sloppy gear change

[nottonight68]

this applies to most early ss but especially 76/77(more linkages).i was having trouble selecting gears ,not quite engaging &false neutrals.pulled the reduction box apart-everything ok,re-greased&tested ok.still had same problem.played with adjustment screw,still no good. took it to a shop,they couldnt fix it,recommended gearbox inspection.that scared me.i decided for one moor look at reduction box.Hey presto,the small connecting shaft between selector drum tab and box tab was extremely worn (even had chain wear marks)when gear lever lifted it wouldnt turn selector drum enough to properly change gears. solution-this is the bit with 90 deg. slots in it.took it to local engineering shop,he made a replica ($10) same length with slots measured from tabs on bike (allowing a touch of play.i then found a piece of thin walled irrigation pipe to slip over the new shaft.it held the grease in and also meant the shaft wont fall off when re-fitting the sprocket cover-bonus!!!! tested it changed perfectly every time THE $10 GEARBOX REBUILD. TIP ALWAYS MAKE SURE THE GEARBOX IS IN NEUTRAL AND THE SELECTOR BOX IS IN NEUTRAL when replacing sprocket cover or you'll only get a couple of gears