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2012 V7 Racer stuck in 2nd gear

U

UitDieBloute

Just got it firing!
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Good day,

My 2012 V7 racer has been standing for a couple of months so decided to take it for a ride. Pulled away in 1st gear .. then 2nd and pulled off to the gas station to inflate the tyres a bit. After the tires were good to go I noticed that it didnt want to go into neutral so I pulled in the clutch and started it. It didnt want to downshift to 1st gear and the linkage lever is not suck and seems to move to the original position when moving it up or down. Its now stuck in 2nd gear. Any thoughts on where to start looking for the problem?
 
I think that will require a gearbox tear down. Since the gear shift lever returns to the center position , it may be the selector pawl has failed. Item 8 in this graphic.

1740342253610.webp
 
I’m trying to get a worksop / repair manual but can only find the service manual which is not adequate for details regarding removing the gearbox etc. Do you perhaps know where I can find a workshop / repair manual for my 2012 V7 Racer?
 
Ok...

The transmission is NOT a job for the layman. Honestly it is the most complex diagnosis and repair task there is.

It REQUIRES specialized tools which you do not have nor can you buy them from Moto Guzzi.

Transmission work is highly detailed and complex.

In many cases, it is more cost effective to simply replace an existing gearbox either with a good used inexpensive or even a new one.

I appreciate you wanting to repair your motorcycle but this is a huge bite to try and chew.

I would attempt a proper clutch cable adjustment first.

One other thing, if you have power shifted the gearbox by not using the clutch, and this is not an accusation but rather another possible explanation, I would not be the least bit surprised if there are bent shift forks (5&6).
 
Hi Scott..thanks for the reply. I have worked on motorcycles before (complete engine rebuilt and gearbox replacement on a 72 honda cb500 etc) so hopefully I’m not totally clueless. I know that working on bikes is no easy task! The problem is that I dont trust anyone around here to take the bike for repairs and will rather do it myself if I have a proper repair manual. I will check out the clutch adjustment first thank you. Also, I have not done power-shifting as you mentioned and do not often ride the bike. Thanks for the comments it is appreciated.
 
UitDieBloute said:
The problem is that I dont trust anyone around here to take the bike for repairs and will rather do it myself if I have a proper repair manual.
Click to expand...

Again, there is no transmission manual specific to your model, and it does require specialized tools as to avoid damaging the transmission.

EDIT: I WAS INCORRECT. SEE POST 15 BELOW.

What you call a "proper manual", (I suspect you are thinking like an old-school Clymer or something like that), is nothing like a factory manual.

To my knowledge, there is no aftermarket "step 1, step 2, step 3" type book for this job.

I never said you were clueless but please realize a 1972 Honda is nothing like a modern 6 speed Moto Guzzi.

Different animal entirely.

From my direct discussions with dealer friends of mine, they all say the exact same thing...

Moto Guzxi stopped trying to have dealers "warranty repair" any V7/V9/V85 transmission. They just hot swap with a factory new one.

Everybody was losing on the repair, the dealer, the factory and the customer.

I would never attempt a repair and I have decades of professional motorcycle repair experience.

You have no specs, no tolerances, no wear limits and no way to verify anything.
 
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scott_m said:
Again, there is no transmission manual specific to your model, and it does require specialized tools as to avoid damaging the transmission.

What you call a "proper manual", (I suspect you are thinking like an old-school Clymer or something like that), is nothing like a factory manual.

To my knowledge, there is no aftermarket "step 1, step 2, step 3" type book for this job.

I never said you were clueless but please realize a 1972 Honda is nothing like a modern 6 speed Moto Guzzi.

Different animal entirely.

From my direct discussions with dealer friends of mine, they all say the exact same thing...

Moto Guzxi stopped trying to have dealers "warranty repair" any V7/V9/V85 transmission. They just hot swap with a factory new one.

Everybody was losing on the repair, the dealer, the factory and the customer.

I would never attempt a repair and I have decades of professional motorcycle repair experience.

You have no specs, no tolerances, no wear limits and no way to verify anything.
Click to expand...
I did an adjustment on the clutch cable and its the same problem.. so its probably the transmission. At this stage I think I wont opt for replacing the whole gearbox without knowing what is wrong.
 
V700Steve said:
The trans is covered in the Motor Manual the one from 2012.
Click to expand...

OMG.

I obviously made a mistake there bigtime.

My sincere apologies for the mistake.

I had checked the documents before I wrote that as I was shocked that it wasn't there.

Unfortunately, I just read the Table of Contents instead of going through the text itself.

It isn't listed in the Table of Contents but rather, is contained within the Engine section just as Steve correctly pointed out. I did confirm the text this time.

Again I was terribly wrong and I apologize for my mistake. Tried to help but as I haven't worked on the V7, I just relied upon reading, albeit, incorrectly.

Hopefully that will get you what you need.

IMG_0553.webp
 
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DeadEye said:
Sorry for the peanut gallery comment 🫣
Is that whole thing (part 8), one piece or multiple pieces as part of that single part ?
Could the dogs on part 8 have corroded or stuck after months of disuse ?

Don
Click to expand...
Hi Don, I’m not sure if that can easily corrode even if standing for a bit. Think the next step is probably to check the throwout bearing.
 
Just a thought but have you verified the shift linkage connections to be sure nothing has come loose and isn't actually operating the shift shaft?

Throwout bearings are usually easily identified by noise and a very notchy clutch pull.

Again I apologize as I have worked on just about every modern Moto Guzzi model (I have 10 of my own) but no V7/V9/V85 so far, but I think verifying that no linkage is mucked up, is another simple thing to look at.

Good luck! 🤞👍

Please be sure to report back what you find out so others can share the knowledge you learn.
 
UitDieBloute said:
I have checked the linkage and adjusted but still the same. Looks like pulling the transmission is the only option :(
Click to expand...
Hi
You will find it interesting. The challenge in working on these boxes is that like a car or a classic british bike gearbox they are vertically split. On a standard jap gearbox you can see all the shafts and engagements in one half, check the endfloats and tolerances then load the selector on top. On these boxes you assemble it on the end plate and cant see the tolerances till it is rebuilt and you push/pull on the shafts.

Enjoy
 
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