Gearbox issue 1st gen bike

Andijoe · Mar 20, 2017

The issue I'm getting is she's dropping out of 2nd gear as I'm tipped in at the 1st hairpin at snetterton demanding power, which is obviously a ***** situation to be in when you're leant over that far with your knee down. I've fitted a HM QS Lite to see if that would eliminate the problem (which started last year in Aug) but think it may be an internal fault, possibly the selector fork being worn!!?? Has anybody come across this issue and what was the remedy, and is the gearbox a cassette type?

Cheers, Andi

r25sti · Mar 20, 2017

the gearbox is not a cassette type, the only thing bar stripping the engine out and splitting is a replacement heavy detent spring and maybe a new shift shaft. i had mine dropping out of 5th into a false neutral and since fitting these parts I've not had it happen yet, but that's only 1 track day so far. yours dose sound more like a selector though.

paul_m · Mar 20, 2017

This was a flaw on gen 1, think they made them of cheese.
There were a lot repaired on warranty, even race bikes.
I think it was the selector dogs but the gears started to wear to. I think the race lads ended up with fitting Nova or such like.
Google the issues mate but they were frequent at track pace

Andijoe · Mar 21, 2017

r25sti said:
the gearbox is not a cassette type, the only thing bar stripping the engine out and splitting is a replacement heavy detent spring and maybe a new shift shaft. i had mine dropping out of 5th into a false neutral and since fitting these parts I've not had it happen yet, but that's only 1 track day so far. yours dose sound more like a selector though.

Are the detent spring and shift shaft an easy fix, ie a home job by me or would they require specialist tools and worth taking to a garage? There's a BMW Mottorad near me in Welwyn Garden City or I would take it to my mate at Aprilia Performance (he was a HRC mechanic then worked for Aprilia UK). &#55358;&#56596;

r25sti · Mar 21, 2017

Andijoe said:
Are the detent spring and shift shaft an easy fix, ie a home job by me or would they require specialist tools and worth taking to a garage? There's a BMW Mottorad near me in Welwyn Garden City or I would take it to my mate at Aprilia Performance (he was a HRC mechanic then worked for Aprilia UK). ��

yes, easy job. remove clutch basket and your there. the detent spring is a really easy job but you will need a clutch basket tool (?20 on ebay) and silicone sealant for the clutch cover. if you replace the shift shaft they recommend replacing the bearings too, but imo you dont need the bearings. If you do the bearings too you will need a bearing puller and some way of putting the new bearings back in ( i used some threaded bar, washers and sockets). it took me about 1hr to do the whole job and that included tea breaks.

Andijoe · Apr 23, 2017

Thank you R25, great info. I managed to fit my new Factory Pro detent spring which cost ?99 in total, ?81 for the spring which includes shipping and ?18 import tax as it's a 'motorcycle part'.

What I didn't have was a star socket to remove the bolt that held the spring and arm in place so I improvised with a spare hex bolt I had left over from when I removed the CAT, loctite and nuts. This made it a very easy task to remove. HOWEVER, I had to order new clutch cover bolts (and gasket, ?38 in total) as I managed to snap the head off one of them as I was putting them back in. DOH!!!!! Fortunately I was able to remove the stud easily. She's now all back together and it does feel a lot more positive as I'm changing gear but I've only tested her on the paddock stands so far, Snetterton on the 15/16th May will be the real test. Whoop whoop!!!!!