vintage husky missing 3rd (feels like neutral) --- diagnosis from afar?

[noman]

am currently looking at a mid-seventies husky mx bike in fair shape. most needed repairs and cosmetic stuff are within my skills but am wondering about the gearbox.

current owner tells me shifting into 3rd results in going to neutral (or feels like neutral). shifting up again results in the bike going past this "gear" and up thru the upper gears w/out prob. similar performance on the way back down to first. no clashing/grinding reported.

am thinking about purchasing this fine machine and running it a bit this summer as-is, then splitting cases for a full refurb over the winter.

am comfortable with restoring vintage stuff, including topend/ring work, on mainly early/mid-seventies cb550/750's. also repaired a dead rd200 and dt250.

i'll have to find a service manual, and i have found g'box bearings/seals ($370) already but this would be my first venture into splitting cases.

boxing up and sending the eng/trans out to a vintage husky repair guy with the request to "fix what it needs" makes me break out in a cold sweat. might not see it for months, and repairs might close in on $1K.

i'd be splitting cases regardless, but does this sound like a stripped gear, or shifter mechanism out of adjustment?

[gloud]

The only one I worked on was a 360 sportsman 8 speed but I don't remember any adjustments. I suspect a bad shifter fork or gear. Parts availability is the big issue as you know. Unless you get it CHEAP I would stay away. I would contact the guy at http://vintageviking.com/ for advice .

[noman]

thanks very much for the advice, repair shop estimates for engine rebuild range from 800 to 3.5K depending on what they find inside. not including trans.

these bikes in pretty nice condition sell for about 2.5K, so i reckon i'll take the bike if the current owner pays me $500.

[Motoduc1]

Clymer Manual takes you all the way through. You can do it.

Parts availability really isn't as big of an issue as it is with other brands. Halls Husqvarna is a great source.

One word of warning; the $2500 market value may not exist, at least not currently. I just sold an extremely clean, stock '78 CR 250. It had seen very little use. Posted numerous times on eBay and some Husky sites. Finally sold it for $1600. :(

[PistonPants]

My dad had a '74 wr 400. Some of those gear dogs are fragile being outboard of the shift fork groove. Broke the dogs off twice. Sounds like your Husky's problem. Split cases, replace the gear. Good luck. Cool old bikes.

Piston

[noman]

i passed on the bike, didn't get a good feeling speaking w/the owner.