XR500 gearshift issues

[Muzz67]

Hi all,, before stripping the old girl down perhaps I should seek advice first! '79 XR500 seems reluctant to shift into 4th and 5th if the revs are high(ish). With clutch,without clutch--makes no difference. Only sure way is to reach down and give it a decent heave by hand, not entirely satisfactory. So, check external mechanism, shift drum,shift forks,splines/dogs etc. Anything else to look at?? Thanks in advance! Muzz.

[xwhatsit]

I have the same gearbox as you, I think, except with different ratios, and my 4th gear change is heavy, as is 2nd, although not that bad.

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[enigma51]

Hmmm use to do enduro's on xr500 so it got thrashed pretty good Only once had issue with the gear box that was similar and it ended up being a broken gear. Well not completly broken just chipped so it made shifting a bit diffucult as the pieces where stuck at the far end between the coils of a "spring"
Took it out replaced the gears that was broken ie rebuild the gear box all was good.