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On a friend's 1973 R60/5 he has a drip leak coming from rubber shaft boot between the swing arm & the tranny. He related that the bike won't shift down into first gear, only up (though it was shifting fine the other day). I told him to check his tranny oil level & make sure it was not too low. I plan on taking an depth look at it and if not too involved, I can help him work on it. Obviously from what is stated so far, I realize no one can give me an exact diagnosis, but what kind of fix is possibly involved here? Just a gasket, stretch bolt & boot replacement or more involved? Special tools or methods needed?

Just looking for ideas and suggestions to consider. Thanks...

In my experience, it is possible... just... to replace the boot without taking out the swing arm pivots but it's not easy to squeeze it between the flange and the shaft... however... it may be that this won't be an issue. If the box won't shift down into first, there is a much more serious issue than just a shortage of oil and the transmisssion will almost certainly have to come out to address it.

RTob

An ill adjusted clutch or splines on the input shaft need to be cleaned and lubed can cause trouble shifting into 1st.

George Ryals wrote:An ill adjusted clutch or splines on the input shaft need to be cleaned and lubed can cause trouble shifting into 1st.

And, you'd better hope that's the problem, because the only other option is as Rob said: tranny coming out.

Just talked to my buddy - it was a Brown side stand he installed the other day that was somehow preventing the gear level to go fully downward. He stated when he bought the bike earlier this year, the seller had the tranny rebuilt. The bike is running fine and shifts fine, just an annoying drip leak.

Back to the shaft boot area: He states he thinks it is engine oil not gear oil. He describes it as more clear and doesn't have a sulfur odor to him. Assuming the leak is not coming from higher above (like a breather hose? or something?) what else should we check? Is replacing the rubber boot the fix or is there more sealing in that area that I have to consider? Bearings?

Any other input or theories? Thanks,

Any oil coming from the boot should be gear oil.

The bolt/nut holding the Brown stand can be a problem. Either carefully file away the interference or SLOWLY bend the shiftlever away from the interference. I prefer the bending, mine has plenty of clearance. I don't remember if the bolt/nut can be reversed for more clearance.

hudson wrote:Just talked to my buddy - it was a Brown side stand he installed the other day that was somehow preventing the gear level to go fully downward. He stated when he bought the bike earlier this year, the seller had the tranny rebuilt. The bike is running fine and shifts fine, just an annoying drip leak.

Back to the shaft boot area: He states he thinks it is engine oil not gear oil. He describes it as more clear and doesn't have a sulfur odor to him. Assuming the leak is not coming from higher above (like a breather hose? or something?) what else should we check? Is replacing the rubber boot the fix or is there more sealing in that area that I have to consider? Bearings?

Any other input or theories? Thanks,

Ah well, glad thats solved without too much drama...

There isn't any engine oil in that area... If it's coming from the boot or the transmission, (and assuming that no one has filled either with the wrong oil) it'll be gear oil. The other alternative is that its coming from elsewhere and ending up at that point... but I would think that it's be pretty obvious if it was.

Rob

OK - that's what I figured too, but just confirming that it has to gear oil. Thanks about the tip for bending the lever out until it clears.

Does synthetic gear lube smell like "gear lube"

not sure. good question. I will test it out when I get home!