Sheared Shifter

[2SlowDave]

2001 R1150GS, 81,500 mi.

I'm wondering if there is a way to repair this without pulling the tranny and replacing the shaft and seals.

Thanks

 

 

[schneeman]

ouch !

i don't think you can fix it by somehow reattaching/welding it back etc.

unfortunately looks like you have to open the gearbox and put a new shifter in.

a lot of work to do something relatively simple

good luck!

[OoPEZoO]

+1

 

That sucks.....and yes, the gearbox must be pulled and opened in order to replace the shaft.

[dan cata]

How did it happen? With your foot or did you drop the gearbox?

 

Dan.

[2SlowDave]

I suspect this was a progressive type of failure that started with a small fracture that grew with normal use.

The shifter broke free with no warning, as I was shifting from 2nd to 3rd. The bike was stuck in 2nd. I was 140 miles from home. I crawled under the bike and got it into 3rd and nursed it home on open highways and freeways following the slowest trucks.

 

If Rossi can race with just one gear,......

 

It is a real puzzlement to me how this breakage occurred. I'm the only owner and the shift lever never hit anything but my boot. It seems to me the shift linkage would break or bend before the shaft broke.

Oh well, it is what it is.

[Skywagon]

Don't know if it will work or not, but I would try JB Weld. It is a pretty remarkable product.

[kmac]

I always find it odd when a big thick piece of metal breaks and the small thin metal that moves it is fine.

 

Not related but similar, today I was bending the rear brake lever on my RT to fit a GS footpeg mounts I am customizing. I do not need the bend in the rear end of the arm. It is 1/8" or MAYBE 3/16" thick stamped sheet metal. I had it clamped into a 4" vise and was heating the brake arm and hitting it with a ball peen hammer. The little sheetmetal arm did not bend but the vice head breaks completely off. No I was not hitting the vice, but man the entire moving jaw snapped completely off...wierd stuff.

 

Metallurgy is a wierd thing. I am sure a metallugist could figure out what happened, but not worth the money to test it at this point.

 

Sucks though.

[greenrider]

If it was me I would take it to my work, we have a guy that is a great specialty welder and he could tig weld it. It would take a awhile because it cannot get hot or you burn the seals.

How hard is the shaft?

Can it be drilled?

If it is hard maybe its only case harden.

If you can file it, you can drill it.

I would clamp something over the two pieces to keep thing straight & inline then drill and tap into the end. Than bolt it into the end.

 

But that only what I would do.

 

 

 

 

[Guest Kakugo]

I've never seen a complete failure like this but from experience it's possible the previous owner(s) run the bike with an improperly fitted brake pedal.

 

When I had my first Suzuki I regulated the brake pedal to suit my needs. For whatever reason the bolt came loose and the pedal slowly came to sit mostly on the outermost "cog". Luckily I noticed it before it was too late applied generous amounts of Loctite to the brake pedal nut to keep it from happening again.

 

The steel used on those parts is not exactly the Chrome Molybdenum alloys used in high end industrial tools. Give it enough hard changes with an ill-fitted pedal and it will break.

[dirtrider]

Morning Dave

 

 

 

Personally, I would just remove the trans & repair it correctly as that most likely wouldn't be much more work than making a lasting repair & there is great risk of damaging that shaft seal in attempting a (lasting) repair.

 

There is a high chance of seal damage in making any type of (lasting) repair using welding or high heat.

 

As far as what caused the original problem?-- Really no way of knowing. It looks like that one area is discolored a bit so it might have been cracked for a while. There is no signs of grease/oil in that area (but there is on the splines) so it probably didn't have a large crack or for very long.

 

My guess (just a SWAG) is that the lever was a bit loose on the splines so the pinch bolt worked it's way into the outer spline area (you can see some spline wear there in your picture). That might have allowed the bolt to become cam shaped. Maybe the pinch bolt was then tightened & the bolt wedged the outer part of that spline shaft putting a severe bending mode on it.

 

Even possible the shaft end was damaged during original handling at the assembly plant or during original shaft assembly.

 

Doesn't really matter why at his point as it is broken & needs to be repaired. You seem to be the first (that I know of) that this has happened to so the chances of a new shaft doing the same thing is pretty remote.

 

 

[4wheeldog]

Don't know if it will work or not, but I would try JB Weld. It is a pretty remarkable product.

 

It is remarkable stuff, but unfortunately, it is not capable of standing up to the stress of this application. Just sayin'.

[2SlowDave]

Thank you dirtrider for your experienced analysis and recommendation.

I agree with your assessment.