it’s not just this bike that has a problem with second gear. It is actually quite common in motorcycle sequential transmissions. Riders should not wind first gear up very high, and then slowly shift to second. They should short shift to second.. Second gear is the most vulnerable gear in most sequential, transmissions….. transmission failures are probably my biggest concern when riding. Because pulling the clutch and doesn’t see it when the transmission locks up. I have had that happened to me two times. The 1970s Yamaha triples 750, and 850 transmissions were the worst on the market for second gear failures. I was a mechanic at a Yamaha shop in those days, and one of the other mechanics always got the transmission work. He actually figured out how to replace the second gear parts that failed through the clutch basket cover without pulling the engine.. 1983, 84, and 85 Yamaha Venture 1200 cc transmissions. Also had poorly designed second gears. So did the Yamaha FJ 1100.. it’s not just the Kawasaki transmission in this video. It’s big bore hi torque engines.. you can avoid problems by developing good shifting habits. Don’t wind the piss out of first gear and then slam second. There is too much torque.. all of that mass spinning, and then you shift to second and make that dog engage sideways at that speed with all that torque behind it. It’s a miracle transmissions can survive that. formula One cars have sequential transmissions also. those cars change gears in one 2000s of a second. That is important with sequential transmissions that you shift quickly. Not harder, just quicker. Get that dog in gaged sideways into the next gear all the way quickly, not partially. That’s what happens, someone will shift slowly, and the dog is partially engaged with the gear next store, and it ends up rounding off the corners. The first signs of Problems are missed, shifts, or jumping out of gear. It’s also important to completely remove your foot from the shifter after every shift..
Having a similar problem with my bike a 2003 Kawasaki zrx. Third gear is worn and no longer available. Bike has been at the dealership for a whole year! They said they are having a machinist make a new gear for it, we’ll it’s been months since they said that. So frustrating
I had a machinist undercut the engagement surfaces. Basically grind off the rounded edges to make them squared off. Depends on how your gears are damaged. If it doesn’t go into 3rd it’s probably the shift detent or the shift fork. Does it work for all other gears? I’m not familiar with your model bike but most Kawasaki transmissions are similar. Do you have the “neutral finder” on your bike? Doesn’t allow you to shift to 2nd gear or higher while no moving. It’s notorious for causing 2nd gear “jumping into false neutral “ usually causes the shift fork to bend. Then it won’t go into gear fully and then causes the gears to round off the dogs.
I have a kawasaki vn nomad 1500 (2001) but to shift the gear from the first to the second it makes too much noise but third fourth and fifth are stable what is the solution can you help me solve. Thank you
Does it pop out of 2nd gear into neutral or just make noise. Most likely it is a bent shift fork. This repair requires complete disassembly of the engine to fix.
@@mouhamedaboubakar5075 if it’s only 2nd gear that doesn’t work it’s definitely a bad shift fork and 2nd gear set. Need to have the engine pulled apart and fix/replace bad parts. $1500-2500 to fix depending on what is actually bad.
Hello good day I have kawasaki vulcan 2000cc 05 and i have a problem on the second gear only ... it's like when i only get much power to the throttle on the second gear when its about to get to the gear limits the bike makes a small jump like a small push it's like i lose the throttle for a secound and pushed it back again ... and this issue only happen on the secound gear and on the very high rpm speed of the secound gear...can you help understanding this issue and help?
Does the engine surge and the bike jumps forward? Or only the rpms rise or revs higher? If it jumps into “neutral” it’s transmission problem. If it’s just surges the throttle it could be the throttle body or an electrical issue. Need more info
@@fitchpaintingrepairllc9871 thanks for replying...not the transmission not goes to the neutral its keep accelerating on the second gear till the end i mean till it gets to the end limits... the issue is when i am on 1st gear normal riding the. Shifts to the 2nd gear and then i suddenly decided to make a fast run fast accelerating on the secound gear its start normally rise the rpm then Suddenly on the half way of the 2nd gear the bike jumps on jump forward then it's continues normally the end of the gear limits ... this bike jump on the middle of the 2nd gear only happens when i accelerating very fast on the gear but if i gradually accelerating or normally accelerating no jumps happen.. and this small jump fell like the bike just grabbed or pulled for a second and then continued accelerating normally.. and just happen on the 2nd gear all other gears accelerating normall under fast run
@@MohamedShagar if it only happens in 2nd gear I would start with the fuel injection system. Or the enrichment circuit. Might be a air intake leak Causing the engine to run very lean. Check the spark plugs to see how the engine has been running. Power surges are usually caused by vacuum leaks or possibly the ecm is faulty. Very hard to diagnose by text
@@MohamedShagar if it doesn’t slip while in second gear or jump to neutral then it’s probably not the gearbox. If the rpms redline or high rev while accelerating only in second gear could be the clutch slipping. Try bleeding the clutch slave cylinder after replacing the fluid. If this doesn’t solve the problem a test ride will need to be done by your local repair shop. Maybe a GoPro video while riding will help me understand the bikes problem
Hey buddy, I am having the same problem with 2nd gear, it engages normal but when you ask for more power it jumps and goes to that neutral limbo. any piece of advise other than replacing the entire transmission? can this actually be repaired with the guy you mention you got his card or does it definitively must be replaced by a new input and output 2nd gear? this is only happening in 2nd gear. 1st, 3rd,4th and 5th run great. By an chance do you happen to have a 2nd gear set (input, output, washer, etc) to replace mine? I am located at Laredo, TX Thanks!
