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Dropped bike; won't shift anymore

76K views 36 replies 15 participants last post by  jin3000 
#1 · (Edited)
Hey guys,

So not 5 days after I got my bike, I dropped her. Was on my crescent, just riding around the block, took a corner too fast and slid. I'm ok, just really ****** at myself for dropping her (09 Ninja 250R). Left side fairings are banged up, the one under the seat will need to be replaced eventually but ok for now...

But she won't shift out of neutral. It turns on just fine, but when you try to shift, it won't engage any of the gears. My thoughts are the kickstand sensor is messed up, or more likely, the shifter.

Ideas? Cost to fix?

Here are pictures. The shifter is what bothers me. It doesn't look bent to me. When I pull the clutch (which seems fine), and try to shift down into first, the shifter clicks but the gear doesn't engage. If I try to shift up, it clicks once (like it's trying to go to neutral) and doesn't click anymore after that. It feels a little like it's scratching, but I'm not sure.

That back fairing is cracked badly, but if I'm right, it's only $60 off cheap cycle parts. Can someone confirm the part #? I think it's 36040-0061-15, http://www.cheapcycleparts.com/produ...lh-black-green.

It doesn't want to go into 1st or 2nd. Mind you, these bikes won't let you go from Neutral to 2nd in when you're standing still (Positive Neutral Finder). When I tried, it made a very faint grinding sort sound. Nothing alarming, but is this possibly some kinda of safety feature that's engaged when the bike is dropped?

Clutch cable seems fine (I can pull it from the lever), and I can't see any issues with the shift linkage.









EDIT: Also, the 2nd last picture with the turn signal out: Anyone know what kind of bolt that's supposed to be? I think the previous owner swapped it out, because this one doesn't fit and has a nut as well. It's chrome instead of black. I think it's Imperial instead of Metric, which is why it doesn't fit.
 
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#2 ·
cant be the kickstart switch, if that was busted it wouldn't start. what i mean is, you can shift into first, 2nd, whatever with the kickstand down, but the bike will just shut off. or atleast this is the case on my 07 zx6r with a pirate leg. other than that, maybe you should take it to a stealership to figure out whats wrong, once they quote you with an immense bill, just take it home and fix it yourself

:D

good luck.
 
#3 ·
lol the tires / wheels on a 250 makes it look like a toy :(
 
#6 ·
When I try to click down, it does click on the shifter, but nothing engages. Same when I try to go up. I can keep clicking it downwards, but I can only click it up once. Either way, doesn't engage.

See, when I went down, I don't remember being in neutral but apparently its in neutral now since the light is on. I'm thinking that maybe some gear linking the shifter and transmission may have slipped off. How can I check this?
 
#9 ·
sometimes you can't shift out of neutral while the bike is sitting still. try rolling it with the clutch in and trying to downshift.

if something is really screwed internally i don't really have any experience with transmission related issues so i don't know what to tell you.

*waits for VeX*
 
#13 ·
What gear were you in when you went down? if you remember...if you don't you can even do this

If it turns on like you say just turn it on, click down a gear, let the clutch out SLOWLY until you feel the gear engage, and repeat that until you are in first, then go back up to neutral or whatever you leave your bike in when you turn it off.

You DO NOT HAVE to have forward momentum if the engine is on. I had to do it when I first started riding because I forgot to count what gear I was in and sometimes stopped in second. So I would be stopped and have to click down again, let the clutch out a little for the gear to engage. It's a helpful little tip I picked up from the guys on here.
 
#22 ·
Ok, so I rotated it clockwise, to straighten up the slit in that square piece, so that the gearshift foot lever was angled higher. Same issue. Angling lower -> same issue.

When I try to shift upwards, I feel a slight grinding, like it's trying to change gears but can't. I'm beginning to think rolling it downhill and forcing a gearshift that way may work.

