Sticking gear lever

The place to discuss any issues with your Aprilia, share tips and handy reference links

Moderators: Aladinsaneuk, MartDude, D-Rider, Moderators

Post Reply
Message
Author
User avatar
back_marker
SuperSport Racer
SuperSport Racer
Posts: 650
Joined: Wed Sep 26, 2007 4:30 pm
Location: Deepest, darkest Wiltshire

Sticking gear lever

#1 Post by back_marker » Sat Dec 29, 2007 11:49 pm

Took the Falco out for a ride this afternoon but seem to have developed a problem with the gearchange.

I found that when I tried to shift down more than one gear in succession, ie coming up to a roundabout, it would drop down one then I would get no response at all form the shifter. After a little while I realised that the lever wasn't returning to centre after each downshift which was what was causing the problem. Naturally alsorts of horrible thoughts went through my head including return springs and the like but I don't think it was this because I had no problem shifting up, and if I waited a couple of minutes the lever would eventually spring back up. As the journey went on this time became shorter until by the time I reached my destination (some 30-40 miles) i would feel it spring back and tap the bottom of my boot almost straight away but still with a short hesitation.

When I left to come back home the problem seemed to have completely disappeared and was fine all the way back.

That only thing I have done to the bike since I last rode it which can possibly have afected the gears is to adjust the chain but I have checked that and it doesn't seem too tight (not to mention that the problem did not go away with me off the bike and when the chain is slacker because of the suspension not being compressed. I have not ridden the bike for about 3 weeks or so and it has been parked in the garden under a cover so this may also have affected it.

Just wondering if anyone else has ever had anything similar happen to them and maybe knows what if anything I should be checking. I have to use the bike to travel to a course in a week or sos time so I really can't afford for it to let me down when I need to be somewhere.
Racing is life - anything before or after is just waiting.
- Steve McQueen

User avatar
Fausto
SuperBike Racer
SuperBike Racer
Posts: 1375
Joined: Thu Jan 04, 2007 3:04 pm
Location: Sunny Suffolk

#2 Post by Fausto » Sun Dec 30, 2007 9:31 am

I would start off by spraying all the pivots and ball joints in the gearshift lever/linkages with lube. Then give it a test. It's possible the pivot is sticky and the ball joints need regular greasing.

If this does the trick you will need to strip the linkages and clean / regrease them - the thin spray lube won't last.

The balljoints just 'pop' apart with a little gentle prying once you have pulled the little retaining springs out.

Good luck.

User avatar
Nooj
GP Racer
GP Racer
Posts: 2718
Joined: Sat Jan 13, 2007 8:06 pm
Location: Newbury, Berkshire

#3 Post by Nooj » Sun Dec 30, 2007 3:46 pm

Yeah, just sounds like a build up of crud. Give it a clean and a re-grease.
SHINY BIKE SYNDROME Motorcycle valeting and paint protection specialist.
Aladinsaneuk wrote:andy is having a VERY heavy period

User avatar
back_marker
SuperSport Racer
SuperSport Racer
Posts: 650
Joined: Wed Sep 26, 2007 4:30 pm
Location: Deepest, darkest Wiltshire

#4 Post by back_marker » Sun Dec 30, 2007 8:00 pm

pretty much what I was thinking but having looked at it, it is definately the gear shaft that is sticking, not the linkage. Thinking about it I have also had the front sprocket cover off to clean out all the build up of chain lube that was in there - maybe a lump of that has got itself stuck down the side of the shaft or something. May have a look tomorrow.
Racing is life - anything before or after is just waiting.
- Steve McQueen

User avatar
Falco9
Aprilia Admin
Posts: 1154
Joined: Wed Jan 03, 2007 9:24 pm
Location: Wakefield. West Yorkshire

#5 Post by Falco9 » Mon Dec 31, 2007 11:13 am

Nooj wrote:Yeah, just sounds like a build up of crud. Give it a clean and a re-grease.
My thoughts as well, the gear lever has a bronze liner and a combination of old grease and road crap can bind it together quite easily.

I can't see how the shaft would stick down on a downshift but not up on an upshift, Like you I think the return spring must be OK. Is the oil seal OK? How was the quality of the gear changes?

If all is OK now it could have been a lump of road grit lodged in the old chain lube maybe??

F9 :smt006

User avatar
Viking
SuperBike Racer
SuperBike Racer
Posts: 1185
Joined: Wed Jan 03, 2007 10:17 pm
Location: The land down under

#6 Post by Viking » Tue Jan 01, 2008 9:45 pm

I've never poked inside the Falco's gear change mechanisms, but my old Honda had two little return springs that pushed the pawl mechanism back into place.

If one of them snapped (and they did, eventually) you could change gears in one direction easily but not the other.

