I rebuilt the trans on my Gen4, took me about 1 hour to get the transmission out, another hour to disassemble it and find the worn parts. $280 in parts later, got it back together and it's shifting beautifully again.

(Note, I'm not sure if the Gen1 has a cassette trans. like the Gen4 though.) If you have split the case to get to yours, it would be a lot more labor intensive, but should only cost the extra in gaskets...if you're doing it yourself. So a lot of time involved, but cost should be low. Paying someone to do it would probably cost near a used engine price if they had to split the case though.

 

Anyway my question is has anyone actually done a transmission rebuild? Is it worth it?

I did a rebuild on my Gen1 trans. The 2-3 shift had gotten progressively worse over a couple years. The cost wasn't bad at all, probably less than $200 in parts, including all the gaskets and seals, and 2 gears. Typical worn dogs from sloppy shifts.

Wish I'd done it a couple years before I did - shifted like a new bike afterward.

The worst part was having to remove the engine from the bike and put it back in. Bit of a PITA. But worth it.

 

I did hear it was cassette style - not that I know what that entails but he did say you don't have to drop the motor to do it. Canyon Howd you know what to do and what to look for? I'll have to check the owners manual and see what's in there. If it's a one person job I might give it a shot.

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Canyon Howd you know what to do and what to look for?

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SkyDork's too damn fast for me, but yeah, what he said.

Definitely NOT a cassette style. I had a good idea what to look for, based on the behavior it was exhibiting. Popping out of third gear pretty much meant it had rounded dogs and slots. Found the two culprits and replaced them.

I just used the service manual, and experience. Like SD said, not tough, but time-consuming. Much better than paying someone else lots of money to do it and always wondering how good of a job they did.

You definitely need a second, or third, pair of hands to remove and install the engine though.

 

The Gen 1 is not a cassette type like the Gen 4 is. For the Gen 1, you have to drop the motor and split the cases apart. It's a time-consuming job, but part costs are typically $300-$400. Its the labor that runs the bill up into the 4 digit figure. It's not hard to do, but time consuming. Once the motor is out, it only takes one person.

The Service Manual shows the step-by-step procedure for getting to the transmission. It's likely a bad/worn shift fork or shift drum causing the issue.

 

Engine has to come out of the bike and you have to split the cases, but the good thing is that you don't have to touch the cylinder head, pistons, crankshaft, or any of all that - it can all stay put in the upper cases. It's a moderately big job, but not outrageously complicated.

 

You guys are right. It's not a cassette tranny so I'd have to pull the motor. The guy called me a bit ago and told me the news :-/. It really sucks. I'd like to fix it but I don't have all my stuff here in PA. Nor any help for motor handling for that matter. I may part out. I'm going to do some number crunching and see what my options are. That is unless someone with is near the Philadelphia (Chester County) and willing to help.

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Pulling the motor is easy, if it's a track bike. With a cruiser style motorcycle lift you can remove and install the motor very easily. Buy the lift and return it after you've used it for 30 seconds. I had mine in, running and prepped for a race in 8hrs (different bike but it's still a bike), removing it takes much less. I would spend the cash and fix it before parting out but it's your bike and your decision. Good luck.

 

Pulling the motor is easy, if it's a track bike. With a cruiser style motorcycle lift... Good luck.

Can you show me what kind of lift you're referring to? If it's something I can put in my garage that'd be awesome. Parting out can be a pain too so I'm in for some work either way.

 

You don't have to use a lift. The ZX10R engine is awkward to deal with because the oil pan is not flat on the bottom ... but I rigged up a contraption with an old automotive scissor jack and some blocks of wood to support the engine from underneath, and it got the job done.

 

I pull and replace them alone. pull oil pan, remove oil pressure relief valve and oil pickup as they protrude below the case. regular floor jack with a 10-12 inch wide block of wood long enough to reach across the bottom of the now flat case will balance and stabilize engine. roll it out, roll it back in. takes a little twist and turn clearing front top motor frame mount and avoiding front wheel but not hard to do. extra pair of hands will help first time, but nothing special required to pull/reinstall. fixed zx12, busa, and r6 trans since fall, most spent on hard parts was $200.

 

I'm going to do that with the oil pan. I remember that causing me some difficulty when I was putting this motor in. I picked up some preparatory stuff like labels..mats.. And a rolling slab type thing from harbor freight. Picking up a floor jack today. Is there anything aside from draining the oil that I need to do?

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This is what I used. I can't remember if I added a piece of wood to make up for the odd shaped oil pan.

 

Thanks for the help guys. Transmission rebuild thread coming soon! I think I've got everything except the castle nut tool. Is there anyone in PA tri state area willing to lend?

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I think I've got everything except the castle nut tool.

Socket + grinder.

 

I made some progress today: removed the radiator...clutch cable..and exhaust. Also a few missed connectors. WARNING: WHEN DRAINING THE LOWER BOLT FOR THE COOLANT YOUR BIKE IT WILL PISS ON YOU. Seriously, that coolant will come shooting out so be ready. I put water in my system so that was the first to come out. Then it turned greenish like regular coolant. Also I noticed some brown. I will definitely be putting fresh real coolant in this time around. I looked in the manual today and have a question: do I really need to take off the rear tire?

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I looked in the manual today and have a question: do I really need to take off the rear tire?

You'll need to remove the chain from the front sprocket before you remove the engine. It is possible without breaking it, but you'll need all the room in the back you can get. Rear wheel would make it impossible.

The time and effort needed to remove and then reinstall the rear wheel is negligible...

 

Some pics. Also a good practice is not to just set your tool down somewhere when you use it. Instantly lost and nobody to blame. I've been putting forth an effort not to do that.

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I always leave the chain on, just loosen up the back with plenty of slack, when you are lowering the motor, twist it a bit as you lower it and slide it off, reverse on the way back in.

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