350X Shifting problem

[bobr]

Intermittently, I can't upshift.Usually 1-2, but sometimes others as well. If I gas it and back off, it'll shift after that. Clutch is OK and well adjusted. It used to be easy to shift,even without the clutch. Any ideas anyone? Bob

[200xman]

On the 350x there is a shift linkage behind the left outer cover. Real easy to get to. There are a couple of springs that might be bad or once I had the center bolt back out and it did what you are describing. If you need I can fax or mail copies of the pages out of my Honda manual that deal with the linkage.(sorry, no scanner).

[Howdy]

I might be wrong here. But going with the limited information you have given, It sounds to me like 1 of 3 things could be bad. I have them marked ( A, B, C ) in the picture below.
Letter A : This bolt tend to break once and a while. This bolt is for the shifter to return to centered position. If the shifter falls down all the time there is a very good chance this is the problem.

Letter B : This Bolt may have come loose. If so it will need tightened up ( I use Blue Loctite on the ones I fix ). With this bolt loose it can cause it to be hard to get into any gear ( if you can get it into gear at all ). If shifting it into gear keeps getting worse then there is a good chance this is the problem.

Letter C : This what turns the shifter drum in the motor. If this is bad ( broken ) then it can be hard to shift up or down. While it is rare that these actually do break, I have seen a couple that have broke. The end that I have seen break is the little end towards the top left.

In another posting ( similar subject ) TimSr stated the clutch basket could have grooves wore into it. It is remotly possible that this is the problem here also. I doubt it is the cause of your problem. But I have been proved wrong before. ;)

I hope this helps.
Howdy

[bobr]

Thanks Howdy, I just had the left sidecase off before the problem started. All the parts you specified look good. Is there anything to adjust? I have a shop manual.BTW it shifts fine standing still with the cover off.(No load I guess) Also, clutch basket is not grooved. Bob

[TimSr]

Im not a 350X guru, but if everything under the sidecover is in order, a worn shifting fork may be the culprit.