Most likely it is a bent shift fork that caused the gears to not fully engage. This causes the engagement surface of the 2nd gear set to get rounded off. The gears can be dressed to a 6 degree undercut by any good machine shop. Unfortunately this repair requires the cases to be split and transmission removed. Time and labor are the big money in this job. Complete gasket kit, new shift fork, and gears will only be a couple hundred or so. If you can do the work yourself it will save you a bunch of money. To have a shop do the whole project it will cost $2500-3,000. Depending on what year your bike is you might be able to get new gears. If it’s pre 2000 the parts are hard to find. I recommend removing the 3 ball bearings “neutral finder “ on the output shaft. For more on this go back on my page and watch all the 99 drifter videos
@@fitchpaintingrepairllc9871 thanks for your response, as a matter of fact here in Mexico (where i live) i can go to some shop and get these gears dressed up, but here is the question, do you have any dimension or measures which can be used to dress the gears up? I understand they put some metal or welding to the gears and then "cut" with a very sophisticated machine (CNC i guess is their name) until they reach the exact measure a gear has to have....am I correct? about complete gasket i am ok and can get it easily, but a new shift fork i guess it is not that easy...... on the other hand, get my hands on some new gears has been very difficult, i have searched through ebay and they don't have listed these gears at all not even from japan, i have searched on other websites and they are really expensive, they dont ship to mexico (i have an address in the border -laredo- to receive this) but most important i don't trust giving them my money and not receive the parts. How did you resolve this? was your 2nd gear dressed again?
@@aypapa1 the inner slots and dog ears need to be ground down to a 90 degreemating surface. Do not touch the actual gear teeth only the inner engagement surfaces of both gears for 2nd. Then the surface was undercut by 6 degrees for positive engagement. No metal was added only removed to true the surface. If the gear is too badly worn it can’t be repaired. The shift fork should be available online. If you are close to the boarder have them shipped to a friend in the US. I had mine done by a guy that does work for my local Harley race team. I haven’t double checked but was told the gears for a 2007 are the same gears just different part numbers. If you can verify this it might solve your problem. It all depends on what year/model bike you have. The early years of the vn1500 had many sub models Vn1500A, vn1500n etc. different tooth count or gear ratios. Verify your model before buying parts
@@fitchpaintingrepairllc9871 I own a nomad 1600Fi 2003, it would be great if we can get the blueprints or something similar so we can build the gears from scratch. I know some Machining shops in mexico where they can actually build pieces up from scratch (aluminum mostly), that would be a dream right?! Ive found the replacements parts online around 250 usd only 2nd gear input and output, i need all the work to disassemble the whole thing, full gasket set, time, new oil and patiente to do everything. this is a great motorcycle and personally i have ridden it a lot with a lot of fun and good experiences. I ll try to repair it eventually...for now just shifting from 1st to 3rd rapidly. thanks for your time buddy
I had the gear set undercut to true the mating surface. The bike ran strong after it was put back together. Sold the bike and have never heard from the bike since. I put about 600 miles on it after assembly
it’s not just this bike that has a problem with second gear. It is actually quite common in motorcycle sequential transmissions. Riders should not wind first gear up very high, and then slowly shift to second. They should short shift to second.. Second gear is the most vulnerable gear in most sequential, transmissions…..
transmission failures are probably my biggest concern when riding. Because pulling the clutch and doesn’t see it when the transmission locks up. I have had that happened to me two times.
The 1970s Yamaha triples 750, and 850 transmissions were the worst on the market for second gear failures. I was a mechanic at a Yamaha shop in those days, and one of the other mechanics always got the transmission work. He actually figured out how to replace the second gear parts that failed through the clutch basket cover without pulling the engine..
