Hitchcocks Forum

Hi all went for a run on my 350 bullet and the engine is running perfect(well as good as it should)but I seem to be having a slight problem with the gears,all the gears engage ok when going up the range but when I come to slow down and want to drop down a gear I end up going from 4th to neutral instead of 3rd or 2nd,is this a common trend or am I just being heavy footed when changing gear,any tips or suggestions please.

thanks earl you may be correct because after I have tried to change up a gear and the bike is coasting (in what seems to be neutral) when i try to go into any other down shift gear I end up in 4th, I will give the gear change a little bit more push next time I am on the road and get back to this page with the result.

Is your clutch clearing properly? I no longer suffer from false neutrals and my old four speed box changes as well as any Jappa since I sorted the clutch thoroughly.

Hi Simon I don't think its the clutch,as the gears going up the range are fine,it's just when I try to change down a geare the problem happens.

In that case I'd check to see that the selector mechanism is adjusted correctly. There is a certain amount of movement on the base plate. It may be that it could be too far to either side of the centre giving you insufficient movement in one direction.

Hi Simon when going for a run to day started the bullet up ok but then had difficulty engaging the gears ,it looks like you may be correct when you sugested the problem might be clutch related,I tried adjusting the clutch but it did not seem to have any effect,there was a definite crunch when trying to engage first gear,but the rest engaged ok ,but still no joy when trying to come back through the gears,what solution with your clutch did you come up with to have a smooth gear change?

My clutch had a number of issues non of which were entirely responsible but in concert they made a very difficult change. First and most problematic was the fact that gearbox cover which holds the clutch actuator was made of such thin material that it flexed when the clutch was engaged vastly reducing the efficiency of the clutch mechanism. To fix this I made a device that can be seen in the pictures at the following link http://www.flickr.com/photos/77012441@N08/
There are details of the design, manufacture and fitting of this in a previous post under the heading of Cover Flex. The second issue was that the clutch itself was rather poorly made and out of true. I have a lathe so I could true up the back plate and clean up the rest with emery quite easily however it may be that your clutch is fine and a look at it with the primary cover off with give you an idea. Third and the easiest was the length of the cable and the relative adjustment of the arm. The clutch adjustment in mine was screwed right in because the cable was too long by about 3/4". There is a sweet spot in the actuator arm so I suggest setting it in the middle of the adjustment and the set the length of the cable accordingly. I make my own cables so they are the length I make them however I would assume if your getting cables from Mr H that they are most likely spot on. Hope this helps. The message I would like to give above all is that there is nothing inherently wrong with the design but somewhat indifferent manufacture and quality control over various eras ( particularly in the early 90's) means that some careful fettling and adjustment will get everything working perfectly.

Hi Simon thanks for the update on possible clutch problems and solutions,at the first opportunity I am going to strip the clutch and check for any problems with the component parts,as the bullet is a bit old in the tooth (1965)i expect there will be some wear and tear ,but I have had the clutch stripped down previously and it seemed to be ok however when I re built the clutch last time I did have problems with the adjustment after the ball bearing in the clutch push rod went walk about in the garage without me noticing,resulting in exsesive adjustment but no clutch,I will update you when I have investigated further.

Ah well as a 65 Bullet I doubt whether you'll have the flex issues so it should be just a case of careful setting up. Good luck S.

HI had similar problems also bike falling out of gear.. Hard as it is to believe nearly all gearbox problems are actually clutch set up issues.Read this forum for evidence to support this,
remove the push rod adjustment screw take out the ball bearing and grease it then replace the screw Turn this screw on your push rod in until the clutch slips when you try to ride off, gently experiment backing the screw off little by little until there is no more slippage. this hopefully will transform your riding experience.
I was sceptical about this originally and did dismantle clutch... but eventually found all i needed to do was to set it up properly.
I have had to repeat this after about 3000 miles but its a 15 minute job.
good luck