Shift lever locking up (intermittently)

Intermittently my shifter locks up at higher rpm btw second and third. Shifts when I double clutch it to build up more pressure. Also, intermittently I feel practically NO pressure on my clutch lever. According to most of you.....it had to be the slave cylinder. Changed it with the Oberon. Bled the shit out it till nice and clear and no air. Intermittently, same symptom. Locked up as in....it doesn't move upward. Pull the lever a few times.....shifts. It could be the master cylinder. It could be tranny fluid level (where did it go in 1400 miles?) It could be the tranny...…..again. Already on the second one. So, by process of elimination.....its not the slave cylinder.
 
Britfan60 said:
Intermittently my shifter locks up at higher rpm btw second and third. And to answer your question, yes....as stated in earlier posts, it has pulled forward in first gear with the clutch fully pulled. Shifts when I double clutch it to build up more pressure. Also, intermittently, I feel practically NO pressure on my clutch lever. According to most of you.....it had to be the slave cylinder. Changed it with the Oberon. Bled the shit out it till nice and clear and no air. Intermittently, same symptom. Locked up as in....it doesn't move upward. Pull the lever a few times.....shifts. It could be the master cylinder. It could be tranny fluid level (where did it go in 1400 miles?) It could be the tranny...…..again. Already on the second one. So, by process of elimination.....its not the slave cylinder.
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Drain the tranny, maybe it’s an internal issue? If your oil comes out silvery or containing bits of gearbox you know you need to dig deeper!

Gearboxes have to be right, pulling the clutch in doesn’t save you if a gearbox locks up at speed... in traffic...
 
Checked the oil level in the gear box. It was very low and filthy. Barely a third of a liter. Drained and refilled. Still have the problem. Shifter intermittently locked up and once wanted to pull in first gear, clutch lever depressed. Intermittently have no clutch lever pressure. Sometimes shifts great. So......maybe my clutch is shot due to hardly any oil? Can't understand why its intermittent and I can pump up the pressure.
 
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Britfan60 said:
Finland and Estonia were nice by the way, but I'm tired of sweating. Hot there too.
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I bet the trip was a good release from all this crap with your clutch/transmission. :mad: I visited Norway twice in one year - absolutely love Scandinavia! ;)
 
Hi Britfan , If the bike still pulls forward at the stop in gear still a clutch issue. If you have already replaced the slave maybe try rebuilding the master. When you are going down the road can you shift WITHOUT using the clutch ? You know quick throttle off with the wrist then shift quick.. If the bike wont shift that's NOT a clutch problem . It sounds like a gear shift mechanism issue. There are some known issues in there that can be fixed . Knowing what to look for is the problem . Call David Coote or better yet make an appointment and bring the bike. You may have two different issues.
 
Dave is rebuilding a bike now. Full rebuild. Plus three more on the list. And we only have 40 bikes in Canada. Soon all of them will be rebuilt plus Tonys and a guy from NY who is not on the forum. At least not as a contributor only a reader.
 
richard-7 said:
Dave is rebuilding a bike now. Full rebuild. Plus three more on the list. And we only have 40 bikes in Canada. Soon all of them will be rebuilt plus Tonys and a guy from NY who is not on the forum. At least not as a contributor only a reader.
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Hi Richard, can you elaborate any on the reason for these rebuilds and what is actually being done? Are they necessary to address critical issues, or are some of them proactive to prevent issues that are likely to occur? In your opinion, besides the upgrades you recommend with coils, wires, plugs, if a bike is running ok, what should an owner plan to do going forward?
 
Murph said:
Hi Richard, can you elaborate any on the reason for these rebuilds and what is actually being done? Are they necessary to address critical issues, or are some of them proactive to prevent issues that are likely to occur? In your opinion, besides the upgrades you recommend with coils, wires, plugs, if a bike is running ok, what should an owner plan to do going forward?
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The main two reasons are vibration and excessive oil in Airbox. I just got home early from a 3wk hiking trip because my wife broke her ankle so hopefully Tony can give a full length answer as I’m in a hospital right now.
 
richard-7 said:
The main two reasons are vibration and excessive oil in Airbox. I just got home early from a 3wk hiking trip because my wife broke her ankle so hopefully Tony can give a full length answer as I’m in a hospital right now.
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To add:
A rebuild consists of/
- All new top quality bearings
- balance the balance shaft
- balance the crank
- balance the pistons
- polish the intake and combustion chamber
- replace rocker arms (optional) with way better ones that are balanced and all around amazing thanks to Ollie in germany
- internal venting so the engine can breathe a lot better ( this means drilling some holes here and there and opening other holes to a larger diameter
- zero clearance rings ( thanks to TonyA finding them)
- correction of shift mechanism (filing off the burrs and weld splatter
- checking over absolutely everything for odd wear or assembly damage from factory
- replace with the correct starter if required
- sensors and coil if required
- pin the clutch basket if required
- hone off some burrs here and there

I’ll add once I think of more. Maybe Tony can add as he did all of this to his bike. My dad has a check list. It takes about 5 days to do it all.
 
