When all else fails read the owners manual

[Canuck750]

I finally mixed up some two stroke oil/fuel and attempted to fire up the 72' Benelli 180 Enduro I rebuilt last year. After a couple kicks with the left hand kick starter it fired up on choke and settled into a typical ring a ding ding idle of a small two stroke single. I let it warm up for a bit and then pressed the right hand shift lever down one notch, released the clutch slowly and the bike barley limped forward then stalled out. Tried that a couple more times then returned to the shop and parked the bike on its side stand a bit dejected. 



What could be wrong, timing, carburation, compression????

I opened up the owners manual on the second page a little diagram of the shift pattern, 1 up, down to neutral, three down.

Some how I had found a neutral between 3rd and 4th believing it was a conventional one down, up to neutral three or four up 

It does pay to read the manual!!! and not assume that all bikes have a common shift patten.

It does run pretty nice for a small two stroke, not very powerful but the sound of that two stoke single is priceless.

[Scout63]

Nice sleuthing Jim. I’m impressed that you went back and read the manual. 

[nc43bsa]

750 Norton Commando shift pattern, eh?

[Ronkom]

Years ago I got a call from a student at The University of Virginia (in Charlottesville about 60 miles up the road from me). He brought me an Eldo he'd ridden in from Alaska, problem was the transmission drain plug had dropped out "somewhere" along the way. The bike had limped into Charlottesville, but was done. I opened the transmission to find everything BLUE, the poor thing had run so hot. The owner said "I'm a poor student, I need the absolute cheapest way you can you fix this bike to get me back to Alaska at the end of the semester". In the end I built him a transmission from used parts out of several junk transmissions I had in my stash. The bike got him back to Alaska. But wait, there's more! The next fall he calls again. He says he rode the bike back to UVA, but the transmission was "not shifting right". So, he & a couple friends there at the college put in a used transmission. But, they couldn't get it to run right. "It keeps stalling out". They trailered the bike back to me & dropped it off. I had the problem diagnosed before they got back to Charlottesville. They put in a transmission from a "T" model Guzzi & had not reversed the shift linkage.  Every time they tried to start (in 2nd gear) they'd stall the bike. I asked if he wanted me to fix it, or if he would learn the up for first pattern. Being a "poor student" he opted for #2.  He came & picked up the bike (no charge) & I never heard from him again.
ronkom

[SIR REAL ED]

I finally mixed up some two stroke oil/fuel and attempted to fire up the 72' Benelli 180 Enduro I rebuilt last year. After a couple kicks with the left hand kick starter it fired up on choke and settled into a typical ring a ding ding idle of a small two stroke single. I let it warm up for a bit and then pressed the right hand shift lever down one notch, released the clutch slowly and the bike barley limped forward then stalled out. Tried that a couple more times then returned to the shop and parked the bike on its side stand a bit dejected. 



What could be wrong, timing, carburation, compression????

I opened up the owners manual on the second page a little diagram of the shift pattern, 1 up, down to neutral, three down.

Some how I had found a neutral between 3rd and 4th believing it was a conventional one down, up to neutral three or four up 

It does pay to read the manual!!! and not assume that all bikes have a common shift patten.

It does run pretty nice for a small two stroke, not very powerful but the sound of that two stoke single is priceless.

Great looking bike Jim. 

To many of my age, the early 70's was the golden era of motorcycling.  To date, they are the best looking bikes IMO.  Most of the bikes were pretty reliable by then, but financial status meant the objects of our dreams were still a few years away.  Almost within reach, but not quite! 

As the ad slogan said "Someday, I'' own a Yamaha!"