Can't shift up past neutral.

[WileECoyote]

Brand new member here with a transmission issue - I recently bought a nice complete and original 1963 Superhawk. The bike starts and runs great but I only have 1st. and neutral. The transmission shifts between 1st. and up to neutral just fine but there is nothing past that. You can pull up all you want on the shift lever it's like there just isn't anything past neutral. Clutch seems to be working ok, but it won't even try to go into any other gears standing still or moving, makes no difference. Bike had been sitting up for several years prior to my buying it. I haven't opened up the side cover yet (haven't had the time). Anyone know what I should look for?

[jleewebb]

have you tried rotating the left footpeg up a notch?

[WileECoyote]

Well, I don't have the original foot shifter on the bike right now. When I ran into the problem I removed the original foot shift linkage and installed a simpler (one piece) foot shifter to eliminate the possibility of the shift linkage causing the trouble, so there's lots of space between the current shifter and the foot-peg.

[Steveo123]

Hey guys;

I know this is an old post, and sorry to dredge it up from the bottom, but I am having this same issue on my 66 Superhawk. Any thoughts on what the cause/solution may be?

Thanks advance!

[e3steve]

Hey guys;

I know this is an old post, and sorry to dredge it up from the bottom, but I am having this same issue on my 66 Superhawk. Any thoughts on what the cause/solution may be?

Thanks advance!

Another? There’s a similar thread elsewhere on the forum...

If you have the bike on its centre-stand and roll the rear wheel back & forth, can it be made to upshift into the higher gears?

If not, I’d suspect a worn shift drum or a broken selector fork, but the first thing to check, before dropping out the motor, is the shift arm inside the clutch / primary chain cover: drain the oil and remove the left-hand muffler system and then the side cover, carefully grasp the splines of the shift pedal shaft, using a good quality Vise Grip (or try using the shift mechanism’s ‘pointer’), and attempt the up & downshifts whilst manipulating the rear wheel. You’ll see the shift arm in action, as it nudges the raised turrets on the end of the shift drum.

Let me know if you need a PDF download of the Shop Manual. I’ve saved many publications’ copies on my Mediafire server, specifically for everyone here; I can post a share link...

[Steveo123]

Hey Steve;

Thanks for the reply. It turned out to just be a maladjusted gear lever. I saw LoudMouse had suggested this issue in another post, readjusted my gear lever so that the "finger" attaching the lever mechanism to the splined shaft points to the 11 o'clock position (rather than 12 o'clock), and now I've got my gears!

Also, I've got the manual, although it has been of limited use, as the pictures are so small and low contrast. But the grammar (clearly due to the author's/translator's less than impressive command of the English language) makes reading it an adventure on every page!

Again, thanks.