Problem with my clutch on my Honda atc 200 1982

[Colonel]

Can somebody help me? I am actually working on my three wheeler and I don’t know what to do: I can’t shift gears. I think it’s in reverse (because I can’t move forward but I can move backwards) but I can’t shift to any other speeds not even the neutral. 

[Gwbarm]

I would try rocking it back and forth while shifting to see if it comes out of reverse, if not under the right crankcase cover you will see the centrifugal clutch and the clutch basket, just to the lower left of the clutch basket is the shifter mechanism, if its stuck there you may have to apply a little, very little, force to unstick it, if its stubborn just keep working back and forth it might come free.

[Mech]

It's been a long time since I've seen one of those, but it will be as Gw says and something in the shift mechanism rather than the clutch.

First off I'd check there isn't some lever or cable that has to be used to put it into reverse.. That part might be playing up and stopping the shift lever from moving.. perhaps.

If it's not a designed shift lock, then I'd try rocking it backwards and forwards while trying to get the shift lever to move. Sometimes we have to push the bike quite hard in one direction or the other to get the engine to turn and allow a shift to happen. Decpmpressing the engine will help, or, jack the back wheels up and turn them while trying to move the shift lever.

If that doesn't work, describe how the shift lever behaves/feels.. is it solid and not move at all, does it move freely but do nothing, does it move the usual distance both ways, does it self center ?

[Mech]

Oh..  The manual I just looked in says that bike doesn't have reveres. Does it have reverse gear?

And are you saying it drives in reverse ? Or that you can only move it backwards ?

[Gwbarm]

I was trying to recall that also does it have a reverse button on left brake lever like the other Hondas or a switch

[Mech]

I've looked at several years now and no reverse..  Seems more likely it can only be pushed backwards, which could be because it's in gear and the over-run/sprag clutches won't let it go forwards, or, the brake is playing up, loose lining on the shoe perhaps..

Edited April 22, 2023 by Mech

[Colonel]

20 hours ago, Mech said:

Oh..  The manual I just looked in says that bike doesn't have reveres. Does it have reverse gear?

And are you saying it drives in reverse ? Or that you can only move it backwards ?

I can only move it backwards but I manager to put it in neutral. You’re right, there is no reverse, I checked in the user’s manual but how is it possible that it does not move forward but can move backwards?

[Colonel]

20 hours ago, Mech said:

First off I'd check there isn't some lever or cable that has to be used to put it into reverse.. That part might be playing up and stopping the shift lever from moving.. perhaps.

 

where would this lever/cable be if there is one?

[Colonel]

19 hours ago, Mech said:

I've looked at several years now and no reverse..  Seems more likely it can only be pushed backwards, which could be because it's in gear and the over-run/sprag clutches won't let it go forwards, or, the brake is playing up, loose lining on the shoe perhaps..

lIndeed, there is no reverse. I'm pretty sure it's not the brake that is playing up,  the wheels are completely blocked when i try to move forward. Where is the over-run/sprag clutch and what is it's fonction?

[Colonel]

21 hours ago, Mech said:

It's been a long time since I've seen one of those, but it will be as Gw says and something in the shift mechanism rather than the clutch.

First off I'd check there isn't some lever or cable that has to be used to put it into reverse.. That part might be playing up and stopping the shift lever from moving.. perhaps.

If it's not a designed shift lock, then I'd try rocking it backwards and forwards while trying to get the shift lever to move. Sometimes we have to push the bike quite hard in one direction or the other to get the engine to turn and allow a shift to happen. Decpmpressing the engine will help, or, jack the back wheels up and turn them while trying to move the shift lever.

If that doesn't work, describe how the shift lever behaves/feels.. is it solid and not move at all, does it move freely but do nothing, does it move the usual distance both ways, does it self center ?

I succeeded to put it in neutral but i'm still not able to go to the 1's, 2's, .... 5's speed. 

[Mech]

The cable or lever was only if it had reverse. It won't have one.

So now it's in neutral, but it only pushes backwards, right ? You can't push it or drive it forwards..  right ?

I'd guess that would be a brake playing up. You could drop the drive chain off it and try turning the back wheels then. Or jack the front end and try turning that wheel.

[Colonel]

On 4/23/2023 at 3:38 PM, Mech said:

The cable or lever was only if it had reverse. It won't have one.

So now it's in neutral, but it only pushes backwards, right ? You can't push it or drive it forwards..  right ?

I'd guess that would be a brake playing up. You could drop the drive chain off it and try turning the back wheels then. Or jack the front end and try turning that wheel.

i'm pretty sure it's not the brakes, it blocks completly and if I try pushing it forward, it's making a sound like two gears rubbing because they can't support the force a bit like if you put reverse while moving forward. I figured out how to move forward by rocking it back and forward so now it's in neutral i guess because i can move forward and backward. There is still something wierd: the others gears are when i downshift but it's supposed to be the opposite.        Sorry for the wait, I wasn't able to send the message. 

[Colonel]

On 4/23/2023 at 3:38 PM, Mech said:

The cable or lever was only if it had reverse. It won't have one.

So now it's in neutral, but it only pushes backwards, right ? You can't push it or drive it forwards..  right ?

I'd guess that would be a brake playing up. You could drop the drive chain off it and try turning the back wheels then. Or jack the front end and try turning that wheel.

I forgot to mention that when i'm engaged on any gears other than the netral, I can't move forward and only backward. I don't know if it's possible but maybe the whole gear system is upside down. 

[Mech]

Ok, well since it's now going back and forwards, it must have been in gear before, and the sprag clutch was what prevented it going forwards.

The sprag clutch is a one way clutch that provides engine braking when the engine revs get low enough for the centrifugal clutch to disengage. Normally the centrifugal clutch locks up and crank and gearbox shaft turn at the same speed, but if you are going down a hill with the throttle off and the engine gets slow enough, the centrifugal clutch disengages and the bike tries to run away down the hill. If the gearbox shaft is turning faster than the engine shaft after the centrifugal clutch has disengaged, the sprag drives the engine shaft forwards and provides engine braking. At idle, before the centrifugal clutch locks up,  the engine is turning faster than the gearbox shaft and so the sprag slips. When the engine shaft isn't turning because the engine is stopped, then any rotation of the gearbox shaft is faster than the engine shaft and so the sprag tries to turn the engine, which in low gears seems like it's locked up.

I suspect you still have the bike in between two gears, but not in the proper neutral place. Between third and forth perhaps..  I think you need to keep rocking the bike backwards and forwards, while pushing the shift lever down, and keep rocking and tapping the lever till eventually it will shift down one gear at a time to the proper neutral. It will probably take a lot of rocking..

 

[Saskatchewaner]

Also note your shift pattern.  Not sure on the '82 but lots of these things are pull up on the lever to shift down. Makes a lot of sense right? Do you have a charged battery in it and does the neutral light work? I would sit on it, rock it back and forth while pulling up on the lever until it kind of clicks into place. Release the lever and then do that again, and again, and again until it feels different and won't click. That is either neutral or high gear. If the key is on, the battery is charged, and your neutral light works then it should be glowing, if not push it backwards or forwards and see if it rolls easy. If it doesn't try pushing down while rocking instead of pulling up. Also of note, when you're shifting and it's in that "clicked" position, your gears aren't engaged, so it's like a neutral spot between gears. Comes in handy if you need to push start them, mine at least would just lock the tires up in 1st gear, but if you put it in first, then held it in that position between first and second while you pushed it and got up some speed, then jumped on it and released right as you landed on the bike you could get it to turn over and go. Hills help.

Sorry for the random tangent.