1983, 84, and 85 Yamaha Venture 1200 cc transmissions. Also had poorly designed second gears. So did the Yamaha FJ 1100..
it’s not just the Kawasaki transmission in this video. It’s big bore hi torque engines.. you can avoid problems by developing good shifting habits. Don’t wind the piss out of first gear and then slam second. There is too much torque.. all of that mass spinning, and then you shift to second and make that dog engage sideways at that speed with all that torque behind it. It’s a miracle transmissions can survive that.
formula One cars have sequential transmissions also. those cars change gears in one 2000s of a second. That is important with sequential transmissions that you shift quickly. Not harder, just quicker. Get that dog in gaged sideways into the next gear all the way quickly, not partially. That’s what happens, someone will shift slowly, and the dog is partially engaged with the gear next store, and it ends up rounding off the corners. The first signs of Problems are missed, shifts, or jumping out of gear.
It’s also important to completely remove your foot from the shifter after every shift..
Thanks for the info
God Bless you motor heads, you end up doing more work than riding, although you guys always have the nicest bikes!
Thank you
Thank you
Having a similar problem with my bike a 2003 Kawasaki zrx. Third gear is worn and no longer available. Bike has been at the dealership for a whole year! They said they are having a machinist make a new gear for it, we’ll it’s been months since they said that. So frustrating
I had a machinist undercut the engagement surfaces. Basically grind off the rounded edges to make them squared off. Depends on how your gears are damaged. If it doesn’t go into 3rd it’s probably the shift detent or the shift fork. Does it work for all other gears? I’m not familiar with your model bike but most Kawasaki transmissions are similar. Do you have the “neutral finder” on your bike? Doesn’t allow you to shift to 2nd gear or higher while no moving. It’s notorious for causing 2nd gear “jumping into false neutral “ usually causes the shift fork to bend. Then it won’t go into gear fully and then causes the gears to round off the dogs.
I,ve got a 1996 VN800, lost 2 nd gear… I just ride it like that.. 1st to 3rd…no problem.
@@peterrose7329 good luck with that method. Something is wrong and can lead to more damage or possibly locking up the engine while riding
I have a kawasaki vn nomad 1500 (2001) but to shift the gear from the first to the second it makes too much noise but third fourth and fifth are stable what is the solution can you help me solve. Thank you
Does it pop out of 2nd gear into neutral or just make noise. Most likely it is a bent shift fork. This repair requires complete disassembly of the engine to fix.
@@fitchpaintingrepairllc9871 Yes it makes noise and jumps to neutral
@@mouhamedaboubakar5075 if it’s only 2nd gear that doesn’t work it’s definitely a bad shift fork and 2nd gear set. Need to have the engine pulled apart and fix/replace bad parts. $1500-2500 to fix depending on what is actually bad.
@@fitchpaintingrepairllc9871 Thank you very much for this great help
Hello
Wat is the 1 gear???
Kann you sent me a picture of the 1 st please!!??
It won’t let me add a pic to my reply. Many online examples and free service manuals as well
How many miles driven for this transmission?
Not sure as the speedometer was not work when I bought the bike
Hello good day
I have kawasaki vulcan 2000cc 05 and i have a problem on the second gear only ... it's like when i only get much power to the throttle on the second gear when its about to get to the gear limits the bike makes a small jump like a small push it's like i lose the throttle for a secound and pushed it back again ... and this issue only happen on the secound gear and on the very high rpm speed of the secound gear...can you help understanding this issue and help?
Does the engine surge and the bike jumps forward? Or only the rpms rise or revs higher? If it jumps into “neutral” it’s transmission problem. If it’s just surges the throttle it could be the throttle body or an electrical issue. Need more info
@@fitchpaintingrepairllc9871 thanks for replying...not the transmission not goes to the neutral its keep accelerating on the second gear till the end i mean till it gets to the end limits... the issue is when i am on 1st gear normal riding the. Shifts to the 2nd gear and then i suddenly decided to make a fast run fast accelerating on the secound gear its start normally rise the rpm then Suddenly on the half way of the 2nd gear the bike jumps on jump forward then it's continues normally the end of the gear limits ... this bike jump on the middle of the 2nd gear only happens when i accelerating very fast on the gear but if i gradually accelerating or normally accelerating no jumps happen.. and this small jump fell like the bike just grabbed or pulled for a second and then continued accelerating normally.. and just happen on the 2nd gear all other gears accelerating normall under fast run
@@MohamedShagar if it only happens in 2nd gear I would start with the fuel injection system. Or the enrichment circuit. Might be a air intake leak Causing the engine to run very lean. Check the spark plugs to see how the engine has been running. Power surges are usually caused by vacuum leaks or possibly the ecm is faulty. Very hard to diagnose by text
@@fitchpaintingrepairllc9871 but is 2nd gear problem or transmission problem is an option or it's not a gearbox problem?