P'haps it's the same on back_marker's Falco?
It's the V-twin thing. There's just something about it that inline-4s don't have at all, and V-4s don't have enough of.

User avatar
back_marker
SuperSport Racer
SuperSport Racer
Posts: 650
Joined: Wed Sep 26, 2007 4:30 pm
Location: Deepest, darkest Wiltshire

#7 Post by back_marker » Tue Jan 01, 2008 11:17 pm

don't think it's anything to do with the spring(s) as it was springing back eventually either with a little hesitation or a little help. As well as that the problem cleared up on the way home which suggests to me that everything mechanical is sound, it's down to ingress of shite.

Having read another thread, I have just realised there is an O-ring on the shaft, just wondering if that has become dislodged or wedged and that is causing the problem?

Going to dig the spanners out tomorrow anyway and have a good look
Racing is life - anything before or after is just waiting.
- Steve McQueen

User avatar
wavey
Clubman Racer
Clubman Racer
Posts: 349
Joined: Fri Jan 26, 2007 8:28 pm
Location: Liverpool

#8 Post by wavey » Fri Jan 04, 2008 3:17 pm

Hi all
Sounds exactly like a prob I had a while back, after riding for an hour or so I could'nt get 1st or neutral, stop for 10 mins and all is well for a while then same prob again.
I put mine into a dealers (still in warranty) complaing about knackered gear change but it turns out that it just dries up because it's so close to the exhaust pipe.
So coppergrease the shaft and Bingo gear change back to normal. Until about a year later and same thing again, this time out in the middle of nowhere, so put a few drops of oil (from scotoiler) onto the shaft and away we go.

User avatar
back_marker
SuperSport Racer
SuperSport Racer
Posts: 650
Joined: Wed Sep 26, 2007 4:30 pm
Location: Deepest, darkest Wiltshire

#9 Post by back_marker » Fri Jan 04, 2008 4:12 pm

wavey wrote:Hi all
Sounds exactly like a prob I had a while back, after riding for an hour or so I could'nt get 1st or neutral, stop for 10 mins and all is well for a while then same prob again.
I put mine into a dealers (still in warranty) complaing about knackered gear change but it turns out that it just dries up because it's so close to the exhaust pipe.
So coppergrease the shaft and Bingo gear change back to normal. Until about a year later and same thing again, this time out in the middle of nowhere, so put a few drops of oil (from scotoiler) onto the shaft and away we go.
Sounds good, which part of the shaft are you actually lubricating? The bit that actually goes into th gearbox or the bit just before that which is inside the seal?
Racing is life - anything before or after is just waiting.
- Steve McQueen

User avatar
wavey
Clubman Racer
Clubman Racer
Posts: 349
Joined: Fri Jan 26, 2007 8:28 pm
Location: Liverpool

#10 Post by wavey » Fri Jan 04, 2008 7:12 pm

I actually put a few drops on the shaft nearest to the casing and for good measure hit the linkages as well, jiggled the lever up & down a bit, made sure it sprang back as normal and that was it.
Now every time I clean the bike I go through the same routine, takes 30 seconds.

User avatar
back_marker
SuperSport Racer
SuperSport Racer
Posts: 650
Joined: Wed Sep 26, 2007 4:30 pm
Location: Deepest, darkest Wiltshire

#11 Post by back_marker » Fri Jan 04, 2008 10:07 pm

Sounds like it's the shaft sticking on the seal or crud inside said seal

Little job for tomorrow then (assuming this sodding rain stops)
Racing is life - anything before or after is just waiting.
- Steve McQueen

User avatar
mangocrazy
Admin
Admin
Posts: 3903
Joined: Thu Jul 17, 2008 3:24 pm
Location: Sheffield, UK

#12 Post by mangocrazy » Thu Jul 03, 2014 8:23 pm

Resurrecting this old thread, as I've had exactly the same thing happening on my Flamingo Red Falco. While hooning around the Scottish Highlands with a bunch of mates last weekend I became aware of a gear selection problem whenever I needed to bang down the gearbox quickly; i.e when you hit a set of traffic lights after some (ahem) 'spirited' riding.

It's only got about 6.5k miles on the clock so I couldn't believe that there was a problem inside the cases. Today I stripped down the gear linkage and found that the gear change bush that pivots around the LH footrest had been gummed up by some well-meaning soul with Aluminium anti-seize paste. Loads of it. Over time this had turned into the consistency of partially dried out treacle and was making downshifts in particular really claggy.

Once I'd cleaned off all the aluminium goo goo muck and replaced it with 'normal' grease, everything returned to its normal slick self.

Extra points will be awarded to the first person who can correctly answer the question 'which beat combo recorded the tune 'Goo Goo Muck'?

Without Googling the answer, natch...

Post Reply