I gave the gearbox parts a wash in degreaser, let them dry and gave them a clean in the bead blaster. Next was the ultrasonic bath to get rid of any dirt and leftover beads.
The kickstart shaft looked in amazing condition with hardly a trace of the rollers that usually make a groove on the bikes. Unfortunately three other gears showed some nasty damage which looked like they had ingested some debris from elsewhere.
I had to turn to a rather ugly looking box of spares I picked up a year or so ago to see if there was anything that would suit. I wasn't too hopeful as this box had lain unloved in someones workshop for a very long time. It has been pretty unloved in my hands, too.
It turned out to be my lucky day and I found exactly the parts I was looking for. I wasn't completely sure until they had been through the cleaning process but the gears that emerged were better than anything else in the transmission.
The replacements are the lower set in the picture....
With that sorted out it was time to sort out some new bearings. I pulled out a new 14mm bush but when I compared it with the original I got a surprise. At first I thought someone had made up a bush but there were some nice details on this one which were very different.
The little flange is much thicker and has a chamfer which, at first, I thought was wear.
When I looked at the low gear it was clear that it had a matching chamfer to take the taper on the bush.
Also the bush has a straight oilway and no oil hole, where the later bushes have a helical groove and a hole.
I'm going to leave this bush and gear in the transmission. It has lasted all this time so it would be a shame to swap it out.
In contrast to the condition of the kickstart shaft I found two rollers which looked in a terrible condition. There was no damage to the area where they work on the shaft but these look like they would cause all sorts of damage.
I picked up some replacements from my spares collection and assembled the good bearings.
This gearbox seems to be full of contrasts. Some parts in beautiful order and others quite beaten up. The kickstart pawl was one of the nice bits and while a little worn, seemed to work fine.
I just had chance to drop the shafts into the case for a quick trial run before gardening duty beckoned. Good weather at Easter is a mixed blessing.....
G