I'm looking at buying this cheap since it will need some work. The guy says that sometimes it will shift normal, and sometimes it will jump out of 2nd gear. I'm a car mechanic by trade, so tearing into a bike will be a little different for me, but I"m pretty confident in my abilities. Any ideas of what is/could be wrong?

 

From the limited info posted, it could be anything from the simple...

1. rider does not shift completely from 1st to 2nd...
2. loose shifter/linkage
3. bent shift forks
4. damaged gear

Id "guess" 1 or 3 most likely. BUt you wont know till you get the bike

 

No.3 is the most common one from abuse of the shifter...

 

Tweety, as a product of our personal experiences, your opinion is as valid as mine..

And I agree a likely cause is a bent shift fork.

However I see more shifting issues solved (street and dirt bikes combined) with better shifting technique, tightend, non bent and rubbing shifters, or tightened / repaired linkage then I do, a motor in need of a replacement shift fork...

Perhaps I see more riders new to the sport of motorcycling then you do??? So I see more rider issues and riders who don't recognize an obvious bent or loose part??

No idea, but thats what I've seen.

 

Does the VTR ever have problems with the drum? Could be another cause. I know the FZR/YZF's I race have that problem sometimes.

It may be more worth your time and money to find another engine that is good versus pulling yours apart to search for the problem.

 

Well... I see a lot of riders shifting "lazily" as well... But in the end it pretty much ends up with a bent fork unfortunately...

I should probably have been more specific... No.3 is the most common mechanical issue...

 

Not a common problem with this bike...

But mechanical failures come in all shapes sizes and frequence..

So a full and complete inspection / diagnosis is called for.

Starting with the left foot and how it is used ending with the transmission.