Hay Greg thanks for the great info.  I’ve just started riding and have a lot to learn.  I checked the belt and it will twist 90 deg. but no farther so I believe it’s adjusted right.

bburson853 I forgot about that method of quieting a squeaky belt.  I've done that on several car fan belts over the years.  Paraffin wax also works.

RadarORiley and sluggo that’s what it feels like when it does go into gear, speed shifting.

Thanks for all the input everyone and if anyone else has any ideas please chime in.

SOMD

On the problem of downshifting without braking, on my last bike I had the front brake lever adjusted so that with a tiny amount of pull it would activate the little piston thingy that lights up the brake light just before it actually activated the brake. You could then slow down with the gears and still have your brake light on, though it was a bit tricky to keep it on as you went down the gears.

It was also *very* useful when a car driver was too close behind. A quick twitch of the brake lever and he'd slam his anchors on while I sailed on at the same speed.  

Back to the original topic for a second - a proper adjusted belt will chirp a little at times - mostly just when it's wet - so far as putting various stuff on the belt - remember this belt runs just a few inches above the ground and as such is in a constant dirt and grit storm, anything put on the belt that catches and holds this stuff is likely to shorten the drive systems life - the front pulley is steel but the rear is softer aluminum - I have read that some baby powder should be ok - for me i just keep it adjusted (90deg method) and clean as possible.

BS37066 wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:01:


Yep, but remember that you can't drive like a racer on the street.  Racers go to the track with an all or nothing attitude to win.  They push their machines to the limit.  They aren't concerned with the consequences of extreme wear and tear.  After all, they intend to rebuild and repair it after the race.  Is this what everyone else plans to do?

No one says that you can't shift without a clutch, and it is  pretty easy to do.   However, the clutch is there for a reason other than just easing the bike off at the start. It is intended to reduced the torque load on the gears before they engage because they are spinning at different speeds.  You can "blip" the throttle to assist in this but it still isn't as smooth.  The bike jerks for a reason.

From time to time, I do pop it up a gear, but never under a load.  This might happen 'cause my left and is busy picking my nose or scratching an annoying itch.  It happens, but 99.99 percent of the time, I clutch.

In this case, I didn't actually answer the question about why it won't go into 5th gear,  Instead I tried to offer a reason why it might not.  Gear damage.  I don't know.  It could be something else, but I assume that pesky things like shifter linkage adjustment are not an issue.

Hay everyone I think I found it.  The push rod from the foot leaver to the shift arm is bent.  By the picture in the book it’s suppose to be straight.

Do you speak english at home?

Savage_Greg wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:01:

Thanks Savage_Rob it should be here by next Wednesday.  It was $13 including shipping.  This Saturday I’ll pull the old one off straighten it and go for a test ride.

SOMD