only if I turn the wheel while I shift. Same goes for the upper gears: it stops between gears and won't budge unless I turn the rear wheel while actuating the shift lever. This is whether I hold in the clutch or not. So, if anything, it seems to be worse now: at least before I could get it down into first at a standstill. Now, it only shifts properly through all the gears when the back wheel is being spun while it's being shifted. (wheel lifted up off the ground with a paddock stand.)
The shift lever is clearing the porkchop on the downstroke and the swingarm on the upstroke, so it's not like it doesn't have proper clearance... I haven't messed with the acorn nut and nut sandwich which from what I've read is supposed to be some sort of adjuster... Not sure exactly what that does yet. I'm kind of at a loss , the only thing I can think of is to maybe take apart the pre-selector and put it back together again, but like I said above, when I actuate by hand separately it doesn't stop between positions, it seems to work pretty smoothly. If anyone has experienced this and figured out the solution, or has any suggestions, I would greatly appreciate it. I want to ride my baby again soon!
Thank you for your help,
-Simon
After reading the forums here and on v11lemans, I became acquainted with the fact that the shift pre-selector mechanism sometimes came with a flawed pawl arm which would wear out its spring, and that sometimes the spring would fail while riding and leave the bike unable to shift. Sounded scary. Other users seemed to be of the opinion that this was also the cause for missed shifts and false neutrals. So I ordered a new pawl arm and all new springs, some redline oil and moly additive from harper's, and replaced all the suspect parts. No damage to any of the old springs was evident. The gear oil had no shavings in it, and the inside of the gearbox looked in order as far as I can tell. I moved the forks around and they all slide well and I was able to find the correct neutral position. The old pawl arm in the selector had the wrong diameter boss (16mm) the new one is the correct 15mm diameter, so at least that was worthwhile to swap out.
After reassembling the selector, the mechanism seemed to be working fine. It clicks smoothly through all its positions. The neutral switch finds its hole in the back of the cog. When I reattach it to the gearbox, the shifting is not smooth. I can't get it to shift down into first at all. Well, I can, but only if I turn the wheel while I shift. Same goes for the upper gears: it stops between gears and won't budge unless I turn the rear wheel while actuating the shift lever. This is whether I hold in the clutch or not. So, if anything, it seems to be worse now: at least before I could get it down into first at a standstill. Now, it only shifts properly through all the gears when the back wheel is being spun while it's being shifted. (wheel lifted up off the ground with a paddock stand.)
The shift lever is clearing the porkchop on the downstroke and the swingarm on the upstroke, so it's not like it doesn't have proper clearance... I haven't messed with the acorn nut and nut sandwich which from what I've read is supposed to be some sort of adjuster... Not sure exactly what that does yet. I'm kind of at a loss , the only thing I can think of is to maybe take apart the pre-selector and put it back together again, but like I said above, when I actuate by hand separately it doesn't stop between positions, it seems to work pretty smoothly. If anyone has experienced this and figured out the solution, or has any suggestions, I would greatly appreciate it. I want to ride my baby again soon!
Thank you for your help,
-Simon