Total Motorcycle Community Forums

I just bought a 1997 Nighthawk CB750 with just over 10,000 miles on it. I've put a little over 200 miles on it and now I'm having difficulties shifting. It has some problems shifting between the gears and goes into a false neutral. I sometimes have to try several times to get it to go into the next gear. It doesn't have any problems down shifting, and the clutch works fine. I did some research and believe that the dogs might be bent or rounded. If someone could possibly explain this, or point me in the right direction to getting information/manuals on fixing it I would be appreciative.

If the dogs on the gears are rounded off out chipped, it means removing and splitting the engine cases to change the affected gears. Not a small project and expensive to pay a shop to do. You will need a good service manual with all the specs and clearances listed. Lots of pictures will help no end.

The dogs are just the part of each tranny gear that stick out from the side to engage matching holes in the gear next to it. If they are rounded off, the may not fully engage when shifted and 'pop' out of engagement, causeing a false neutral.

Before you get too far, you may want to try changeing the oil and running something like Mobile 1 in it to see if that helps. Many times, it will work wonders for a balky tranny. If it doesn't help, then your pretty much forced into opening it up.....

Yeah, I was afraid of that. I should've thought something was fishy when the guy told me that he had just changed the oil.

sounds like the gearshift return spring--easy fix.

9000white wrote:sounds like the gearshift return spring--easy fix.

Awesome, how would I go about doing that? Why would I seem to get false neutrals, and the gears not engaging? I'm mechanically inclined, just not experienced or familiar with motorcycle engines (I have a Clymers on the way).

if the spring is weak or broke the shift drum wont be returning to its intended place.it works like a ratchet,if it doesnt return it cant pick up the next pin to shift all the way in gear.

the clymers manual will have pictures of it and instructions on how to replace the spring.