TonyA said:
Hi Britfan , If the bike still pulls forward at the stop in gear still a clutch issue. If you have already replaced the slave maybe try rebuilding the master. When you are going down the road can you shift WITHOUT using the clutch ? You know quick throttle off with the wrist then shift quick.. If the bike wont shift that's NOT a clutch problem . It sounds like a gear shift mechanism issue. There are some known issues in there that can be fixed . Knowing what to look for is the problem . Call David Coote or better yet make an appointment and bring the bike. You may have two different issues.
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TonyA. I lose pressure in the lever. It can be pumped up to normal with a few pumps. I haven't tried shifting without the clutch, but can't you synchronize at the right time? I know its different but I can do that with my old Bonnie with ease and the clutch is not bad.
Every time I pull the lever, you can hear the clutch engaging because that "bucket of bolts" sound goes away. Right it front of some cops at a stop light, I had to turn off the bike to pump it up because it started to drag in first with the lever depressed and I couldn't shift up to neutral. After a few pumps, back to normal. I really think I'm getting air in the line and more than likely from the top. With a clutch problem would I be losing pressure like that? I have so much paint missing from around the seal of the reservoir, I'm wondering if its coming in from the cap. I have the black metal ones from Brembo, not the screw top plastic with an O ring. I'd also like to know where my oil went in 1500 miles. Nothing in the airbox as usual. Engine oil perfect. No signs of leaks. By the way, you should see this Oberon. Its really a nice looking part and seems to be designed and built well.
 
How long or many miles has it been since you checked the tranny oil ? Also remember you can check the oil through the fill to spill hole in a variety of ways. If none comes out , lean the bike slightly and watch for oil coming out. If none after leaning , then using a small allen wrench with the bike straight upright , insert a 2.5mm allen wrench and probe into the fill to spill hole with the short end of the wrench . If no oil at ~ 1 cm below the fill to spill , time to add some. Britfan , either the oil evaporated , or you are leaking some here and there over time and the level drops.
 
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Or the main seal is gone and your building pressure in the transmission and pushing it into the motor. If you have a transmission vent then the engine oil will push into the tranny and eventually push out the starter or somewhere else like the top of the primary side cover where the wires come out. If you are pooling oil under the starter on top of engine and loosing engine oil it’s usually that. Loosing transmission oil and loads of oil in airbox, then transmission oil is being pushes into the engine. Either way you have a seal gone.

Throwing it out there as a possibility if you cant figure out where the oil is going.
 
A trip worthwhile to go to Canada and visit David and Richard Coote.

Yes everything that Richard said about the rebuild. I did mostly for peace of mind , I am keeping the bike and will be putting many more miles on it. So all bearings will be checked , Crankshaft mains replaced and balance shaft both ends replaced . I had one camshaft bearing replaced , it felt a bit rough. Tranny bearings checked and some replaced. Also there is some shift mechanism fixes that involve removing some excessive play that make shifting more precise . The older the bike the more you will benefit . The newer machines have been getting most of this sorted out at factory now.

The 961 has some vibration which is normal. After the crankshaft is trued and this work is done , it will be better. If you are happy with the bike and everything seems ok , well good !

If you want to learn about your bike and how to work on it , this is the place for you ! After going through this rebuild , I put 2000 miles on my bike during a Deals Gap trip. I then needed to re-torque my head and all went well , no help. I did it all myself. And I just love the hydraulic valve lifters . Once you've done it , it becomes easy.

All the guys with the newer (2016 on) 961's have benefited from all of our experience. Norton will remedy all of the issues hopefully and these bikes will be very reliable. I would not hesitate to take mine on a long trip , cross country etc.. In fact I may join David Coote on a eastern Canada trip . There is nothing like this bike out there, its a keeper.
 
TonyA said:
A trip worthwhile to go to Canada and visit David and Richard Coote.

Yes everything that Richard said about the rebuild. I did mostly for peace of mind , I am keeping the bike and will be putting many more miles on it. So all bearings will be checked , Crankshaft mains replaced and balance shaft both ends replaced . I had one camshaft bearing replaced , it felt a bit rough. Tranny bearings checked and some replaced. Also there is some shift mechanism fixes that involve removing some excessive play that make shifting more precise . The older the bike the more you will benefit . The newer machines have been getting most of this sorted out at factory now.

The 961 has some vibration which is normal. After the crankshaft is trued and this work is done , it will be better. If you are happy with the bike and everything seems ok , well good !

If you want to learn about your bike and how to work on it , this is the place for you ! After going through this rebuild , I put 2000 miles on my bike during a Deals Gap trip. I then needed to re-torque my head and all went well , no help. I did it all myself. And I just love the hydraulic valve lifters . Once you've done it , it becomes easy.

All the guys with the newer (2016 on) 961's have benefited from all of our experience. Norton will remedy all of the issues hopefully and these bikes will be very reliable. I would not hesitate to take mine on a long trip , cross country etc.. In fact I may join David Coote on a eastern Canada trip . There is nothing like this bike out there, its a keeper.
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Thanks for that Tony. So when’s the eastern Canadian road trip? Keep me in the loop.
 
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