new style gear select alignment tool?

[BK_856er]

I'll cross-check my part numbers this weekend and follow-up here.

- The shift mechanism seems to be common to most (all?) Ducatis and goes back many years.

- Gear change fork (harpoon) is definitely a wear item - check for trueness and excessive grooves/wear.

- The two new bolts that were part of the "service bulletin" kit were black grade 12.9, compared to the original silver grade 8.8 that I removed.  The serrated washers of the original design are not used with the new plate.  The larger bolt was about 5mm longer than the one I removed.

- 0.2 and 0.5 thickness shims are available for both pivot locations - different diameters.

- If I was doing it again, I might also put in a new lower pivot plate (the one that bolts to the case) and associated parts.  There is some potential for wear there.

- The overall design seems to actually need some tolerance/slop.  Shim it too tight and things will bind up and/or feel very goofy.

- Ducati's motivation for the revisions (parts and tools) is apparently to decrease the frequency of (a) poor adjustment from the factory (b) stuck shift mechanisms, and (c) linkage contact with the gear behind the flywheel on the newer bikes.

BK

[junior varsity]

contact with the sprag gear?

[BK_856er]

contact with the sprag gear?

I'm not certain of the proper terminology...not the freewheeling gear attached to the flywheel, but the gear fixed to the shaft, behind the needle bearing, against the case.  The shifter linkage can come very close, and with hard shifting/flexing contact can be made between the linkage and the gear (not good).  Clearances are apparently even tighter on the newer SBKs due to a larger gear size.  I'm told you want >1-2mm clearance during linkage setup.

BK

[junior varsity]

Very interesting. I had not heard of this happening but do not doubt that some people can flex the hell out of those things with aggressive/frantic shifting and whatnot.

[BK_856er]

Very interesting. I had not heard of this happening but do not doubt that some people can flex the hell out of those things with aggressive/frantic shifting and whatnot.

Adrenaline flows freely at trackdays!

Dealer tells me they install lots of the service bulletin kits on hypermotards because dudes ride them like dirt bikes 

BK

[junior varsity]

that would make a lot of sense, especially if they occasionally stomped on the lever as such. (rather than toe-ing it)

[battlecry]

Occasionally?   With Alpinestar Tech 8's there is no such thing as shifting finesse.

[BK_856er]

Got the first ride in today since replacing the shifter parts/clutch plates/etc.  Actually the first ride since early November.  80 miles of beautiful twisties.

The shifter works perfectly and is a huge improvement.  Not a single hiccup.  So glad that I did this.  Mission accomplished!

BK

[BK_856er]

So after 3-4 months I started to get the occasional false neutral again on 3-2 downshifts.  A couple days ago on an epic 400mile ride the problem got worse and worse, including one stuck shifter episode that I recovered from by rolling the throttle on/off with upward pressure on the shift lever (deja vu).

Pulled the cover/flywheel and fit the factory tool - way out of adjustment and not the way I left it!  No loose bolts.  Removed the linkage and found that the smaller linkage spring had contacted the gear behind the flywheel and was nearly worn through.  Trying to get out of the false neutrals would sometimes give a whirring sound - must have been that gear rubbing on the spring.

The shifter update kit was supposed to help prevent this issue???

So....this next time around I'm going to replace every single piece of the linkage and take more care in the linkage setup (10 new pieces total).

The "careful setup" part is confounded by the slop in the linkage without the cover in place.  I'm thinking it would be great to cut a cover in half to properly hold the linkage assembly in its installed position to confirm a primo setup.  Part of the setup is to move the lever both directions and make sure the shift drum pins correctly contact the overshift tab.  Anyone have a lead on a scrap cover?

BK

[Speeddog]

Sucks that you're still having issues. 

Rather than cut up a cover, how about making a plate with a close fitting hole for the shift shaft, and pick up a couple of the cover bolts?

[booger]

Anyone have a lead on a scrap cover?

I've got an extremely filthy dirty ugly 620 cover that you probably wouldn't feel bad about cutting in half. It's been completely stripped, no bearings, seals, etc.

[BK_856er]

While I wait for my shifter linkage parts, I've been thinking about the update kit and what might have gone wrong with my setup.  I used the torque specs given in the manual, but I think that was my mistake here.  Spent some time reviewing parts diagrams and torque specs across several models.  You could see where over time Ducati slowly raised the torque and use of loctite on the two bolts that hold the shifter linkage assembly to the case.  In 2010 it seems the "reinforcing plate" became standard and at least on the MTS1200 the spec went from 25Nm and 9Nm, to 36Nm and 16Nm with Lock 2 on each, for the M8 and M6 bolts respectively.  I guess that's why they needed to up the bolt grade to 12.9.  I put an inquiry into my dealer a few days ago about the details of the service bulletin, but I haven't heard back so I guess they don't like to give out details on this sort of thing.  Seems prudent to follow the higher 2010 MTS1200 numbers when I put things back together....

BK

**edit** I got to see the actual May 2009 service bulletin on the revised shifter parts.  It clearly states that 25Nm and 9Nm should be used on the M8 and M6 bolts respectively, with loctite 243 on both, and WARNS in caps to comply.  Maybe the higher spec I mention above is only for the new blocks with different metallurgy.  Now I'm at a loss to explain my recurrence.  Also noted is an updated stopper plate pn 82610301A to be used if the original is >27.0mm wide (i.e., bent).  I have one on the way to compare against the new old pn that I received.  This will delay assembly about a week.  Dealer suggested that I remove and inspect the timing gears on the alternator side as any tiny defect due to the contact with the linkage spring can create noise - looks OK under magnification.  Demolished an alternator cover berg sent me to help with the final adjustment - nearly ready...

[BK_856er]

Some visuals below to go with the updated information in my previous post:

Sacrificed alternator cover to aid final adjustment check.



Signs of contact with timing gear.



Evidence of imperfect linkage setup (should be two marks on overshift tab).

[BK_856er]

Got the new stop plate in today - it's the one on the right - both are brand new.  Seems to be a corsa part.  Note the more limited adjustment range (holes not as elongated) and the machined surface.  Some differences in the tab area as well.  Feels like a higher spec part to match its price.  Hopefully it does the trick for me.

BK

[BK_856er]

All brand new shifter components shimmed up and assembled today.

Here's the contraption mounted up:


Here's the distance the to timing gear on downshift:


Center position, with case scribed to help future troubleshooting if something moves:


Downshift overshift tab position - looks good:


Upshift overshft tab position - looks good:


Corsa stop plate + reinforcing plate torqued to spec:


I did a post-mortem on the original shifter and everything measured perfectly.  My only explanation for the recent problem is that the mechanism shifted at the case attachment point.

No test ride yet.  Still need to add oil and fix my melted alternator wiring.  After buttoning everything up I'm having some difficulty getting into first gear.  Hopefully it'll be OK after I fill with oil and ride it.  I have no more patience for this!

BK