'99 Nomad Repair Guy Needed Near Atlanta

[georgiagoodie]

Hey, my '99 Nomad, 70K miles, needs some serious transmission work. She won't stay in second, and now I'm getting a horrible rattle/scraping sound from the tranny in all gears. The dealer is estimating 2-3K, because the mill has to be basically split and rebuilt for the repair.
Does anyone know a good guy near Atlanta that loves '99 Nomads who will do a good job on the tranny, as well as a quality engine rebuild, at a reasonable price? I'm not ready to let her go.......T
Thanks,
"goodie"

[MAS Tequila]

Don't waste your money. Find a low mileage donor engine. It will cost less than rebuilding yours.

Been there done that got the t-shirt.

And yes the entire thing needs to be rebuilt. You have a bent shift fork and likely a broken circlip on the 1st 2nd shaft. There is probably enough metal in the oil screen to really scare you.

Try one like this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/05-Ka...item1e630b4099

It's an easy swap.

Give me a call and I'll help any way I can.

MT
5612103399

[ringadingh]

Swapping engines would be the cheapest way to go by a long shot. Too bad the 99's are carbed, if they had FI it would make it an even simpler swap.

[georgiagoodie]

Thanks for the info.
That's kinda what I figured.........

[coacha]

What is the root cause of the shift fork bending? I have had mine pop out of 2nd a couple times but no other real signs or sounds coming from it. I just thought I hadn't gotten it fully into gear because it usually happens coming off a shift from first to second within a second or so of the shift. This concerns me now.

[MAS Tequila]

IMO, there's a couple of different reasons that this can happen.

Scenario 1:

During heavy acceleration, (for whatever reason), the 1-2 shift is made HARD, under load, and/or without using the clutch lever. The dogs hit each other without dropping in, and something's gotta give!
This single bad shift causes the shift fork to bend.

Immediate result, the bike never goes fully into 2nd gear, EVER AGAIN! The long term effect is that the drive dogs (integral to the gear) wear down what should be straight contact surfaces into a stepped, or tapered surface with rounded corners. These surfaces then become subtle ramps, which encourage the tranny to drop down to neutral. Remember, the tranny is never going completely into second, (until the shift fork is replaced), so each time the dogs slip, they wear worse.

Scenario 2:

Neutral finders work great in that they help you find neutral easily, but as a result the 1-2 shift is a bit longer and more complicated than other shifts. The 1-2 shift needs to be firm (not hard), and complete.... Under normal usage, the shift to 2nd is incomplete due to a weak shift, or the shifter is accidentally bumped when 2nd is already engaged. The immediate result is an unplanned down shift. At this point, the shift fork is NOT bent, but the gear's drive dogs have begun to wear that "tapered" pattern into the drive surfaces (see scenario 1). Each time the 1-2 shift is missed, or partial, the dogs gradually wear more. Eventually the bike will stay in second, unless a load is applied. Once the throttle is twisted, those "ramps" (now an inclined plane, in engineering terms), convert straight shear loading to thrust loading, and the gear drops to neutral...
IOW, on acceleration, the ramps force the gear out of engagement.

In this case the shift fork may be just fine, but the gears will have to be replaced.



I suspect that #2 is what causes most of the Vulcan failures.

In either case, the problem feeds on itself.

An incomplete shift results in worn dogs, which then drop out, necessitating anther incomplete shift, which wears the dogs more....



Morals to these long, convoluted stories..........


1. Never shift gears without using the clutch lever, and back off the throttle for a split second during the shift.


2. If you insist on skipping the clutch lever, be sure to time the throttle blip, so that the gears are NOT under load.


3. Never power shift the 1-2 range, by kicking the shifter with all the strength you have. If firm pressure doesn't shift it, DON'T FORCE IT.


4. Never allow yourself to get a lazy ankle, and do a weak or incomplete 1-2 shift. If you suspect that shift was incomplete, pull in the clutch lever, and shift up/down again.


5, If you find that you accidentally bump the shift levers while cruising (toe or heel), change SOMETHING ergonomically. Change shoes, or riding posture.... Move the shift levers up/down at the splines, or even remove the heal shifter.



Now,

I expect I'll hear from folks who will say that bikes CAN be safely shifted without the use of the clutch lever, and they're right. Racers do it all the time, and don't typically suffer from bent forks or worn dogs. MOF, the clutches last longer when it's done right.


Vulcans can be safely shifted without the lever too, but the throttle timing must be near perfect.
HOWEVER, ask yourself this......

Is the .002 second decreased shift time worth trashing a fork, gears and a complete tear down, not to mention parts costs? Some drag racers would say "yes, anything for better E.T.s"... If so, be prepared to pay.


MT
from the archives

[macmac]

Yup Nomads can be safely shifted with out using the clutch, but you need a shelf with 10 more engine /trannys resting on it, all ready to go.