Gear selector forks

[HarrisTZ]

Is the 1st gear selector fork different to the other on the same shaft. ie the guide pin is further up the body. If this is the case does anybody have a spare.
Dean

[Garn 1]

Dean, I make these selector forks, on the common shaft, identical. They even sit on the shaft in the same dirction.
RegardZ.

[HarrisTZ]

Thanks.
That is what I have installed. However for some reason there does not seem enough travel in the selector drum for a std fork to shift the sliding gear, whereas one with a taller body would fit the guide in the drum and move the gear??????

[RALPHARAMA]

You may be falling into the same trap I fell into which caused me great angst.

When the engine is not running you can ONLY select neutral and first, giving the impression that all is not well. I have the full workshop manual and even this doesn't give it away. Can't remember exactly where but on one of the shafts there is a centrifugal clutchy affair with some balls that prevent the gears moving unless the shaft is spinning.

Never came across this on any other bike, but fooled me, and I have since discovered I am one in a great and venerable line

[Bruce Sexton]

It's a Kawasaki thing!!!!

Bruce

[Buckle]

It's a Kawasaki thing!!!!

Bruce

Correct! Look up "Kawasaki positive neutral finder" on Google for more info. Stops that annoying clunking between 1st and 2nd gear when you stop at the lights with a hot motor - something my old 250 LC always suffered with

[floydsz1]

Must only be kawasaki that make em like that. my 2003 z1000 is the same. like you say, makes it so much easyer to select nuetral

[Big John]

Mine clunks going into 1st at the lights though.

[Pigford]

BJ, try using the clutch lever

[mikey]

My KH250 was the same and me Z750 twin

[Big John]

Mind you I'm on the 2nd clutch cable in a month.

[RALPHARAMA]

... well buy a decent genuine one and oil it!

I can honestly say I have never broken a genuine, well oiled and properly routed clutch cable - ever It's a bit like drive chains. If you change the sprockets as soon as they show wear, usually the front more often, then the well lubed, quality chain will last years. My bike had a DID chain on her when I bought her; twas rusty on the outside. I changed the front sprocket at resto time, but other than regular lubing I have had five thousand trouble free miles without even considering a change, and as Mikey and Piglet will tell you I don't hold back the horses acceleration wise.

Buy cheap buy 2, 3, 4 ...? times? Bit o patience with an oil can saves loadsa money

[HarrisTZ]

Can I recap. For a GPZ1100 gear box I can only get nuetral and first. I have to have the bike running before i can engage the other gears. My problem from here is that this is in my race bike which I start using a paddock starter and fire it up in 3rd or 4th gear. Will the starter spin the engine enough to allow me to get the gear required to fire her up?
Another open, next time I strip the engine down if I took out the ball bearing would that allow me to work all gears with the bike not running with not other complications?

[RALPHARAMA]

Should do.

When I took mine apart it was a fifty-fifty whether I put the balls back in but decided to in the end.

What's a paddock starter? Is that some kind of rolling road bump start device? Am I guessing that you dump the starter stuff for weight? Steve Debben must be the man to advise you on this. I know sod all about racing.