Second Gear's Kicking the Bucket

[Chaharly]

I know that the 1200's have bad second gears. In second gear if i romp on it it's starts to jump. If i ever go quick anymore i just skip over to third. But either way its a pain. My bikes only got 37000 on it. I know that it is fixable, but for how much...

Thank you!

[CdnDave77]

Welcome to the world of Venture a la four-speed.

 

There are some great write-ups on how it can be fixed, but it is not necessarly an easy task. The parts are not expensive, but the labour and effort required (if you are doing it yourself) is intimidating.

 

Second gear was out of my bike when I bought it - even the slightest acceleration in 2nd will cause it to pop and lurch. However, these machines have more than enough torque to allow you to completely bypass 2nd, go directly into 3rd and carry on without anyone being the wiser. I have put more than 25,000 km on it that way and I am sure some members here have exceeded that.

 

Would I like second gear ? Sure, who wouldn't ? But do I really miss it ? No... I don't even acknowledge the loss. Maybe someday when I have unrestricted access to a heated shop, and plenty of time to dedicate to it, I would love to take the engine out, tear it down, and fix it properly, but for now, I am content to shift up twice coming out of first. There are no ill effects that I know of other than a rattle when the bike is idling when resting on the sidestand.

 

I am sorry it happened to you, but rest easy.. it's certainly not time to panic. Good luck !

[RandyR]

member Dingy had a recent post with pictures of the engine out and transmission apart. That should give you a feel for the magnitude of the work involved.

[JPM]

I did the 2nd gear upgrade a few years ago on my '83 Venture. It was not that bad of a job for just the transmision. Just plan to do the job so you are not pressed for time and enjoy the opportunity to get to know your engine. There are good directions for getting the job done, one step at a time. I do suggest that you get the necessary parts ahead of time to avoid a long time laps between disassembly and re assembly for the transmision parts.

 

When I did this job, through the winter in a heated workshop, I added a few other things to the list to get done while the engine was out. The big improvement thing was addition of solid engine mounts. You will not believe how much they stiffen the frame and improve handling. It's worth pulling the engine for that job alone, in my opinion.

 

It's also a great time to adjust the valves, a lot easier with the engine out in the open.

 

Also, proved to be a good time to strip the remaining clear coat off the stator, clutch, valve, and water pump covers and buff them up to look almost like chrome. A nice touch for a 27 year old bike.

 

With the engine out of the way, it's a great time to lub the swing arm and rear suspension pivot points as well.

 

Besides, 2ng gear is my favorite gear.

 

Joe

Edited May 2, 2010 by JPM

[Venturous Randy]

I did the undercut on 2nd gear about 12 years ago and put 60K more miles on it and I spent $28 doing it. Due to not putting in a hardened thrust washer, it began to rattle while idleing so I put an 86 trans in I picked up. Now my plan is to put the 2000 RSV trans in with the wider spaced gears.

RandyA

[DragonRider]

From what you say, I gather that any gear set from a Venture will fit an 83............???

I did the undercut on 2nd gear about 12 years ago and put 60K more miles on it and I spent $28 doing it. Due to not putting in a hardened thrust washer, it began to rattle while idleing so I put an 86 trans in I picked up. Now my plan is to put the 2000 RSV trans in with the wider spaced gears.

RandyA

[Yammer Dan]

From what you say, I gather that any gear set from a Venture will fit an 83............???

 

 

 

Not sure of that yet Lew. Several waiting on outcome of that gearset.

[dingy]

member Dingy had a recent post with pictures of the engine out and transmission apart. That should give you a feel for the magnitude of the work involved.

 

 

I didn't split the case and mess with the tranny.

 

Everything but that, pulled pistons & honed cylinders for example.

 

Bear in mind, it's not only the cost of the replacement parts that are needed. It's also all the gaskets, fluids, and related items that should be fixed once you are this deep into the guts of the bike.

 

 

I have a list of all the gaskets & other things I used or replaced on my bike if needed.

 

It of course goes a lot farther, but not including, the transmission repair.

 

Gary