Why does my bike keep popping out of 4th gear?

[SweetT]

I've got a 98 K1200RS that has 60k and while I was riding it last weekend the bike kept popping out of 4th gear and going into 3rd. It did it about 15 times during the 1800 miles I rode.
Here's what I've noticed:

The problem is intermitent, sometimes it wont pop out of fouth and other times it will take only a few min of ridng in 4th before it drops into third.

The gearbox goes directly to 3rd gear. No false neutrals.

It seems to be most likely to pop out of 4th when the engine rpm is about 3000-4000

The gearshift linkage is sloppy loose, all other gears engage fine.


Any ideas on what could cause this? Do you think if I adjusted the shift linkage (which I am planning on doing anyway) it would take care of the problem?

 

[deilenberger]

I've got a 98 K1200RS that has 60k and while I was riding it last weekend the bike kept popping out of 4th gear and going into 3rd. It did it about 15 times during the 1800 miles I rode.
Here's what I've noticed:

The problem is intermitent, sometimes it wont pop out of fouth and other times it will take only a few min of ridng in 4th before it drops into third.

The gearbox goes directly to 3rd gear. No false neutrals.

It seems to be most likely to pop out of 4th when the engine rpm is about 3000-4000

The gearshift linkage is sloppy loose, all other gears engage fine.


Any ideas on what could cause this? Do you think if I adjusted the shift linkage (which I am planning on doing anyway) it would take care of the problem?

Tarren,

Doubtful the shift linkage adjustment will help unless you're not fully engaging the gear when shifting 3-4.

More likely - IMHO - worn/bent shift forks, keeping it from going fully into 4th..

 

[SweetT]

Tarren,

Doubtful the shift linkage adjustment will help unless you're not fully engaging the gear when shifting 3-4.

More likely - IMHO - worn/bent shift forks, keeping it from going fully into 4th..

I'm making sure to keep pressure on the shift lever as I let out the clutch. Worn shift forks, huh? Sounds like I'll have to tear into the gearbox to fix this.

Hey, whatever happened to BMW's being reliable?

 

[Ridealot]

Has your bike ever been dropped onto the left side. If it has been dropped and it landed and forced the gear shift lever either up or down thats a good way to bend the shift forks.

This can happen to any bike and has nothing to do with the manufacturer. Purely operator error.

 

[SweetT]

I dont think its ever been dropped. If it has been, the previous owner said nothing about it when I asked him and he did a really really good job covering it up. The bike still looks new!