@@MohamedShagar if it doesn’t slip while in second gear or jump to neutral then it’s probably not the gearbox. If the rpms redline or high rev while accelerating only in second gear could be the clutch slipping. Try bleeding the clutch slave cylinder after replacing the fluid. If this doesn’t solve the problem a test ride will need to be done by your local repair shop. Maybe a GoPro video while riding will help me understand the bikes problem
Hey buddy,
I am having the same problem with 2nd gear, it engages normal but when you ask for more power it jumps and goes to that neutral limbo.
any piece of advise other than replacing the entire transmission?
can this actually be repaired with the guy you mention you got his card or does it definitively must be replaced by a new input and output 2nd gear?
this is only happening in 2nd gear.
1st, 3rd,4th and 5th run great.
By an chance do you happen to have a 2nd gear set (input, output, washer, etc) to replace mine? I am located at Laredo, TX
Thanks!
Most likely it is a bent shift fork that caused the gears to not fully engage. This causes the engagement surface of the 2nd gear set to get rounded off. The gears can be dressed to a 6 degree undercut by any good machine shop. Unfortunately this repair requires the cases to be split and transmission removed. Time and labor are the big money in this job. Complete gasket kit, new shift fork, and gears will only be a couple hundred or so. If you can do the work yourself it will save you a bunch of money. To have a shop do the whole project it will cost $2500-3,000. Depending on what year your bike is you might be able to get new gears. If it’s pre 2000 the parts are hard to find. I recommend removing the 3 ball bearings “neutral finder “ on the output shaft. For more on this go back on my page and watch all the 99 drifter videos
@@fitchpaintingrepairllc9871 thanks for your response, as a matter of fact here in Mexico (where i live) i can go to some shop and get these gears dressed up, but here is the question, do you have any dimension or measures which can be used to dress the gears up? I understand they put some metal or welding to the gears and then "cut" with a very sophisticated machine (CNC i guess is their name) until they reach the exact measure a gear has to have....am I correct? about complete gasket i am ok and can get it easily, but a new shift fork i guess it is not that easy......
on the other hand, get my hands on some new gears has been very difficult, i have searched through ebay and they don't have listed these gears at all not even from japan, i have searched on other websites and they are really expensive, they dont ship to mexico (i have an address in the border -laredo- to receive this) but most important i don't trust giving them my money and not receive the parts. How did you resolve this? was your 2nd gear dressed again?
@@aypapa1 the inner slots and dog ears need to be ground down to a 90 degreemating surface. Do not touch the actual gear teeth only the inner engagement surfaces of both gears for 2nd. Then the surface was undercut by 6 degrees for positive engagement. No metal was added only removed to true the surface. If the gear is too badly worn it can’t be repaired. The shift fork should be available online. If you are close to the boarder have them shipped to a friend in the US. I had mine done by a guy that does work for my local Harley race team. I haven’t double checked but was told the gears for a 2007 are the same gears just different part numbers. If you can verify this it might solve your problem. It all depends on what year/model bike you have. The early years of the vn1500 had many sub models Vn1500A, vn1500n etc. different tooth count or gear ratios. Verify your model before buying parts
@@fitchpaintingrepairllc9871 I own a nomad 1600Fi 2003, it would be great if we can get the blueprints or something similar so we can build the gears from scratch. I know some Machining shops in mexico where they can actually build pieces up from scratch (aluminum mostly), that would be a dream right?! Ive found the replacements parts online around 250 usd only 2nd gear input and output, i need all the work to disassemble the whole thing, full gasket set, time, new oil and patiente to do everything. this is a great motorcycle and personally i have ridden it a lot with a lot of fun and good experiences. I ll try to repair it eventually...for now just shifting from 1st to 3rd rapidly. thanks for your time buddy
@@aypapa1 good luck and safe travels. If you get the bad part out I’m sure a good machine shop can fix it or build it.
Did the new upgraded 2nd Gear work?
I had the gear set undercut to true the mating surface. The bike ran strong after it was put back together. Sold the bike and have never heard from the bike since. I put about 600 miles on it after assembly