Shifter return spring 01 V11 Sport

[Cyborg]

So... downshifting if traffic, the shift lever decided to stay down and I thought I was going to have to limp home in 2nd (or maybe it was 3rd). When it stuck in the down position, it didn't want to move when I pulled up with my foot. Anyway after a short time the lever returned to its normal position and currently all is well. It has always behaved... any extra neutrals were born from lazy shifting. The bike only has 20,000 km. With the bike stationary, if I push down on the lever by hand, the return spring feels quite strong and no indication of a problem. When I lift up on the lever, the spring pressure is only about half as much. Not sure if that is some sort of sign? Given the lever had stuck in the down position and the spring (while pushing down) seems strong, I'm thinking its something else. External linkage looks fine, moves freely and no signs of hanging up anywhere. I see there are lots of threads on the subject, but just wanted to see if anyone wanted to hazard a guess as to what it might be. 

[gstallons]

# ! remove the shifter pivot bolt . Loosen the locking nut behind the bolt , hold the nut w/a wrench and unscrew the pivot bolt . If it is rusty , lubricate the bolt and shifter and replace . If it is not , plan on removing the shift cover and repair .

[Chuck]

The shifter return spring is *really* heavy. That, combined with the heavy pawl spring causes a divot in the shifter pawl where the spring is heavily loaded on the down shift. It can hang up there. You'll probably want to put in one of the new lighter unbreakable pawl springs, and blueprint the preselector mechanism per the thread by Lucky Phil.

 

[Cyborg]

Thanks for the replies gentlemen. I will check the pivot bolt, but pretty sure I is ok. Even the slightest movement of the shifter and it will return to centre, so nothing is hanging up. I'll go through the "Shift Improvement", but hope I can delay that until the dead of winter. It still strikes me as odd that the spring pressure is so different between the up and down movement of the shift lever. That spring in the photo looks like it would provide equal pressure either way. If the spring was broken... seems to me it would be "no pressure" If the spring was dislodged somehow, you'd think it would affect spring pressure for both up and down movement Y/N? Is the pressure supposed to be more or less equal either way?

[docc]

I seem to recall Scud's investigations revealed an explanation why the up and down tension differ (?)

I am anxious to hear what you find as my lever has hesitated in the down position a couple times in the last three thousand miles . . .

[footgoose]

4 hours ago, Cyborg said:

It still strikes me as odd that the spring pressure is so different between the up and down movement of the shift lever. That spring in the photo looks like it would provide equal pressure either way. If the spring was broken... seems to me it would be "no pressure" If the spring was dislodged somehow, you'd think it would affect spring pressure for both up and down movement Y/N? Is the pressure supposed to be more or less equal either way?

agreeing with this line of thought, I would do as gstallons suggests, and eliminate any potential problems with external shift components first. You will have wasted no time on it as it most likely needs cleaned, lubed, and thoroughly inspected, if for nothing else, peace of mind. Then think about the pre-selector mechanism, which, for real peace of mind, (and motorcycling enjoyment) truly must be seen too and sorted in the manner outlined on this forum. It's easy enough a job for the mechanically inclined non professional, and getting the new shift spring in there is highly recommended.

[Cyborg]

56 minutes ago, footgoose said:

 It's easy enough a job for the mechanically inclined non professional, and getting the new shift spring in there is highly recommended.

I used to work as a M/C tech for a living .... between that and the mountain of projects lined up in my garage makes me want to avoid this for a while, so don't hold your breath docc... I will happy to take photos and post the results when I get to it though. As for cleaning and lubing the linkage, I wholeheartedly agree it should be done.... however, I'll wager you a cheeseburger or two that the linkage is fine. I live in Canada"s answer to California aka God's Country.....I'm too much of a pussy to ride in the rain.... and too lazy to wash the damn thing, so no corrosion anywhere. It does get clean oil and ethanol free fuel though.