2nd gear problem

[SLYDVL]

hi
i have the opportunity to buy a 92 kat, fairly cheap
problem is, the seller says that it pops out of 2nd gear.
i know on some older hondas that means tranny rebuild
just curious if its the same thing on the kat or if there might be an easier fix

thanks

[sharpie6]

Sounds like the infamous toasted 2nd gear. You're probably going to want to:

A. - Rebuild
B. - walk away and find a better condition bike

[JokerZwild]

welp....if you wind up beating on it and it blows its not cheap to have done. I got an estimate of $1800 when I blew my 2nd gear. And thats probably whats gonna happen to that one eventually. If your lucky it wont grenade the whole gear box like mine did. If you can turn a wrench then your gonna come out way cheaper w/o the labor. But your gonna have to tear the whole dang thing down to get to it. On the other hand, if you treat it nice it just may last you a lil while. Hows your luck?

[SLYDVL]

ummmmm i think i will take option B!
my luck isnt all that great lately
thanks

[JokerZwild]

good choice!! Tellem what he's won MONTEY!!!!

[waffenampt]

gears of war

wow alot of 2nd gear poppers out there. suzuki must be pulling there hair out or having a good laugh??

[JokerZwild]

yeah they were notorious for it. I believe they tried to deal with the issue as they were almost gauranteed to blow in the early years. it seems far less common these days tho. unless its on an older pre.

[The CyberPoet]

wow alot of 2nd gear poppers out there. suzuki must be pulling there hair out or having a good laugh??

It's not Suzuki's fault -- it's the shifting habits of certain poor riders that do it. Manufacturers can engineer in part to compensate for it (see NTHSA Investigation of 2nd gear failures discussed, here: http://katriders.com/vb/showthread.php?t=57539 ), but there is nothing inherently wrong with the transmission if shifted as it should be (clutch in, hard-fast snick into the next gear).

Failures are usually attributed to one of four basic errors:
1. Lack of clutch useage, especially on down-shifts;
2. Slow shifting (this isn't a car, doesn't have servo's to spin up -- it's a sequential transmission and needs to be slammed very quickly into the next gear, which is why the indent-spring upgrade is popular);
3. Returning to neutral while still at a high rate of speed (say going 40+ mph, see a red-light in the distance and going back to neutral without slowing down first).
4. Failure to match RPM's to shifts (esp. down-shifts).

Second gear failures are more common in older Kats only because they're more likely to have seen more owners & more miles being mis-shifted. There was no major design change in the tranny's basic gear-engagement system or gear-tooth design for the Kats at any point between '88 and '06, so the basic system hasn't evolved to compensate for bad riding habits in that sense.

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[waffenampt]

true

thats true I guess I shouldnt have typed that. As I know of a Honda 954 that second gear went on beacause of rider error. not using the clutch and not revving the engine while downshifting

[SLYDVL]

are there any write ups on the forum about replacing the gear?
if i can get the bike cheap enuff , it just might be worth it if i can manage to do it myself