KTM 350 bench shift issue after rebuild

wiggins419
Posts
81
Joined
2/14/2016
Location
Motor City , MI US

Hey everyone, just rebuilt the bottom end and cannot get the thing to bench shift into 1st. It goes thru every other gear then gets hung up on neutral. Any help is appreciated. Thanks!  
 

1
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3/15/2026 5:47pm

I rebuilt mine last year and neglected to bench shift.  Got it all together only to realize it wouldn’t shift at all. Took it apart and I had misaligned the shift fork in the round thing with grooves. Adjusted it and it fixed it. I would check to make sure forks are aligned in the correct grooves. Here’s some picturesIMG 4209 5.jpeg?VersionId=V88PcC.pEciQRviPIMG 4208 1

Nairb#70
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3710
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2/25/2020
Location
Ivoryton, CT US
3/16/2026 4:37am

A transmission will only fit one way allowing the case halves to contact. Did you oil all the parts before install?, there is a great deal of friction in there.

1
DF313
Posts
697
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6/17/2016
Location
Ogden, UT US
3/29/2026 6:45pm

What year is the bike?

1
Mucktub
Posts
891
Joined
1/31/2016
Location
GB
5/18/2026 4:11pm

I'm having a similar issue with Husqvarna TC85, bike had been run with no air filter and sucked what can only be described as a swamp into the engine. All gearbox bearings changed, crank, big and little end bearings, new conrod and piston. Tearing my hair out trying to workout why the gear selection is so problematic. Never had this issue with a rebuild before.

The Shop

Factor E
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9/22/2011
Location
So Cal, CA US
5/19/2026 4:09am

Are you sure all rhe bearings are seated?   Are shift forks in right order?

Mucktub
Posts
891
Joined
1/31/2016
Location
GB
5/19/2026 4:36am

I went through all the gearbox bearings last night, made sure they were all seated correctly and more importantly made sure they were all the correct width/depth, according to the parts books the correct sizes are installed. I put the crank cases together with the individual shafts installed on their own, neither show signs of tightness when not in together. Would it be possible for someone to send me the workshop manual pages relating to the gearbox installation? I can then go through exactly what is recommended correctly and hope I can see what I'm getting wrong. I've had many of these things apart over the years and this is the first time I've encountered this. 

Mucktub
Posts
891
Joined
1/31/2016
Location
GB
5/19/2026 4:37am

Sorry to the OP for hijacking the thread, but I can see it being relative to my issue too.

wiggins419
Posts
81
Joined
2/14/2016
Location
Motor City , MI US
5/19/2026 7:09am

Sorry I never updated the thread with the fix. Had 2nd gear in backwards. The manual and parts fische for the transmission portion on these Austrian bikes are not impressive… 

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