Gear selection problems.

[arcdef]

Hi guys,

Im having a spot of bother with my curvy sv650. Over the last week or two i have been trying every single adjustment on the chain as i thought it was out (not selecting neutral) now that i have had some spare time i figured enough was enough so started trying to find the problem. Now i have checked the chain adjustment, its spot on. I have checked the clutch adjustment, which is also fine. What else would be causing this??? Even with the bike switched off i find it very hard to get the gears to change, and when they do it will always miss neutral!!!! Oh and oil level is perfect too.

I have a bad feeling its the selector forks inside the gear box but need some other advice.

If anyone has got any ideas i would be very great full!

Cheers,

Ash.

[Biker Biggles]

Lube the gear lever where it pivots on the footrest.Any sticking here causes selection problems.

[warrenhewitt10]

yeah id do as above^ give everything a good clean, Im aways amazed at how much easier it is to change gear on mine even by spraying some wd40 into the pivot

[trail guru]

My SV K3 started suffering same problem - hard to get neutral and selection generally a bit clunky. As for Arcdef chain's adjusted (but can't guarantee it's lined up perfectly since SV 'on bike' indicators are fallible) and oil (new) level is at Full mark plus have lubed the gear lever pivot. Problem persists. Any further help appreciated.

[tom-k6]

Lube the gear lever where it pivots on the footrest.Any sticking here causes selection problems.


+1 you'll be surprised how different, in a good way, the bike feels when everything is lubed up and moving freely, makes riding almost effortless.

hope its not the selector forks mate

[Biker Biggles]

If that fails try taking off the sprocket cover,adjusting the clutch properly and cleaning out all the accumulated crud down there.Also re check your oil level to make sure that is correct.

[arcdef]

Cheers for all the advice guys, i think i may have found the issue, the clutch arm behind the front sprocket cover looks as though it has a burst seal. Will be taking the whole thing off in the morning to see what can be done about it.

[Stonesie]

As for Arcdef chain's adjusted (but can't guarantee it's lined up perfectly since SV 'on bike' indicators are fallible)


On my CG125 I solved this problem in Blue Peter style (except no sticky-back-plastic)
Take 1 length of straight copper pipe and cut in half, balance it on your finger as tape-measure evades my sight.
Add a block of wood and mix with cable ties.
On the SV you will need to season this recipe with a paddock stand...

http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/6775/dscf0087k.jpg
http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/9477/dscf0088f.jpg

When the pipe - tyre gap at the front is equal (I had tracked the tape-measure down at this point) your alignment is set, rotate the tyre to lift the pipe off the wood then gently put it back down to double check that the pipe is not 'dragging' and giving false readings.

[barwel1992]

to much oil will make neutral hard to get i keep my oil half way between full and low on the window

[punyXpress]

Hi Ash - have you got big feet ?
Even the slightest pressure on the pedal will stop it re-centreing so you wouldn't get the next gear.

[arcdef]

Wouldnt say i have big feet, only size 11. Either way I have never had problem changing gear up until recently.

[mikerj]

I have size 11's and had constant gearchange problems on my pointy because of it. Oddly the curvy has a longer gear lever and seems to be easier.

[trail guru]

Looks like a great idea for setting up chain/wheel alignment - especially as I have a paddock stand and several lengths of 22m copper pipe to hand. Thanks.

[trail guru]

My gear selection problems were sorted when I discovered the lock ring on the clutch lever had come loose, allowing the adjuster to move, effectively lengthening the clutch cable. There's more info at this thread (http://forums.sv650.org/showthread.php?t=157815&highlight=gear). K3s are reputed to be more at risk of this happening. Now I've adjusted the clutch cable everything's really slick.