Brain Pick Time!!! was, OK One of you 2-stroke fans help me out here. Kaw F11 1973

Can you turn the shift drum at all? It should turn easily(well, with in reason you sometimes have to spin the sprocket, or the clutch shaft since you have the clutch basket removed? to get it to slide into a gear)

You should be able to stick a phillips head screw driver in the right side(oil pump side) end of the shift drum and rotate it through all five gears and neutral. Worst case scenario grab it "lightly" with a pair of pliers and try and rotate it.

Check the other end of the shift drum, I believe it goes into the black plastic cap with the little brass finger that lines up and give you, your neutral light. The little guy might have gotten tangled up and cause the shift drum to lock up?

If you do have a locked up shift drum, internally, you're probably stuck and have to split the case, but I'd excercise all external options first.

Was there water in the tranny oil? Rusted up maybe?

I've never seen any of the Kaw two strokes lock up unless somebody damaged the gears and/or bent a shift fork. They can take some pretty serious abuse, so I'd be surprised if thats it. If it moves freely in neutral then you're probably ok in that dept.

The other bikes, F7's etc, utilized nasty little steel ball bearings that had to fly "out" under centrifical(hey, late at night I can't spelllll centrifugal) before you could get the thing into the higher gears? But you could usually get them into first without it running. It's been awhile since I had a F-11 apart, but I'm pretty sure it doesn't have this little gem of a system.

What I have seen is somebody hit a tree or something and bend or lock up the shifter shaft, (bend it) to where it would not turn, but the shift drum shouldn't be affected. You just have to hammer out the shift shaft and straighten it, or get another.

Yes you can run the bike without the battery. Just don't turn on your lights, if your voltage is too high it will burn out bulbs without haveing the battery available to absorb the extra voltage.

Sounds like your timing is too far advanced. Kawasaki's, unlike the early Yamaha DT and RT series should not kick back. I even used to ride a 1974 KX450, never had a problem starting it.

Thanks.

The shifter shaft is straight and the pawls go through full movement when lifted away from the pins on the end of the change drum.

I'll look at the other stuff.

Still need a manual. Will see about ordering one today. If I need to split the case I won't be able to get things back together without one.

-Duck

If you do end up splitting the case there are several things you can't find in either the service manual or the parts book.

The F-11 has different thickness washers(shims) on the ends of the two transmission cluster sets and also on the idler gear, above and behind the clutch basket. They are given different p/n's but you have no idea of knowing which is which.

You need to carefully mark these washers, where they go, & on which shafts they were, when you take them apart. Otherwise the internal gear alignment spacing gets messed up.

The F-11 needs(could use) a fairly large puller to split the cases. I ended up buying the expensive one that Dennis Kirk sells. All the other bikes can use a std size puller. It takes a fairly "deep throw" to get attached to this bikes engine is what I'm trying to say.

ThousandKaw wrote:

If you do end up splitting the case there are several things you can't find in either the service manual or the parts book.

The F-11 has different thickness washers(shims) on the ends of the two transmission cluster sets and also on the idler gear, above and behind the clutch basket....

The F-11 needs(could use) a fairly large puller to split the cases....

Thanks for good info.

I'll be quiet until the 10th. Spouse here for a visit on Friday until then. No time for bike wrenching while she is here. Manual will be in transit anyway.

-Duck

Duck wrote:
. . .
I'll be quiet until the 10th. Spouse here for a visit on Friday until then. No time for bike wrenching while she is here . . .[/quote]

I couldn't find the series of posts, but weren't you the guy that that explained away "no more bikes" with the disposal of one, plus the addition of one, equals a net increase of "0" indesputable logic?

If that is the case, I can see why silence is so important here.

:lol:

Spare parts!

Remember that there are NEVER more than two 'bikes' total.
NEVER mention that half the 'spare parts' are road worthy

Got the shifter working.

Was looking at the Intertec manual and reading through the disassembly instructions for the F11 gear box and shifter.

Said to remove shift drum detent BEFORE splitting case. Sure enough, hidden under the skid plate was the detent mechanism. Took it out, cleaned it up, and she shifts fine now.

Still need to scrounge cables, petcock, front and rear sprockets and chain(525IIRC) and fix the 'choke'.

Well, I'll be darned, the shift plunger was stuck. That's a new one for me, but then, that's why we're here. Glad you got it clicking through the gears without splitting the case.

Dennis Kirk has decent priced 525 chain. (or did within the last year)

Cables and sprockets, I'd try salvage yards or Ebay. The 525 chain stuff is a little odd and not many people carry the sprockets for the older bikes in that size.

Sometimes Kawasaki still has parts for these bikes. Occasionally the price isn't too terrible either. If you have to go "new" then don't forget about Johnny's Vintage Motorcycle parts, he has alot of stuff. He's bought out lots of Dealer inventories over the years. He's in Wadsorth Ohio, has a website etc.

Duck,

You ever get this thing going? I just picked up a 73 F11 myself off of fleabay.

Tom