Hello, guys, I am back!
Recently I bought my 4th VN1500
I got 98 VN1500A
1.Is clunking 2nd gear switching normal? (1st to 2nd)
2.Which gears do you use for which speed?
It seems like 3rd gear works up to 55-60 MPH
3. Gear ratios for 98 4-speed comparing to 5-speed models?
4.Pilot screws adjustment turns specs?
Clunking - It is a sign of shifting too softly or slowly. The bike likes a quick firm shift between 1st and second. Done properly it is very smooth. Too softly/slowly you get clunks, if done too hard you can damage things though this is more likely when downshifting then upshifting.
If it is doing what I call grinding, the repair is not pretty.
Usually a case split, replacement of second drive and driven gears along with the shifting fork is the remedy.
What also can happen is when you get on the power in second gear, it might jump out of gear.
All I can go by is your verbal description of a noise (hard to do).
If you are questioning second gear, with none of the other gears making this noise, it is not unheard of for the problem I mentioned, particularly with the four speeds. In fact, Kawasaki issued a revised gearset for this issue.
Second gear should engage exactly the same as the others with no extra noises.
As an add, what can cause second gear problems are:
1. Because of the neutral finder, this shift can be balky at times. If you have a heel shifter and the shift is missed, it is soooo easy to stomp or force the shift with damage resulting.
2. Second gear tends to take a beating anyways because it is used most in the stoplight drag race!
Everyone's ability is different so it's hard to answer that question. When my plastic oil gear failed I was down for 5 weeks. Some of that time was researching how to do the job and more was waiting on parts to arrive.
Assuming you had all the parts you needed before you started, I'd say you could have the engine out, tranny fixed and engine back in within one week by working on it after work. In reality though, you'll find other things as you go that you'll want to replace, or you'll break something else which will require you order more parts and therefore push your completion date out.
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