shifter fell off!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[clav_guy]

I have a 2006 RSV. Yesterday, when I went to downshift for the toll booth, I found I had no shifter. It was laying on the foot board. I stopped and slipped it back on to its pivot shaft and got home fine.

My question is... What holds it on the shaft? The shaft has a groove machined in it all the around about half way on its length. But I see nothing on the shift lever that indicates how it is held on????

 

Thank you in advance

 

CG

[Long Tall]

Happened to Bubba back in the Spring while we were on our way to a Virginia Meet & Eat.....

 

Found out later by some folks at the Meet & Eat that the Bolt that holds the side covers on are the same bolt that hold the Shifter on.....Only one of the bolts for each side cover is actually used to hold the cover on....the other one is just for looks....

 

We took one of these....Put the shifter back on...and off we went....Note...used BLUE loctite on it this time....

 

George in Virginia

[OutKast]

Happens all the time. RiderDuke passed this onto me. A "button head" bolt goes into the end of the shaft.

 

There is an almost identical bolt in the side covers under the driver seat. Each side has (2) allen button head bolts. The rear bolts actually head the covers on. The front bolt is just decorative. Borrow the front bolt to get you running. USE LOCTITE. The groove is a grease groove, coat it with grease.

 

Then, just order a new side cover bolt whenever you get to shop. Or borrow one off the other side for a trip to hardware store.

[frogmaster]

LOCKTITE mine the first day it hit my garage. I pays to read "KNOWN ISSUES" for RSV. Can not find it right now maybe someone can find that Link and post it here:

[juggler]

In the Tech Library.

 

http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1067

[flb_78]

http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1067

 

edit...BAH!! I was beaten to it.

[mp66226]

That would be a pleasant surprise. I'll take a quick look at that before I go out next ride. My luck it would fall off a bridge into a river somewhere and cost $2000 to get a new one.

[Sideoftheroad]

Well you all faired much better than me. My shifter fell off weekend before last and had I used more common sense it would have potentially saved me a bunch of $$$ because I had to have my clutch replaced.

http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=28193

 

Update too. When I picked up the bike from the dealer. Another mechanic (don't remember if he was one of the 2 that said EBC was junk) said shouldn't have to replace stock clutch for at least 100k and the EBC kit should last about 100k. Also got to take home a couple souveniors. I post pics later, but basically looks like someone took black spray paint and painted the clutches. Only 1 of them I could still see metal. Glad I went ahead and paid for the metal and fiber clutches. They were originally telling me to just order the fibers. I didn't feel comfortable w/ that so I ordered it all.

Edited October 14, 2008 by Sideoftheroad

[N3FOL]

This weekend is a good time for me to check bolts, since I am changing oil and final drive oil for the 1st 600 miles.

[clav_guy]

that worked using the screw from the side cover... that leads to another question...

 

Why are there two screws when only one is doing any work?????

[OutKast]

The same thing the false air cooling fins on the side of your engine are doing. Or the "eybrows" on your fairing. Or the tin "valve cover covers" over the aluminum valve covers! Maybe even the tape deck (although the aux input jack is useful for something).

 

Actually, I have never yet replaced the side cover screw.

Edited October 14, 2008 by OutKast

[Stoutman]

that worked using the screw from the side cover... that leads to another question...

 

Why are there two screws when only one is doing any work?????

 

• One screw is the supervisor...
  
• "Side cover screw" is a Union job...
  
• Nobody, not even a lowly sidecover wants to admit to only having one screw...
  
• The shift lever engineer at Yamaha knew about the screw falling out problem, but his boss wouldn't let him fix it, so he talked his buddy in the side cover department into adding a spare...
  

[mountainhorsega]

yamaha replaced ours under warranty

[Mooseduncan]

Okay so what if you discover that the heel/toe shifter came off, you fix it in your friends garage, but then on the way home, the linkage comes off behind the floorboard?? I havent looked at the bike since, just got home in 3rd and parked it for a few days. Is that an easy fix too?

[Jerry W]

Okay so what if you discover that the heel/toe shifter came off, you fix it in your friends garage, but then on the way home, the linkage comes off behind the floorboard?? I havent looked at the bike since, just got home in 3rd and parked it for a few days. Is that an easy fix too?

 

Had that problem with my '96. The allen head bolt works out, clean it good and then put it back in with locktite. It is kind of a pain to get to, but if you clean all the oil etc. off the bolt and use strong licktite, it won't happen again. It is easier if you loosen the exhaust on that side and have a buddy hold it out a little while you replace the bolt.

[GeorgiaYankee]

Ha! Bought my 99 RSV last week and went for a nice ride with my wife today. At 80mph on interstate 95 in Florida I looked down to see the shifter laying on the floor board. So I calmly used the side of my boot sole to lift it up and push it back on. My wife had no idea. We rode for another 30 minutes to home with my foot holding it on. Just found all these good tips sitting here on the couch. Next time I'll check the forum from a gas station on the road. I love this bike by the way, had no idea what I was mi:322:ssing all these years with smaller bikes.

[maineventurerider]

Happened to me too!

 

On my recent roadtrip out west. Out in the middle of nowhere, in Arizona, go to downshift and don't feel the shifter!

 

Looked down and the shifter was laying on the floor board, still attached to the linkage.

 

Grabbed the clutch and pulled over in 5th gear. Got off the bike and there was the screw that holds the shifter on still laying on the floor board! Thank God for that one.

 

A few minutes later my buddies noticed I was no longer behind them and turned around and came back. Borrowed some blue loctite and had her back together in a jiffy.

 

I had heard of it happening to that other guy on the forum a few months ago. Apparently from the response today it's a lot more common than I realized.

 

I also had a hinge screw on the left saddlebag come out on the same trip. Still haven't fixed that one. I have decided that on the next long trip I will bring along an assortment of metric fasteners for just these sort of problems.

 

Ride Safe!

 

1/2crazed

[spke]

The last one had me rolling on the floor. (not THAT funny but I've had a couple beers and I'm a happy drunk)

 

for #5 I think it musta been fung shway. Just one woulda looked outa balance.

 

• One screw is the supervisor...
  
• "Side cover screw" is a Union job...
  
• Nobody, not even a lowly sidecover wants to admit to only having one screw...
  
• The shift lever engineer at Yamaha knew about the screw falling out problem, but his boss wouldn't let him fix it, so he talked his buddy in the side cover department into adding a spare...
  

[allwx]

Well my RSV shifter hasn't fallen off... yet, but my 1970 Harley Sprint shifter did. With me and my young wife on it, out in the forests near Savannah, GA. I went to grab a gear and found no shifter... it had vibrated off. I nursed it in high gear to keep it running by doing a lot of clutch slipping, and managed to find the darned thing lying in the road a few miles back.