350x lower end issues please help

[hazard]

hey guys, went riding this weekend, started to notice it was shifting a little harder but nothing that was really out of sorts, well i kept going and before we got done i noticed its really hard to find first gear and neutral, trike still runs good, no abnormal noises. and once its in first or neutral the shifter moves up and down an inch or so loosely and dont shift it. so can anyone tell me whats going on? im thinking about taking it to a shop and having it taken down, problem is ill probably spend a small fortune getting her up and going, im not sure how hard it is to take apart the lower end if i could do it myself i would. getting parts is another issue... hopefully someone can give me some insight on the subject, im a little worried, its my main ride and the summer has just begun. thanks alot in advance.

[Sargon2112]

First off, have a look at the shift lever. Make sure it's tight on the shaft and that it is not slipping on the shaft.

You say it moves up and down an inch or so but does not shift... Does it still return to center on its own?

The shift mechanism is behind the LEFT crank case cover on the 350X, unlike other engines which have it on the right, so it's not quite as bad to get to IF you have to go into the case... Shifter internals can be a pain if you are not experienced mechanically, but there's only one way to get experience!

If you don't have a service manual, get one before you go into the side case. It will pay for itself.

[DeePa]

on my old 350x there was a threaded stud which holds the shift shaft spring which broke off in the case. It was very easy to remove, but it caused for a sloppy shift lever, and it was hard to find neutral, but it would still shift fine once you got used to it.

Tear the stator side cover off and its in the lower right corner where the shift shaft enters the motor

Mike

[hazard]

it feels like what you said deepa, it just feels like a spring is broke or something that always returns the shift lever to center, because you can still pound through the gears from 2nd to 6th. if anyone has anymore insight on this im all ears, and if anyone has a diagram of how this all comes apart and goes together i would be more than pleased. thanks

[DeePa]

just pull the stator cover, and youll see the broken stud in there.

i cant even find the diagram right now for some reason...

[hazard]

ok so here is an update, i pulled the stator cover off tonight and found that the shift return spring is broken (which explains alot) and my shift arm is a little tweaked just from everyday abuse, so i would like to replace it but i dont necessarily have to.but i ran into a problem... i got on bike bandit and i can no longer get the 2 parts that i need!!!!! uggghhhhhhh shooot! anyways here is bike bandits part numbers shift arm-178372-001 and shift return spring 178680-001. so if anyone has any idea of where i may be able to come up with these two items or has any laying around that they would be willing to part with i would greatly appreciate it! i noticed that bike bandit has these same two items available for the 300 ex model quad, but there part number is like 1 number off but would they still be the same? epecially the return spring? im just trying to think of anything right now... i gotta get her runnin again! thanks in advance guys.

[Sargon2112]

I'd order the 300EX return spring and try it. Compare the diagrams on Bike Bandit. If they look similar, it would be worth the few bucks the spring costs to try it. As for the shifter lever, you can buy an after market one off the shelf at a dealer or DK. Try Ebay too.

[Erics350x]

If you still need em, pm me.