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2012 Sprint Gt 1050 - Gearbox problems

48K views 121 replies 29 participants last post by  DaveM 
#1 ·
Hi all
Firstly let me apologise if this has been discussed elsewhere, i did hunt through quite a few pages first but couldnt find anything
The problem I have been having is the gearbox on my brand new Sprint, its jamming in first, (have to re clutch to get it to move, kinda awkward cos when you let the clutch out back wheel locks up), also it is very "klonky changing gears.
I have only done 800 kms on it, it is currently in the dealers and they say triumph are going to replace the box, but have concerns this isnt going to fully resolve the problem.
Anyone else come across this?
 
#2 · (Edited)
These machines have very tight gearboxes and use straight cut gears and are very robust and take a lot of kms to break in.


The gearboxes are solid and of high quality.

Most likely your clutch lever or gear shifter lever are not adjusted correctly. I would be very surprised if the g'box is at fault, I have been here almost 8 years and do not remember that on a brand new bike ever.

cheers
Dave:)
 
#6 ·
ok, thanks guys, yeah have no problems with the dealers they have been more than helpful, was just a nagging concern that is was more than just my bike.
good to hear positive comments, am really looking forward to getting it back, its an awesome machine.
 
#7 ·
I have been having the same issue. It is intermittent. I'll have a day where everything is shifting fine and then the next days it will not want to shift from first to second. Preloading my shift seems to help. I just know this can't be right. I took it to the shop for its 6k mile maintenance and described the problem in detail. The mechanic adjusted the cable, which I have tweaked repeatedly to try to relieve the problem, and said he can't reproduce the problem. He says this is just the way they shift. This is really frustrating as I love this bike with the one exception of the way it shifts.

Any suggestions on what to do next?
 
#10 · (Edited)
Wonder why the gears are straight cut ?



Dave I wonder why the gears are straight cut.

Aren't lots of gearboxes angle cut and quieter ?

They are certainly a solid sounding and reliable box, but many reports indicate the japs are better....wonder if they have angle cut gears.

got the answer...here 'tis

For anyone interested: Note how reverse gears are straight cut and the forward gears are helical cut. This is to allow the reverse idler gear to slide into mesh, if they were cut at an angle(helical) they would not slide into mesh. Anyone notice why reverse sounds different than driving forward? Well thats how, because of the straight cut gears. Race cars use straight cut gears because they are more efficient at putting power down. Helical gears are a lot quieter than straight cut gears.
 
#9 ·
Ok. I got my bike back from the shop. They really tuned it up nicely. The shifting now, while seemingly tighter, is very consistent across the range of gears. So I will wait and see.

But man, I really love this bike. It is about an hour ride back from the shop and it was an hour of finely engineered joy :)
 
#13 ·
Weight is another reason. From automotivethinker.com:

So why are straight cut gears used in race transmissions? Well, there are a few reasons why, but the main reason is because straight gears don’t produce any thrust loads. Its very easy to build strong gears that are either straight cut or helical, so that’s not the problem. The problem is when you start putting a lot of torque through helical gears, the thrust loads become so high that you need a very strong transmission case (heavy) to contain the loads. Straight cut gears simplifies the transmission case design and also the types of bearings used. All of the other benefits and negatives to straight cut gears take a back seat to this.
 
#16 ·
*1 on that guys. I have also heard that they are going to. 5 dogs instead if 4.

Really good. Info. Thanks..gotta be brief out at beer bar.

Sent from my GT-I9300T using Motorcycle.com Free App
 
#17 ·
Plagiarized off the net...

Advantages:
Helical gears are less noisy than straight cut gears.

Disadvantages:
Helical gears have greater contact are and slip along the face, causing power loss.
Helical gears also inherently induce thrust into the shafts upon which they are affixed, causing increased wear in the bearings.

:p:p:p:p
 
#19 ·
Lots of positive stuff here and thank you all for jioning in, glad to hear its not a generic thing and I may have just got a Friday arvo/monday morning box, which triumph have promised to fix........eventually......
The dealers have been great but I am more than unhappy with Triumph Australia
Jeez guys, how hard is it to know what is coming in on the next freight shipment??????
3 times now have been promised "the parts" are in the next box, and suprise suprise, they still havent arrived in the latest box.
Not a good example of Customer Service to say the least!!!!!!!!!
 
#20 ·
I sympathise with you. It's not a good look. Triumph is back up and running for 20 yrs and their Australian distribution network sucks..
I have seen a triumph newbie sell his thunderbird over the time it took to get saddle bags and other assorted gear. He bought a Harley instead. He loved the bike but got fed up with them.
Of course this is only one example perhaps others have had a better experience. Mine have always been fairly quick.


Sent from my GT-I9300T using Motorcycle.com Free App
 
#23 ·
My shifting problem cropped up again yesterday morning. I was even having trouble downshifting which I rarely see. I came home from work, parked it in the garage where it sat until the morning commute. Then it was very hard to move between gears on the morning ride. My garage does heat up a good bit during the day and it is very humid here in the Philadelphia area. I wonder if this is affecting the issue?

I think I need to buy a cheap bike to take apart. I have never been inside a transmission to know how the mechanism works. I have read a bit, but it is not like hands on.
 
#30 · (Edited)
I have the same situation

I live in Sweden... and now after 6 weeks my replacement luggage from UK is still not here.

I think Hinkley have underestimated the need for spares.

But hey Britts are Britts, Germans are Germans and Swedes are perfect! ;)

But seriously. My GT had issues shifting around 600 km-1000 kms when running it in. The gears where dumped out a couple of times from 3rd to false neutral.

Sorry DaveM. I really like your positive attitude, but some GTs seems to hava issues with the gearbox when running them in. Shifting problems like these are not from the gearbox gears, but probably from missaligned or bent shift forks.

So far I can tell the quality control at Hinkley is lacking. My GT from this summer new has had replaced/repaired
- Fuelcap replaced due to paint bubbling of
- Luggage bags replaced due to skewness and missing screws. (really poor IMO)
- Steering bearing adjusted
- Fairing incorrectly assembled so that there is a 2 cm gap between them on the left side of the black plastic visible from the driving position.

I still have starting issues from time to time.

So really they are loosing quality on some bikes... not all bikes. And apparently not your bike DaveM. But a chain is never stronger than the weakest link. And a bike like mine should not have left the assembly line IMO.

And starting to dissassemble a gearbox on a new bike is crap IMO!
 
#31 · (Edited)
Sodan I have a positive attitude because I have a great dealer and a positive experience with Sprints for almost 9 years now.

There are very very few cases of GT gearbox problems and we have not yet heard why or what that problem is. (mine with 15,000kms and on my 3rd set of tyres is prefect).

Most Sprint gearbox problems over the 8 years I have been on this forum (and most of that moderating it), have been to do with incorrect clutch or gear shift lever adjustment.

That is not being positive it is a fact. For those new to these machines the gearboxes are always tight as are the engines and take a long tome to 'run in'

I think I have only read of one or two GT's having a shift problem which to date I have not read a full diagnosis of what the problem was.

Until I do I will stay with my positive blue smiley faced attitude thanks:):D

I am sorry Sodan yours is causing you grief, but I do not believe that is the norm, nor that Hinckley quality in general has dropped, not from what I see and other owners I know and the dealership I use.
 
#32 ·
Glad to see some comments on the gear box. I thought I had a problem with my and so did my dealer. Gear changes were very agricultural. Like a tractor. However, now it has passed 15k, the changes are just fine. Well except neutral to first is still a bit clunky.
 
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