And putting it back to stock was easy. It's linked to the foot pedal, so just put it back so it's level/feels right. :-D
 
#26 ·
No I didn't. The linkage rod is the small skinny rod, behind the foot lever right? I mean, if it was loose, the whole mechanism wouldn't actuate, right? I mean, when I move it with my hand manually, everything moves. Even the gear with the blue and pink on it.
 
#27 ·
Sounds like you a) just aren't getting it or b) (more likely) something is going on with your bike that is far more complicated than something that kawiforums can troubleshoot without actually seeing whats going on.

Where are you located? I may be able t reference you to some shops that will diagnose your problem for cheap, then once you have a confirmed diagnosis take your bike back home and post. Then the geniuses here on KF will certainly be able t give you a detailed answer of how to fix your problem on the cheap.
 
#29 ·
ORLY..u.

You dont have a friend with a pick up or anything? If so I recommend Rosey Toes motorcycle or Z1 cycletech. Rosey toes will be cheaper but when you get there ou'll probably see why. Im quite sure its jsut the owner working out of a small garage. Hes a nice guy, knows his stuff and is flexible on his already cheap prices. Z1 is a bit more pricey, but you get what you pay for. These guys know their stuff and have top of the line equipment. So I suppose you get what you pay for.

im in school in hamilton right now and ill be heading back to toronto in a day or 2 so I could possibly come by and take a look (My friend smoked out my clutch soo ive had a bit of time to get to know the whole transmission on the 250 before i did my replacement). Im no expert but I suppose it couldn't hurt.

Worst case scenario I know rosey toes also offers a bike tow service on a flat rate if you are getting work done at the shop ( I think its like 60 bucks for the tow).

Let me know which option you choose to pursue and I'll give you the info you need.
 
#32 ·
All right guys,

So had a friend from another forum pop by. He's opened several bikes, but not the Ninja 250s. His assessment is that the shifting fork is bent and needs to be replaced, likely requiring the engine to be opened to reach it. He said I will need to take it to a mechanic, where the majority of my costs will be in labour. He was surprised that it happened at such low speed.

Any and all advice here is appreciated. I have a few days left on the warranty apparently, no idea if that helps. I likely won't take it to Rosey Toes, and will instead take it to a place with "Kawasaki mechanics." We're going to take it on Wednesday, with my dad behind me in the van while I ride in 2nd gear, very slowly.

Does this assessment sound reasonable? Long shot, but is this something I could fix myself?

Part # 13161 on OEM Parts Kawasaki Ninja 250R (EX250-J9FA) 2009 GEAR CHANGE MECHANISM - Cheap Cycle Parts .

Likely a $400 repair.
 
#34 ·
Not to hi-jack the thread or anything, but I have a similar problem. A year ago (the first day I had the bike) I dropped the bike coming around a corner. The shifter pedal traveled 180 degrees around the pivot point and was pointing backwards. I picked the bike up, pushed the pedal back to the front and rode off on it. I've had the bike for over a year now and have put about 10k miles on it. It has only recently manifested a knocking noise in low rpms of each gear. The bike still shifts fine, occasionally getting stuck in neutral on the way from first to second. Other than the knocking the bike behaves normally. I'm thinking I have a broken/bent shifting mechanism but I've never seen a tear-down of a transmission to know for sure. Any suggestions? I've called and gotten a quote on how much it would be for a dealer to fix this and they quoted me $1000 plus parts (I laughed at the guy on the phone).

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

-J
 
#35 ·
Oh man, this was so long ago!

Fixed up the bike myself, works great! Opened up the clutch cover and a little pawl spring fell out. This spring maintains tension between the two prongs of the shifting forks. Turns out that it had popped off. It's behind the clutch basket, so after the ordeal of getting that off, we put the spring on, put it back together, and the bike worked great! Has been for the last 8000km.

Look through the service manual and the exploded wireframe diagrams on CheapCycleParts. You'll see that the shifting mechanism is quite simple indeed and isn't that hard to fix or deal with.

Now if only I could get my valve clearances on my valve adjustment right.
 
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