Gear Box issues.. Hope its not serious.. plz help

Ronjonjd · 07-28-2007, 2:37 PM

Hi All,

I recently purchased a 96 CBR 900 RR fireblade.. great bike.. When I took the bike out on a test ride, everything seemed fine except for a shift from 1st to second where the bike ended up in Neutral, and wouldnt shift up to 2nd. I had to shift back into first, and then go into 2nd again. It only happened once.
Since I have had the bike, it has done it at least once every time I have taken it out.
The issue is intermittent. I am firmly shifting the lever.. I start out in first, and then go to shift to second and it either stays in first or goes into neutral.. (the neutral light comes on a second later.. not right away)
Also when it is stick in neutral it doesnt feel like normal neutral.. and down shifting into first gives a bit of a notchier clunk than a normal downshift. Sort of like there are no sychros there..
At high rpm this can be a serious pain cause having to shift back into first requires me to slow down so I dont lock up the back tire, and then put it into first, and then shift up into 2nd again.
Any ideas what this might be? I hope I dont have to get the gearbox rebuilt.
Thanks
Ron
96 CBR 900 RR Fireblade
97 Ninja ZX6R
Gold Coast Australia

Ronjonjd · 07-30-2007, 6:51 AM

Havent gotten any reply from anyone and my post is slowly but surely sinking to the bottom of the first page..
I did some investigation and think that my gearbox problem might be the detent spring and arm inside the clutch cover.. but Im not entirely sure.
Anyone have anything to offer? has anyone ever had this problem?
My bike goes into the mechanic on Wednesday and I would like to be armed with some info when I go in there.
Cheers
Ron

the-corsaro · 07-30-2007, 11:23 AM

have you checked all the basic stuff first like, adjust clutch, adjusting the position of the gear lever, for a more positive gear change, tighten up the chain, its worth trying before you get into engine/gearbox stuff, i've had 6 early blades, and a couple have had problems, from 1st to 2nd gear, by doing the above it sorted one, the other one had a crap 2nd gear so i just replaced the engine with a lower milage one(£300), works out a lot cheaper than gearbox repairs, the dealer wanted £550, to repair the gearbox.

Ronjonjd · 07-30-2007, 11:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the-corsaro

have you checked all the basic stuff first like, adjust clutch, adjusting the position of the gear lever, for a more positive gear change, tighten up the chain, its worth trying before you get into engine/gearbox stuff, i've had 6 early blades, and a couple have had problems, from 1st to 2nd gear, by doing the above it sorted one, the other one had a crap 2nd gear so i just replaced the engine with a lower milage one(£300), works out a lot cheaper than gearbox repairs, the dealer wanted £550, to repair the gearbox.

The clutch seems adjusted properly, the chain and sprocket are new, I have changed the oil and filter. I will see if changing the lever position will work.
I found the service manual for my bike online in PDF and read thru that. I dont think its a gearing issue, because the problem is intermittent and the bike isnt popping out of gear.. its jsut having a gear selection issue... the service manual says that it could be the detent (shift arm return) spring.
This is what the bike does in a bit more detail
1. shifting from 1st to 2nd.. goes into neutral with no upshift ability, having to shift down to first again and retry 2nd.
2. Shifting from 1st to 2nd. lever clicks, but when I release the clutch the bike is still in first
3. shifting from 2nd to 3rd. lever clicks. stays in 2nd
again, the problem is intermittent
anyway, thanks for the help.
I guess I will find out. .
I would do the work myself, but all my tools are back in Canada, and Im in Australia. LOL
Cheers

babisgr · 07-31-2007, 8:18 AM

possibly transmission damage.
Had similar problem itn my F3,it would sifti out/kick out 2nd when hard on throtle.Decided to take the trany apart myself.Wasnt so hard,in about 5 days the engine was running again without probs.
You must have worn shift forks,shift drum and maybe worn gears.Find a good used tranny and replace.
The most dificult thing is taking the engine out of frame/installing to frame.It heavy and you need 2 friends.

Ronjonjd · 08-01-2007, 6:30 AM

So I took my newly acquired 96 CBR900RR to my local wrench to get the shifting issue taken care of.. I watched as he opened up the clutch cover, removed the clutch assy (clutch disks in excellent shape with lots left) and the rest of the stuff to get to the gear selection area.
We looked at the detent (shift return) spring, and the detent arm, as well as the gear selection drum (star) it all seemed to be in good shape. He looked at the mechanism while I worked the shifter up and down and noticed that at certain times the detent arm did not lock into the star in 2nd and 3rd gear properly and got stuck between the gears. Which explains the problem of getting stuck in neutral. We removed the gearshift spindle, and noticed that the upshift tab on the spindle was badly worn. So it seems that its not the gears (thank the gods above) A new spindle is ordered and on its way. The bike should be reassembled by friday, and back on the road.

On a side note, the gear inside the clutch cover seemed in very good repair no wear other than the culpable part, every thing was nicely lubricated, and intact. the chain was in good shape.
So I am hoping that everything else is in good order, and I should be able to shift with confidence.

Cheers

michael.biasi · 10-24-2007, 8:50 AM

thanks a zillion for the manual link

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jecheon · 04-24-2008, 3:24 PM

Ronjonjd,

I have a '97 RRV Fireblade and am just starting to experience the same problem as you were. Intermittently, when changing from first to second, I get stuck in neutral. Did changing the gearshift spindle solve the problem and was it the only part that you had to change?

Ronjonjd · 04-24-2008, 4:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jecheon

Ronjonjd,

I have a '97 RRV Fireblade and am just starting to experience the same problem as you were. Intermittently, when changing from first to second, I get stuck in neutral. Did changing the gearshift spindle solve the problem and was it the only part that you had to change?

Hi!! yeah the getting stuck in neutral issue was exactly that the upshift tap was worn and so when shifting upwards, the barrel would get stuck half way. producing a false shift.
The part isnt that expensive.. thats where i would start..
Could also be the detent arm and spring.. probably want to start there, since you have to take that stuff off to get the spindle removal anyway

Good Luck!
Cheers
Ronno
Brissy Riders Club, The Forum
Gold Coast, Australia

jecheon · 04-24-2008, 5:29 PM

Cheers for the fast reply. Is the upshift tap the same as one of the shift forks? Have you had any other problems with your Blade since then? Mine is on 66,000km now and I really want to keep it, but am a bit worried that this might be the first of a long line of engine trouble.

Ronjonjd · 04-24-2008, 5:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jecheon

Cheers for the fast reply. Is the upshift tap the same as one of the shift forks? Have you had any other problems with your Blade since then? Mine is on 66,000km now and I really want to keep it, but am a bit worried that this might be the first of a long line of engine trouble.

Nah upshift tab is totally different from the shift forks. its 2 tabs on the end of the shifter spindle.
I have an intermittent shifting problem, which is maybe a bent fork. but we will see.. its very rare that it happens.

jecheon · 04-24-2008, 5:49 PM

Cheers mate. It will be a couple of weeks, but I'll let you know how I get on.