Missing Gears

[high_tower]

Afternoon all,

Over recent weeks my bike has developed a fault when i change gear. it first started by once in a while when accelerating i'd change into a gear let that rev through and then when i tried to change up into the next gear, the selector would move but it wouldn't change gear or feel like it was engaging with anything. that feeling you get when you try to change up when your already in 6th geat. it only used to happen once in a blue moon but after a good ride out on friday for about 150 miles it happened about 10 times overall.

firstly any ideas what this could be and if this is an indicator or something bigger about to go wrong?

-High Tower

[sproggy]

I'd say the first thing to do would be to drain the gearbox oil - see how much comes out and what it's like. If much less than about 3/4 of a litre comes out then under-lubrication is probably the cause of your shifting problems, but then you have to ask where the rest of the oil's gone!

If the oil that comes out is a mess (lots of metallic particles) but about the right amount then this points towards a mechanical issue and you'll have to dig deeper.

[Blackal]

Check out the ball-joint link ends between the gear lever and the box.

It may be that they are full of crud and have stiffened up? Quite a common fault on GSs apparently - where the lever doesn't return to its detent position due to the resistance.

Disconnect and spray liberally with WD40 and see if that helps.

Al