Shift rod/countershaft sprocket seal leak

[UncleMike]

Still trying to chase this down. Cleaned off of all the oil and have been trying to see what's leaking. I don't see anything wet yet, but I have only idled the bike right now as I'm waiting on a new sprocket/chain setup. Now I'm wondering if I should put the old stuff back on just to take it for a spin and see if the leak presents itself.

Should there be any play in the shift rod or the countershaft sprocket? When I grab them, I can move them perpendicular to the wheelbase very slightly - the shift rod maybe a 1/4 mm and the sprocket even less. It'd be damn-near imperceptible were it not for the subtle click of it hitting a stop back and forth.

On the shift rod, the washer behind the lock ring spins a bit. Not sure if that's supposed to happen.

In all, I used about 2L of oil in the 3000 miles across the country. Things were always slightly damp down there, but it never dripped once. Never even sprayed. My exhaust and swingarm and shock and frame were always clean.

When I had it apart in Chicago, I scooped a big lump of hard old oil out of there and it got worse after that. I'm headed to the store to get some powder spray so I can really see if anything gets damp.

I know I was throwing around a lot of oil after I switched chains because it wasn't an o-ring chain so I had to use oil rather than wax.

/Mike

[salty_monk]

Isn't there an oil seal around the shaft? If you're lucky you might be able to drill it, screw some self tappers in & pull it out with vice grips & then tap a new one in using a drift....

I think I read about someone doing that on one of the models on here somewhere.

2l of oil in 3k miles is a bit high but not ridiculous....

Make sure it's in one piece for Paso Robles!!

[UncleMike]

Isn't there an oil seal around the shaft? If you're lucky you might be able to drill it, screw some self tappers in & pull it out with vice grips & then tap a new one in using a drift....

I think I read about someone doing that on one of the models on here somewhere.

2l of oil in 3k miles is a bit high but not ridiculous....

Make sure it's in one piece for Paso Robles!!

That's what I'm trying to do!

No, there's a retaining pin and a washer holding it in. No oil seal. I assumed I'd have to take those off to expose the oil seal.

I thought the same about the oil consumption. I've never noticed it needing that much, but I've also never ridden that much all at once. I'm hoping the excess oil loss is from this leak.

I haven't checked compression in a while (tester is still in NY) but it was great when I got it a few years back. Valves are always clean as a whistle when I adjust them and it never smokes.

[UncleMike]

So the question remains, should there be any play in the shift rod or sprocket?

[Guest]

Yes and Yes
There is an o-ring that the sleeve behind the countersprocket slips into
The shift seal is pretty easy to change but you do have to remove the clutch basket and sprocket cover. Take a pic of where the shifter goes on the clutch side.
One overlooked leak is the starter o-ring.

[UncleMike]

Yes and Yes
There is an o-ring that the sleeve behind the countersprocket slips into
The shift seal is pretty easy to change but you do have to remove the clutch basket and sprocket cover. Take a pic of where the shifter goes on the clutch side.
One overlooked leak is the starter o-ring.

Remove the clutch basket? I thought it could all be done from the left side?

Starter o-ring would mean it'd be leaky up in the starter motor housing, right?

[Guest]

The shifter rod slips out the clutch side.
I may be wrong about the clutch basket if there is room.

[UncleMike]

The shifter rod slips out the clutch side.
I may be wrong about the clutch basket if there is room.

So that's probably not what's causing a leak on the left rear side of the engine, right?

[UncleMike]

Sprayed it down with the powder and turned it on. No leaks at all. Guess I'll need to push a bit more than idling.