R65 quit downshifting; stuck in 5th gear! Help!

[baldwithglasses]

I bought a 1982 BMW R65 this past March in Washington DC and I have enjoyed riding it immensely. It's my first airhead, and I've put on about 7000 miles since I got the bike, and now sits with a total of 45,00 miles.

I was riding it back to where I'm staying today, and it would not downshift at all.

I bought new boots recently, and they fit kinda snug between the carb and the shift lever- could that have anything to do with the problem?

And again, it's my first Airhead (all right, it's an R65, I know), and I'm not real comfortable breaking open the gearbox to try to repair the situation.

I'm short ideas.

What can anyone suggest?

http://a777.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/51/l_3155caca1e24be5f7d21ebc11c1409a0.jpg

[donbmw]

A spring in the transmission is more likely broken. I had my 82 R65 do the same in 3rd gear could not up or down shift. I had about 50000 miles at the time. The part back in 85 was .75 cent labor was couple hundred.

Don

[baldwithglasses]

:doh

I don't suppose you know which spring it was, or what the process was to fix said spring...

[20774]

I heard that if you turned the bike upside down, you could shift to a lower gear...:stick

The September 2003 MOA News has an article by Gary Smith about replacing the spring. I believe one should also put in the upgraded shift kit (includes a new cam I think) when inside the transmission. Gary followed this up with a discussion of the shift kit in the November 2003 issue.

Matt Parkhouse wrote about this in the November 2006 issue, as well, and even mentions the idea of turning the bike upside down while bumping the wheel to get it to shift. Probably something to try if stuck on the road in order to get home.

Cracking a transmission should be done with a lot of knowledge and tools...plus the gears need shimming when all is done. Not a shade mechanic job, IMO.

[dmcbmw356]

Don't know how close the trannies on my R60/6 is to yours (5 speed) but I just replaced mine (stuck in first gear). I pulled the transmission took it to a local shop, they opened it up and replaced the spring (spring and new gasket $15) labor $75.00
You have to have a puller to get the flange off
dan

[carockwell]

You probably have the famous broken spring. But just to be sure, check that moving the shift lever actually moves the shaft going into the tranny. It is unrealistic to split the tranny yourself, but it can be done.

[baldwithglasses]

There's no way I'd feel confident enough to crack the transmission.

I'm now deciding to which place I'm taking it for repairs.

How feasable would it be to have them add a kickstarter as well?

[beemerguru]

Where do you live?

With the right tools (all will be in the standard BMW airhead tool kit), you can have the tranny out in about 30-45 minutes..but like anything else, experience counts so you don't end up spilling fluids or messing up the neutral switch wire hareness.

The spring in now around $4 from the dealer. But this is also the time where you need someone to go through the entire tranny. Inspect the bearings, gears, and shafts. Upgrade the shift parts and reshim everything...Use Mobil 1 or Red Line 75-95 and it will go another 75K miles.

You can add a kicker...Bob Grauer out here in San Jose is set up to drill the cover to accept the shaft...but why? Unless you're on a perfectly flat area..all you need is enough juice to light up the idiot lights,and a short push with the bike on 3rd gear.

I have a kicker on all my G/Ss..they came that way..but using the hill is so much easier.

[Pierce]

Broken detent(return?) spring. This happened to me too. $2.00 part and $400.00 in labor!

[baldwithglasses]

I finally heard back from Blue Moon about the r65. They popped open the tranny, and sure enough, they found a busted spring.

They put it back together and, says their service writer, it's not downshifting still and they can't find neutral. Shifter forks intact, everything else, they say, looks as it should. But no shifty-shifty.

Maybe one of the ADV folks out there may have some more ideas for them to try ( and of course, a full GSA upgrade would solve it, I realize, but I'm not there yet)...

Also, some have mentioned an improved shift kit for the airhead transmissions. What are said kits all about?

[20774]

Shift kit and other transmission issues discussed here:

http://www.largiader.com/tech/airtrans/

[baldwithglasses]

I just heard from Amy at Blue Moon- the problem's not just with a broken spring, but also not one but two bent shift forks.

Mayhap there's a certain bespectacled shiny-pated rider that's been stomping the gears a bit rudely...