I hate my bike. Gearbox seizure!!

[RobH]

Hi Guys,

I think this has turned out to be the worst motorcycle purchase I have ever made (and I've made over 40). I finally found a good speed triple head to replace my rattley one and haven't got around to fitting it yet. No point now, the bike suffered what I assume to be a gearbox failure/seizure today.

I'm not suggesting it's due to overheating, more a stray gearbox component jamming things up. There was a bit of a crunch, like a missed gear, then it cleared up, then it went a bit crunchy again in second then I parked the bike as I'd got to where I was going. Seemed ok when I started it up again but as soon as I gave it any throttle in second - CRUNCH, silence and back wheel locked. I've ridden lots of two strokes so my immediate reaction was to pull the clutch in, back wheel stayed locked which leads me to believe something is floating around inside the gearbox and getting stuck between cogs. I was able to restart after a couple of attempts and managed to carefully ride the 2 miles or so home, presumably the stray hardware had fallen to the bottom of the box. Seems a bit odd that it still works in all gears despite something obviously breaking off (couple of stripped teeth maybe?)

Anyone had a similar experience? I guess a full strip and rebuild is in order? Not really what I wanted to do, this bike is a bit of a nail anyway, the only thing it had going for it was a strong engine. It's worth nothing as parts, all plastics are poor, top end is cr*p, box is now cr*p.

Any sympathy appreciated.

RobH :-(

[JetdocX]

I hear ya.  I would have burned mine months ago if not for the siren song of that triple singing in my ears.

Sorry for the troubles.  There are parts bikes out there.  Why bother with the gearbox, just swap the engine out.

[Dr. Mordo]

Yikes, I'm just glad you're ok; that sounds potentially dangerous.

If it's any consolation, taking the engine out isn't all that hard, and I think the gear rebuild really should be pretty quick once you get all the parts in hand.  

If you have any mechanical experience, I'm pretty sure you could do it in a long weekend if you work hard.  

This thread has some tips that relate to engine removal:
http://tigertriple.com/forum/index.php/msg,32944

All that said, I am sorry for the problems you're having.  It sucks for a new purchase to be a lemon.

[Sin_Tiger]

:oops:    time to start drinking heavily, bucket loads of sympathy dude.

[coachgeo]

Hi Guys,

I think this has turned out to be ....

Where are you located?

[RobH]

Hi Guys, thanks for the sympathy

I have to console myself with my Honda CR500 supermoto for the time being

I'm in the UK coachgeo.

There's a few engines on Ebay but I think I'll wait for a reasonably low mileage one to come up - no point in installing another dud.

Cheers

RobH

[Sin_Tiger]

Hi Rob,

Don't throw the old one away if you get a replacement. I'm going to rebuild soon so probably could use some parts which might lighten your financial burden.

Niall

[RobH]

Ok, noted. It had a new sprag clutch not too long ago and I'd just done the 1 piece alternator drive shaft conversion a couple of hundred miles ago.

Cheers

H

[RobH]

Right then, I have a low mileage Sprint engine on its way and the bike is stripped ready for engine out. Anyone got any tips for dropping the old/lifting the new engine? I wish they'd put a centre stand on this bike!

Also, what size is the star drive bit required to remove the engine mountings? I'm guessing T55.

Cheers

H

[93TigerBill]

RobH,
Have you determined whether you need to swap the shifter drum?
Mustang will know.......
Regards,
Bill

[RobH]

ermmm...no, do you mean because of differences between the models? I wasn't expecting to do anything other than swap engines and balance the cabs...I'll have a look at the workshop manual.

Cheers
H

[RobH]

All looks very smilar, I can't see why I'd need to change anything, max ignition advance is slightly (3 degrees) more for the Tiger but rev limit is higher on the Sprint so I'm hopeful things should even themselves out. Both six speed with the same gear ratios and a remote gear lever (some models are direct onto the selector shaft).

I am a little concerned that there will be a mismatch between the cam profiles and timing for the Sprint engine when used with the ignition map from the Tiger, guess I'll see how it goes ;-)

Cheers

H

[JetdocX]

You should be able to find an igniter from a Sprint or Daytona to get the maximum benefit from the engine.  Just a thought.

[Dr. Mordo]

I've written tips about engine removal.  I think it's in the Tip and Tricks thread that's stickied to the top.

At least now you've got a parts motor!  Where'd you get the Sprint motor?

[Sin_Tiger]

Glad you found a suitable engine and good luck with the swap.

I am still open to picking up your partza when you're done :D