5 Speed Bonnie gearbox help

[Andy_G]

I am trying to put my Bonnie G/box back together. Has anyone got three hands and long, ultra slim fingers? I could use you. Where should the camplate be on re-assembly? Haynes show a 4 speed box in the diagram, between gears but it looks nothing like my 5 speed camplate. I know LAB...buy the proper manual. I will as soon as I can but I would like the box together this week if poss. Thanks again.

[L.A.B.]

Look at the outside edge of the camplate as it is fitted in the box, you should count in a *clockwise* direction six notches, one large (1st), one small (neutral) and four large (2nd-3rd-4th-5th)?

The five speed box needs to have the camplate plunger set to the camplate neutral (small notch) position.

After installing the gear cluster, the inner cover needs to be fitted with the selector quadrant held in the position shown for the five-speed box in the Haynes diagram (well they got that bit right anyway!).

[Andy_G]

You are a knowledgable guy, many thanks. I have the inner gearbox built thanks to you, now I have to fit the inner cover. You say the Haynes manual is correct regarding quadrant allignment but is that with the camplate still in the neutral position? There is hardly any info for the 5 speed box in my Haynes manual.

[L.A.B.]

Sorry I missed out an important piece of information. After fitting the gear assembly the camplate (five-speed only) then needs to be rotated to the *first gear* position (so turn the camplate clockwise) before setting the quadrant and refitting the inner cover.

[Andy_G]

Okay, that explains things. That'll be a job for tomorrow. You are a gem, thanks again. You must be constantly checking this site, it's almost like 'I M' ing the speed you get back to me. If you want to look at the bike, you can visit my website on T140V.blinkz.com but please don't be upset, I bought it like that!

[Andy_G]

Well, I have been busy today trying to get the gears to select. I haven't had much joy. I can get 1st, neutral and 2nd after a couple of attempts at setting up the quadrant. I have stopped for today because I can feel myself getting fed up with it. Previous experience tells me that I'll make silly mistakes if I continue. I set the camplate to 1st gear before fitting the inner cover and line up the second tooth of the quadrant with the centre of the gearchange hole. I tried it in the upper and the lower position, ie top of the second tooth level and bottom of the second tooth level with the centre line. Any suggestions?

[L.A.B.]

Difficult to say what the problem is working 'blind' like this.

Are you rotating the shafts as you try to select the gears? As it is unlikely that you will get all five sets of gears to engage otherwise.

When fitting the inner cover try letting the inner end of the quadrant to drop all the way down, and borrowing somebody else's advice"Offer the inner gearbox cover to the crankcase and lift the butterfly by 3/4 of an (internal) tooth. That'll then be in its 1st gear position."

If the quadrant was say, one tooth out either way I would expect that you would be able to select at least four out of the five gears by manually pushing the quadrant up and down by hand (as you turn the gear shafts). So possibly something is not assembled correctly in the
gear cluster?
If you contact me by E-mail (not PM -see letter icons to the left of this message) I will send you a copy of the assembly instructions from the factory manual.  

  

[Andy_G]

I'm off to try again with renewed vigour. I emailed you yesterday to say that the assy instructions from the factory manual would be most helpful. My email address is now included on my profile.

[L.A.B.]

Instructions sent, so hopefully you have them by now.

[Andy_G]

Guess what? I now have 5 gears and a neutral thanks to you L.A.B. You were most helpful on this matter and I would like to thank you on this website. You are a gentleman and saint.

[L.A.B.]

Thanks Andy! Glad to be of some help! But credit must also go to Nigel (Vintagebike) for making it all possible by providing this great website!

[Andy_G]

That's true. I'll feed back to him. If it wasn't for this site, I'd still be struggling.

[dunboyneroadracing]

That's true. I'll feed back to him. If it wasn't for this site, I'd still be struggling.

what was the solution in the end anyway ?. ive expierianced similar problems with a trophy 650 , its a 74 and i presume (havnt got to 3rd) it has 4 gears .there seems to be some play in the camplate area and i thought it would be that but reading this i could have assembled it wrong , i opened it up originaly to stop an oil leak .the last owner said somthing about it not sitting right in neutral and the lever needing a little touch downward to get it right .

im thinking maybe i should have not bought the norton jubilee and bought a better trophy .

[L.A.B.]

what was the solution in the end anyway ?

The four and five speed box assemblies are different anyway, so the five speed info isn't much good really (and could be misleading).

Although there is still a chance that the selector quadrant is mistimed to the camplate, which appears to be the cause of many selection problems.

[paulrb]

Hi L.A..B

I was reading with much interest the thread of a discussion on the woes of timing a 5 speed Bonnie gearbox. I too am in frustration , I recently bought a T140V as a project with a recon gearbox in pieces to fit. I thought I had it right, got the MOT but only have 3 gears from the 5 and difficulty to engage. The manual and haynes give different methods to align the quadrant. I have the gearbox selected in first then align with the second tooth on the quadrant. I have tried above, below etc like Andy in the discussion thread.

Any help would be much appreciated

Paul