doesnt always feel right when shifting, doesnt always sound good either...

[gladiator mice]

yesterday i took one of my newer big reds for a ride in the snow. i got pretty good packed down paths behind and around the house. was running and shifting fine. usually riding it either in 3rd or 4th because the paths are tight and trees everywhere. i made it to the road behind us and went down the street and back to the trail again hitting 5th gear both times. down shifted into third to get back over the snow bank. left it in third all the way back to my trails and gunned it around a tree, missed the next path and went into the deep snow missing trees. it bogged down so i went to downshift and ended up pulling it out 5th. i have no idea how it got into that gear. i continued down the path in 3rd and went down to the front yard. zipping around the front yard i happened to be in 2nd because i was hopping back and forth over the snow bank. when i was headed back up to the house i tried to shift into 3rd and it was like i got it stuck between 2nd and 3rd and rev'd up in neutral, as the idle came down i tried to shift and it clunked into 3rd. i took it back up to the house and parked it. i checked the oil and it is fine, no water or milky look, not thick or dark chocolate brown. by the way when im shifting its a clunking sound at low speeds, when riding at high speeds it shifts fine. im still planing on changing the oil soon. does anyone know why it clunks at low speeds? any reason why it got stuck between 2nd an 3rd. iv never had to take the trans out, open it up, or replace the innards. my first task to fix this issue will be the oil. any input would be nice.

[fabiodriven]

You've got the right idea with changing the oil. Did you wait a long time before changing it?

My SX has next to no hours on it. I got it from an older guy who had the machine since it was new. It's never been abused, it was barley used actually. That machine occasionally misses gears like you said and if I'm not mistaken it was between 2nd and 3rd. Just about any machine can miss a gear from time to time.

[gladiator mice]

You've got the right idea with changing the oil. Did you wait a long time before changing it?

My SX has next to no hours on it. I got it from an older guy who had the machine since it was new. It's never been abused, it was barley used actually. That machine occasionally misses gears like you said and if I'm not mistaken it was between 2nd and 3rd. Just about any machine can miss a gear from time to time.

actually i bought the BR in august last year from my brothers friend. i checked the oil then and it looked as if he changed it in the spring (just starting to darken). i pushed it hard all fall in water and deep mud, and i ride rough through the snow figuring a BR can handle it. now im considering changing it very soon when the weather up here hits 40 because its starting to look like thin chocolate syrup. once i got back inside and started thinking of why it would miss gears i figured i did not make a complete shift and hit a neutral spot between 2 and 3.

[aldochina]

most shaft drive auto clutch machines clunk a bit when shifting at idle or slow speeds!! you may need a slight clutch adjustment, it will help with the lurching! they tend to shift harder at times, especially under load, you may have just miss shifted, easy to do! Wont hurt to change the fluids!

[rodeofan5656]

mine did the thing where it gets "stuck" between gears. and sometimes when kickin from 1st to 2nd, it wont get past neutral. i adjusted the clutch alittle and it didnt do it as bad. do the big reds have centrifugal clutches? sooo, not sure if this post is gonna help

[gladiator mice]

most shaft drive auto clutch machines clunk a bit when shifting at idle or slow speeds!! you may need a slight clutch adjustment, it will help with the lurching! they tend to shift harder at times, especially under load, you may have just miss shifted, easy to do! Wont hurt to change the fluids!

its an 83 200e, chain driven. the most i have taken apart is the high and low gear box and that was not a fun experience. as of right now i will start with the oil and see if that is the issue. if it continues i will wait till spring when the weather is nice and i got some time away from work when i can tear this old beast down.

[Dirtcrasher]

One thing I cannot mechanically figure out is the shifting issues with a semi-auto tranny. If you put an SX in a high gear and under load, it will pop into a semi neutral and sound like your gears are in a blender. It's a partial engagement issue because of the strain. I don't know why it wouldn't act like taking off from a dead stop in 4th in a car with a high rev until the clutch catches the wheels up, but it doesn't.

I've had every SX I ever owned act this way which is why I don't like inexperienced people riding it; They forget what gear they are in, come to a stop and proceed to try and destroy my transmission.