Gear Issues after crash
 

Hi everyone. I'm attempting to fix a few issues with my sv after a crash in which the bike landed upside down in a very forgiving hedge. The bike suffered very little in terms of impact damage with barely a dent or a scratch (and myself fortunately) however there are still a few issues I would like some advice on.

Firstly, the bike does not want to go into neutral at all (or shift down at all from what I can see now with clutch removed, and looking at the gear change mechanism).

Secondly, before stripping and with the bike running, there was a horrendous grinding noise as I slowly released the clutch lever.

So far I have removed the clutch, and my first find was a snapped friction plate. I suspect this was what was causing the grinding noise I described above. Other than that the clutch looks in top condition.

After that I took a look at the gear change mechanism and while changing gear it appears that it is stuck in what I believe is 5th gear (can anyone advise on how to tell this accurately by looking at the position of the star cam? I'm also guessing that neutral is the smallest detent on this cam?). I'm able to shift up once, and back down once but can't shift down any further. I removed the entire gear select shaft to check for bending but it looks starught as an arrow. The 2 pawls on the bigger of the cam drive plates are however slightly damaged. Could this explain the issues with shifting gear?

Im ready to order the parts if what I say above seems correct, but thought I would post here for some expert advice here. I'm quite mechanically orientated but I'm used to working with aircraft, and bikes are still fairly new to me.

Thanks for reading. I hope someone can offer some help!

EDIT: 2000 Curvy Y model.
EDIT 2: Also, after draining engine oil I didn't notice and bits in it or anything out of the ordinary. What are the chances of this being an issue with the gearing/selector drum itself?

Re: Gear Issues after crash
 

It would be odd for gearbox problems to be caused by a crash I think. Looking at the star wheel, neutral is the tooth with the top chopped out of it. The gearbox needs to be turning to change, they don't like to shift when static, so try rocking the back wheel back and forth. Also check the circlip on the left hand end of the selector shaft, I had this displaced once after an off, and the shaft could then slide rightwards and caused all sorts of problems. The clip was tight on the shaft but it has a groove it should be sitting in.

Re: Gear Issues after crash
 

Thanks for the reply.

I did lose my gear lever in the process, so was wondering if the force was enough to transmit to the gearing.

I've had my selector shaft completely removed today, along with the rear wheel on a paddock stand. Whilst rocking the wheel back and forth I was trying to turn the star cam by hand. I managed to free it up a fair few times and it would change gears with ease. But it kept jamming eventually.

The circlip you speak of was also located in its groove correctly before I disassembled.

I've just had a quote from a mechanic for 300 quid if I drop my engine to him and the gears are the issue. Don't really have the buck to drop on that just now, so I really do hope there may be something else causing this.

One extra thing I have noticed. On the end of the shaft there should be a hole punched to show how to align the gear lever, but mine seems to not be there at all, even after thorough cleaning I can't see any kind of mark.

Re: Gear Issues after crash
 

I hope I am wrong, because it won't be an easy fix, but the impact that broke the gear lever may have bent a selector fork.

Re: Gear Issues after crash
 

This is now my fear also, and also what a mechanic believes to be the issue after a recent phone call. Although he hasn't actually had eyes on. How difficult is it to drop the engine and split the crankshaft casings? I do have a Haynes manual, but haven't had the chance to look that far yet. Is there much needed in terms of specialist tooling? That would be the only thing to stop me really.

Re: Gear Issues after crash
 

here's a link to the Suzuki service manual for a curvy:

https://www.manualslib.com/manual/11...999-Sv650.html

Re: Gear Issues after crash
 

Getting the engine out is going to take some doing, splitting the cases is a massive job. They split vertically (left and right halves) so you have to strip the top ends as well first.
So, you've got it in bits, I presume you had gear changing issues between the crash and this point?

Re: Gear Issues after crash
 

Probably just easier to buy a complete engine than mess about splitting the engine surely.

Re: Gear Issues after crash
 

Here's a couple of videos that someone made about his cheap SV650S (pointy) he bought that had been dropped by the original owner on the left side. When he tried to ride it he discovered shifting problems...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fy6pYNHj5Oo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Myy8bklmH70

Re: Gear Issues after crash
 

Correct. I'm pretty confident in the diagnosis of an internal transmission problem. General consensus seems to be a bent selector fork. Prepping the bike for stripping in a couple of days, and have a very engine savvy friend willing to help with the nitty gritty.