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I was discussing with someone and they felt that a "loose clutch basket" was the cause of my problem described below on previous posts.

when downshifting at around 30-40 mph,
bike does not always go into gear ( sort of a false neutral with
clicking sound) until releasing clutch and giving it a blip of the
throttle. Once I blip the throttle, it goes right in. Never have
any problems going into 1st from a start or upshifting.

Bike only does it occasionally,

I would appreciate any opinions on this and what it would to tighten a loose clutch basket on an R75 if that is the problem

BMW Airheads dont' have clutch baskets. Clutch baskets are a part on wet clutches, and Airheads have dry clutches which don't have that part.

The person attempting to help you may have suggested a cause which could cause that symptom on wet clutch bikes (such as all the Japanese bikes have, and some of the newest BMW's), but he apparently doesn't know anything about your bike.

For what it's worth my '76 R75/6 will sometimes slip into a "neutral" when I'm in a parking lot and just lazily decelerating, headed to a parking spot. The bike has never popped out of gear at riding speed, whether accelerating or decelerating.

If this is weighting on your mind, and if you haven't already done so, I would drain the oil from the tranny. Look for anything funny. And in particular look at the magnet on the drain plug. Feel the oil between your fingers. Fuzz is normal, but if you can feel anything gritty, that's a cause for concern.

I would suggest not dismissing looking for a spare transmission. If you ever need one and don't have it you will be very sad. Duane Ausherman clued me (and many others) onto the fact that the transmission is the most trouble prone part of the whole drive train. The 4 speed trannys are reportedly more reliable than the 5 speeds, especially the early 5 speeds, but they are still "weak".


Ken

Ken in Oklahoma wrote:I would suggest not dismissing looking for a spare transmission. If you ever need one and don't have it you will be very sad. Duane Ausherman clued me (and many others) onto the fact that the transmission is the most trouble prone part of the whole drive train. The 4 speed trannys are reportedly more reliable than the 5 speeds, especially the early 5 speeds, but they are still "weak".
Ken

And, that's not necessarily "weak" as motorcycles go, but "weak" compared to the expected service life of the rest of the drivetrain.

Thanks again for all the replies. If they have another BMW Rally in Huntsville AL this Spring maybe I can find someone to give it a test drive. I am not familiar enough with what does or does feel normal when downshifting. I got into motorcycle ownership a little late in life-still learning.

Thanks again

Matt-R75 wrote:Thanks again for all the replies. If they have another BMW Rally in Huntsville AL this Spring maybe I can find someone to give it a test drive. I am not familiar enough with what does or does feel normal when downshifting. I got into motorcycle ownership a little late in life-still learning.

Thanks again

The airhead gearbox is a clunker, moreso than most. It does take very deliberate technique and can be a real annoyance if the rider expects something more slick.
Upshifting is a preload the lever with foot before clutch and snicking into gear. The downshift benefits greatly from the blip. Selecting neutral when coming to a stop is easier with the wheels still turning too. Foot action on the lever should be firm.

For peace of mind, it'd be worth going for a ride specifically to practice the technique and see if that makes the difference to the false neural on the downshift.

Good clutch adjustment is very important and a semi synth also seems to help improve the feel (at least it does on my later 11/1981 bike) Hopefully there's nothing wrong and you can continue to enjoy the bike as they're great fun.