Transmission! What the heck???

[Big-Foot]

I ride BigFoot pretty nice and I have not beat on him at all.. I have had a couple of false neutrals between 2nd and 3rd gear but I attributed that to maybe not getting it all the way into gear.

Here is where things get interesting.

I am riding in town and I just took off from a red-light. The speed limit is 30 mph which pretty much means you are riding in third gear or you are gonna listen to the torque compensator cackle away at you.
I started out in 1st, shifted to 2nd about 15mph and into third at about 25 or so. I had to back out of the throttle a little because the car in front of me was turning right.
He turned and I went to accelerate. The engine reved up! False neutral on it's own ???
I went to put him back into third with the clutch in and the shifter seemed a little stiff. All of a sudden I was skidding!!! Clutch IN - no soap still skidding.... Bang the shifter toward second - it went all the way into first but stopped skidding. I had kicked the shifter so hard getting it un-locked that I think I loosened the Flying-V shifter from the rod. I pulled it over and Clunked it in and out of gear several times. I rode home ***very*** carefully but the problem was never repeated. I tightened up the shifter and rode it around the neighborhood a little and it seemed okay.

I don't have to tell you that I almost needed a change of underware on this ride!

What the heck should I do??? This bike only has 550 miles on him!!!

[Choirguy]

I'd personally try to re-create the problem. I don't know why the bike would skip second gear completely. I've missed 3rd going up every now and then, but have never missed a gear coming down.

If you can't re-create the problem, just assume it's a fluke and keep riding (perhaps you really weren't in 3rd after all). If you can re-create the problem, get that bike into Warner's right away. Then again, Tom's still not back at work, so it might be a while.

At least you're okay...that's the most important thing.

[Big-Foot]

Hi,

You are right - I am okay and I can deal with the bike better that way! :)

I called Warners and talked with Chad tonight. I am bringing the bike in to him tomorrow to check it out.

I am a little more collected since it happened.

The bike went into 1st after I kicked the cr@p out of the shifter trying **anything** to get the back tire to stop skidding. I had only slowed to about 15mph by the time it un-locked and was in first gear. I probably ratcheted right past second gear when I was kicking the shifter. Had I not been in traffic with a city bus coming up behind me - I may have acted differently. :)

I did have it in third gear and was there for almost a block when it slipped out of third into the false neutral.
When I tried to shift him into third, I was just stepping on the shifter with my heal and it was stiff so I thumped the shifter with my heal and that's when all heck broke loose!

If the whole incident lasted more than 5 seconds, I would be surprized, but it seemed like an eternity while it was happening.

Good things:
1) I was on good clean and even pavement.
2) traffic was light
3) speed was relatively slow (maybe 32-34 mph)
4) traffic gave me a break and stayed clear
5) God likes me!

I am not sure I really want to re-create the problem, but I will be wearing full leather and brain-bucket and skipping 3rd gear as I ride him to Warners tomorrow.

I don't really think I am a Wuss for not wanting to recreate the problem. I am enough of a Test-Pilot in our Racecars when I am the first one to bring them up to their full speed potential. I didn't sign on as a Victory rider to become a Test-Pilot for them too..

[Swiffer]

Good idea bringing Bigfoot down to Warner's. It may never happen again, but what if it does...say at 50mph? This sounds alot like what happened with Tom's 2000...any comments Tom?? Glad you're OK Randy!

Steve

[Big-Foot]

Originally posted by Swiffer
Good idea bringing Bigfoot down to Warner's. It may never happen again, but what if it does...say at 50mph? This sounds alot like what happened with Tom's 2000...any comments Tom?? Glad you're OK Randy!

Steve

Thanks Steve.

I sent an email to Tom to see if his tranny had un-locked like mine did..

Ya know - I was REALLY hoping that I had one of those "Bullet-Proof" trannies like RoadKill evidently has..

[Choirguy]

After reading responses to your question at the VMC website, it sounds as if your transmission is missing the "upgrade" (shift detent?) that most of the 1999s have already received. This may be the problem (thankfully, most of the 2000s didn't have this problem).

If you guys are talking about Tom Z's bike that is in Warner's at this moment, he had a different situation...the output shaft had to be replaced completely, due to a front pulley issue (I think the EXTREME of what happened to my bike in Alaska).

