Wondering if something is normal with the shifter.

[Gavin_Coffey]

Okay. So I had to put a new engine in my bike because somebody (my father) rolled a bearing on my old engine. Anyway I've had the different engine in this bike for a year now and the bike has always been weird when shifting...

The issue is that I can shift to first, neutral, and second just fine and with ease, that's all normal. When I try to shift into third the lever will go all the way up and do nothing, there isn't a clunk or click or anything, however if I slightly press/tap the lever (as if I were downshifting) the shifter somehow resets and will shift into 3rd... This happens when I shift up to all gears except for when I am shifting to first and second...

Is it serious, or is something just out of spec? Is there bad trans. damage? Should I be worried?

[jkv45]

I guess I would disassemble the shift linkage and clean/lube everything, making sure nothing is binding. It sounds like it may not be moving freely.

That's the first (simple) thing to do. After that, it gets a lot more complicated.

[Motofool]

Some times the movement of the exterior mechanism is limited by some fixed part of the frame or footpeg.
It is also important that the linkage road can rotate freely for any position of the mechanism.

If all the above is good, then opening the clutch cavity and checking the selector mechanism would be the next step.

The gears and dogs are normally not the cause of that abnormal shifting.
If previously forced, the internal legs that move the dogs sideways may be permanently bent, but all gears should be off in that case.

Please, take a look at these:
https://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=114020

https://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=146445

Link to original page on YouTube.

[Gavin_Coffey]

Originally Posted by Motofool

Some times the movement of the exterior mechanism is limited by some fixed part of the frame or footpeg.
It is also important that the linkage road can rotate freely for any position of the mechanism.

All all above is good, then opening the clutch cavity and checking the selector mechanism would be the next step.

The gears and dogs are normally not the cause of that abnormal shifting.
If previously forced, the internal legs that move the dogs sideways may be permanently bent, but all gears should be off in that case.

Please, take a look at these:
https://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=114020

https://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=146445

Link to original page on YouTube.

Well my mechanism appears to work fine...

I'm guessing something is out of spec... First gear you can shift into no problem, second too, however when you go to shift into third the lever will move all the way up and do nothing, if before I try to shift up into 3rd I move the lever down just enough to feel the force of the spring and try again it will shift into 3rd... I have to press it down ever so slightly to get into 4th, 5th, and 6th, too.

[Motofool]

Originally Posted by Gavin_Coffey

Well my mechanism appears to work fine...

I'm guessing something is out of spec... First gear you can shift into no problem, second too, however when you go to shift into third the lever will move all the way up and do nothing, if before I try to shift up into 3rd I move the lever down just enough to feel the force of the spring and try again it will shift into 3rd... I have to press it down ever so slightly to get into 4th, 5th, and 6th, too.

The shifting strokes are not completed for each manipulation of the foot lever.
The shifter mechanism needs to finish its forward movement in order to go back and reload.

Then, you may be able to increase the range of movement of the selector mechanism, by relocating the arm on the shifting shaft to be as perpendicular as possible respect to the connecting rod and as parallel as possible to the little arm of the foot lever.

[csmith12]

Adjust your lever down some so there is adequate range of motion, there is NOT infinite upward adjustment to allow for boot thickness or rider preference. At some point it will stop working as expected. If that is not the cause, something is mechanically wrong.

[Ghostt]

check the arrangement of the shift lever be sure the cranks on each end from a 90 degree angle with the rod.

The position of the rod to the levers can get so far off that insted of rotating them it pushes them sideways. think about the levers being full circles or discs. The rod needs to be Tangent to those circles