Unable to get neutral when hot - cause found
Posted: Sun Sep 01, 2024 12:07 pm
Bike is a 1988 R100RS with 100,000+ miles.
The problem I had (and posted on here about a few years ago) was that when hot it became impossible to get neutral. To cut a long story short, as I had overhauled the gearbox I thought I had made a gearbox reassembly error. This blinded me to other causes.
Late last year I noticed that when hot, and with the clutch pulled fully in, the bike wanted to move forward. Putting the bike on the stand I could see that the back when was definitely engaged, with 100% clutch application. Only happened when very hot - it had to be hotter than it usually gets in Scotland.
During the winter I replaced the clutch diaphragm, and the actuation rod. The actuation rod was original, and the diaphragm about 50,000 miles in use.
Comparing the old and new parts, they were almost the same, but the graduated part of the rod was subtly different.
Anyway, the gear change issue (and the clutch issue that caused it) are gone, regardless of temperature. I think some weird thing was happening with the diaphragm and the rod, but only when very hot. It's great to have the bike back to perfect.
One of the things about owning the bike since 1990 and doing 100,000 miles is stuff is just wearing out, and it's sometimes hard to see. Examples recently include the throttle assembly which had just worn down and changed over the years.
Love the forum, though I don't post much. Regards to you all.
The problem I had (and posted on here about a few years ago) was that when hot it became impossible to get neutral. To cut a long story short, as I had overhauled the gearbox I thought I had made a gearbox reassembly error. This blinded me to other causes.
Late last year I noticed that when hot, and with the clutch pulled fully in, the bike wanted to move forward. Putting the bike on the stand I could see that the back when was definitely engaged, with 100% clutch application. Only happened when very hot - it had to be hotter than it usually gets in Scotland.
During the winter I replaced the clutch diaphragm, and the actuation rod. The actuation rod was original, and the diaphragm about 50,000 miles in use.
Comparing the old and new parts, they were almost the same, but the graduated part of the rod was subtly different.
Anyway, the gear change issue (and the clutch issue that caused it) are gone, regardless of temperature. I think some weird thing was happening with the diaphragm and the rod, but only when very hot. It's great to have the bike back to perfect.
One of the things about owning the bike since 1990 and doing 100,000 miles is stuff is just wearing out, and it's sometimes hard to see. Examples recently include the throttle assembly which had just worn down and changed over the years.
Love the forum, though I don't post much. Regards to you all.
)