As for Roadkill's "bullet proof" tranny on his 1999, it wasn't. He had 78K on his bike (actually had the 2001 upgrade with about 16K on it), and this happened: (from Roadkill's pages)...

"The core of concern for my transmission was a failure to remain in, and eventual inability to attain, third gear. Upon teardown, it was discovered that the 1st/3rd gear mainshaft shift fork (p/n 5132166?) which resides on a shift rail (p/n 5132177?) was badly abraded. The damaged shift fork is shown in this photo with the rounded part pointing toward its relative position on the mainshaft assembly (the part hidden in the fingers rides on the upper 'rod' (rail) seen just below the fork. You'll clearly notice the scorched abrading on the mainshaft side of the fork"

Roadkill has pictures in his album.

The only thing that scares me about the situation you faced is that when you pulled in the clutch, the rear tire still was locked up, right? Hopefully they will be able to fix the problem.

[Big-Foot]

To tell you the honest truth it all happened so darned fast - I think I pumped that clutch lever a dozen times in the span of the incident - I am not 100% certain that it was still locked up with the clutch in.

My bike is #106 and went down with the original owner with less than 250 miles on him. I doubt that it has seen all the service bulletins it should have seen.

Hopefully the shift detent upgrade is all it needs!

Thanks for the info about RK's tranny too!

Frankly - the fact that I cannot re-create (in my own mind) the complete scenario the exact way it went down is rather disconcerting. As a racecar driver I need these cognitive skills! Perhaps another sign of age - or - just the fact that this blind-sided me altogether....

[sstodvictory]

Originally posted by Thumper
Frankly - the fact that I cannot re-create (in my own mind) the complete scenario the exact way it went down is rather disconcerting. As a racecar driver I need these cognitive skills! Perhaps another sign of age - or - just the fact that this blind-sided me altogether.... Completely understandable Thumper, but I as I read about the incident and the followups, I wondered if this were a factor. A rear-wheel skid in trafic, not induced by overbraking, would be a mind-load for any of us. The fact that you dealt with it and didn't get hurt, says something.

There were a series of emotional messages on the yahoo board once about people having reporting lockups. We couldn't find a single message in the database where that's what had actually been reported. Not to minimize the seriousness of the situation or the possiblility that it actually locked up. There's a first time for everything, so this merits persistent followup until you're satisfied it's OK.

Steve

[Big-Foot]

Note - took forever to get onto this forum due to server problems.

Cross posted from the VMC site -

Thanks again guys.. I appreciate any and all input.
Here is an update:

Steve "Swiffer" Wehrs and I just got back from the dealer where we talked with the mechanic and owner.

The owner (also a wrench) tinkered with the shift linkage a little (their was a small bind in the heim joints) and said that he wasn't sure that this was it, but after rolling the bike back-forth shifting between all the gears, he pronounced the problem as a "Glitch" and that I should go ahead and ride it and make careful note of what the bike is/was doing should it happen again.

He (owner) wasn't crazy about riding the bike himself which sort of had me a little concerned. I wasn't real big on riding it either. Steve decided that he would ride the bike back to my house and we would talk there. He said that it ran and shifted fine. He went so far as to say that it even shifted better than his 99.

Maybe it was just a glitch. I did buy the extended warranty on the bike last April so I am covered for 2 more years.

On the one hand I would like to dismiss this whole thing as an anomally. On the other hand, I am not real crazy about the potential of it happening again.
The Owner said if they tore the tranny down and didn't find anything wrong with it, that I would have to pay out of my own pocket. Right now I am between jobs (I am an IT Consultant) and pretty low on funds. That prospect doesn't sit well with me either!

I am wondering if I should call Polaris or just forget about it and ride it.

I don't suppose it would hurt to call them since they are right in my backyard...

[tom2000]

Randy, like I mentioned in the E-mail. My tranny locked up just like yours. The clutch had know affect on anything. The tranny was bound up, and would not turn over until I kick it down, but I was at a dead stop before I tried to shift it. I give you credit for trying to shift. The only thought I had was keep the rubber side down.
I'm glad I don't have to make the choice you are faced with. (Murphy law) what can happen will, and like you I am happy to have survived it once. I would not want to push my luck.
Tom