V11S gearbox

[matt]

I have a 2001 V11S I have owned since new. 30,000 miles on it now. Recently when shifting up through the gears I encounter false neutrals between all gears. Sometimes if I am very deliberate with my shift I can get it to shift cleanly but not usually. I pulled the cover off the gearbox to inspect and the springs on the plate were all intact. There was a wrapped roller pin that dropped out of the case ( I asume this is where it came from). I repositioned the pin where i thought it should go and reassembled the box and tried again with no improvement in shifting. Anyone have any ideas as to what I should be looking for in the box to cause this mis-shifting? Thanks

[gstallons]

What's the conditon of the fluid?

[matt]

What's the conditon of the fluid?

I changed fluid (non-synthetic) when i reassembled it. Old fluid looked good when I drained it(no milkiness)

[docc]

The two simplest things (besides fluid that Gene already mentioned) that contribute to degraded shifting are: 1) cruddy, grabby, loose shift lever... quite easy to remove, clean, shim, and lube. 2) diminished clutch function - bleed the clutch and be certain there is not excessive play at the lever which could indicate a broken spring inside the master cylinder.

 

Otherwise, I would assume your gearbox has had the nefarious gearbox recall performed?

[matt]

The two simplest things (besides fluid that Gene already mentioned) that contribute to degraded shifting are: 1) cruddy, grabby, loose shift lever... quite easy to remove, clean, shim, and lube. 2) diminished clutch function - bleed the clutch and be certain there is not excessive play at the lever which could indicate a broken spring inside the master cylinder.

 

Otherwise, I would assume your gearbox has had the nefarious gearbox recall performed?

Yup - the recall has been taken care of. I bled the clutch fluid. I have not taken apart the shift lever, assuming you mean the hand lever. It does seem to be loose. More like an up and down free play, which just recently developed. Are there shims already in place at the lever or are they something you add to adjust play in the lever?

[Greg Field]

The two simplest things (besides fluid that Gene already mentioned) that contribute to degraded shifting are: 1) cruddy, grabby, loose shift lever... quite easy to remove, clean, shim, and lube. 2) diminished clutch function - bleed the clutch and be certain there is not excessive play at the lever which could indicate a broken spring inside the master cylinder.

 

Otherwise, I would assume your gearbox has had the nefarious gearbox recall performed?

Yup - the recall has been taken care of. I bled the clutch fluid. I have not taken apart the shift lever, assuming you mean the hand lever. It does seem to be loose. More like an up and down free play, which just recently developed. Are there shims already in place at the lever or are they something you add to adjust play in the lever?

 

Adjust the lever so it's as far away from the bar as possible. Somethimes, that helps. A friend just rode my V11 to the National rally. On the way, he adjusted the lever all the way in, 'cause he has small hands. Then, he complained of horrible shifting. It was because the clutch was not fully de-clutched when he had the lever to the bar. Adjusted it out, and it shifts fine again.

[mznyc]

Hi Matt,

I have been experiencing the same symptoms and downshifts were missing also.Changed fluid,did cover spring inspection and disassembled and lubed shift linkage.Took it out for a test ride and all was well,but after bike warmed up I started missing upshifts.Thinking adjusting the eccentric adjuster under acorn nut may help,gonna try that this week.I'm also gonna check lever position as Greg suggested.

I also addressed the roller pin a couple of weeks ago in a similar thread, http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=15984

You can see the rolled pin at the left of the picture,

Michael

[docc]

I was concerned more for the foot lever and all its associated pivots. as the pivot gets dirty and loosens up, shifting can degrade.

 

The hand levers are pretty wobbly, but the play to engage should be pretty minimal. When my hand lever engagement play increased too much, I found the master cylinder spring had broken. Into four pieces.

[matt]

Hi Matt,

I have been experiencing the same symptoms and downshifts were missing also.Changed fluid,did cover spring inspection and disassembled and lubed shift linkage.Took it out for a test ride and all was well,but after bike warmed up I started missing upshifts.Thinking adjusting the eccentric adjuster under acorn nut may help,gonna try that this week.I'm also gonna check lever position as Greg suggested.

I also addressed the roller pin a couple of weeks ago in a similar thread, http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=15984

You can see the rolled pin at the left of the picture,

Michael

Michael - That is exactly what is happening on my V11. When it warms up it is definitely worse on the mis-shifts. My clutch lever is already all the way out. Is this an adjustment on the back of the gearbox or on the cover plate? Thanks for the photo of the roller pin location. Did you use any loctite on the pin when you put it back? Matt

[mznyc]

Hi Matt,

I didn't loctite that pin,just made sure that it was snug.May be a good idea to loctite it.

Docc explains how to adjust the eccentric adjuster to me the best way here, http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=15818&st=0&p=171149&fromsearch=1entry171149

Let us know if you have any luck,I can't get to mine for a couple days,...

[matt]

Hi Matt,

I didn't loctite that pin,just made sure that it was snug.May be a good idea to loctite it.

Docc explains how to adjust the eccentric adjuster to me the best way here, http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=15818&st=0&p=171149&fromsearch=1entry171149

Let us know if you have any luck,I can't get to mine for a couple days,...

I'll try the adjuster next. I'll let you know. I wonder if anyone can think of a reason why the shifting degrades when the bike is warmed up? This is puzzling and leaves me skeptical that it is just the adjuster under the acorn nut.

[Greg Field]

Hi Matt,

I didn't loctite that pin,just made sure that it was snug.May be a good idea to loctite it.

Docc explains how to adjust the eccentric adjuster to me the best way here, http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=15818&st=0&p=171149&fromsearch=1entry171149

Let us know if you have any luck,I can't get to mine for a couple days,...

I'll try the adjuster next. I'll let you know. I wonder if anyone can think of a reason why the shifting degrades when the bike is warmed up? This is puzzling and leaves me skeptical that it is just the adjuster under the acorn nut.

 

Yes. You may have worn splines on your clutch input hub and on the i.d. of the flywheel, or the flywheel may be packed with clutch dust. You can try cleaning it. This sometimes helps, though seldom for more than a few thousand miles. Then, you have to flush it again.

 

Here's how:

 

1) Use a strip of duct tape to cover the weephole on the underside of the bell housing.

2) Put a drain pan under the bell housing.

3) Remove the timing plug and pour a pint of mineral spirits into the bell housing.

4) Plug the timing hole.

5) Start bike and lightly rev it while continually actuating the clutch lever for about 30 seconds.

6) Remove tape and let the goo drain out.

[matt]

Hi Matt,

I didn't loctite that pin,just made sure that it was snug.May be a good idea to loctite it.

Docc explains how to adjust the eccentric adjuster to me the best way here, http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=15818&st=0&p=171149&fromsearch=1entry171149

Let us know if you have any luck,I can't get to mine for a couple days,...

I'll try the adjuster next. I'll let you know. I wonder if anyone can think of a reason why the shifting degrades when the bike is warmed up? This is puzzling and leaves me skeptical that it is just the adjuster under the acorn nut.

 

Yes. You may have worn splines on your clutch input hub and on the i.d. of the flywheel, or the flywheel may be packed with clutch dust. You can try cleaning it. This sometimes helps, though seldom for more than a few thousand miles. Then, you have to flush it again.

 

Here's how:

 

1) Use a strip of duct tape to cover the weephole on the underside of the bell housing.

2) Put a drain pan under the bell housing.

3) Remove the timing plug and pour a pint of mineral spirits into the bell housing.

4) Plug the timing hole.

5) Start bike and lightly rev it while continually actuating the clutch lever for about 30 seconds.

6) Remove tape and let the goo drain out.

Greg - Do you think I should skip the gearbox adjustment for now and proceed to this cleaning of the flywheel? Thanks Matt

[Dan M]

Hi Matt,

I didn't loctite that pin,just made sure that it was snug.May be a good idea to loctite it.

Docc explains how to adjust the eccentric adjuster to me the best way here, http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=15818&st=0&p=171149&fromsearch=1entry171149

Let us know if you have any luck,I can't get to mine for a couple days,...

I'll try the adjuster next. I'll let you know. I wonder if anyone can think of a reason why the shifting degrades when the bike is warmed up? This is puzzling and leaves me skeptical that it is just the adjuster under the acorn nut.

 

Yes. You may have worn splines on your clutch input hub and on the i.d. of the flywheel, or the flywheel may be packed with clutch dust. You can try cleaning it. This sometimes helps, though seldom for more than a few thousand miles. Then, you have to flush it again.

 

Here's how:

 

1) Use a strip of duct tape to cover the weephole on the underside of the bell housing.

2) Put a drain pan under the bell housing.

3) Remove the timing plug and pour a pint of mineral spirits into the bell housing.

4) Plug the timing hole.

5) Start bike and lightly rev it while continually actuating the clutch lever for about 30 seconds.

6) Remove tape and let the goo drain out.

 

 

Greg,

 

Have you ever had any issues with the clutch becoming grabby or chattering after soaking the friction material with mineral spirits?

[matt]

Mis-shifts revisited -

OK - Here's what I have done so far.

1. Bleed clutch fluid.

2. Take off gearbox cover and check for broken return spring. Spring is not broken so put the cover back on , replace oil,try again.

3. More of the same with mis-shifts,false neutrals.

4. Plug slot under flywheel. Pour 1 pint of mineral spirits in inspection hole,start bike for 30 seconds while actuating clutch. Drain spirits.

5. Clean up shift linkages and grease (although they looked pretty darn good to start).

6. Take her out for a spin and more of the same. Mis-shifts up and down, false neutrals, etc.

I can get through all the gears cleanly sometimes if I short shift and am extremely deliberate, but not all the time.

If I accelerate hard and shift in the upper rpms then you can forget about it. It's a crapshoot whether it will go into the next gear and more often than not it won't.

Do I take the cover back off and replace the spring even though it is not broken? Can it just be losing tension or should I be thinking more about a clutch issue?

Thanks for any input.