Suzuki Vinson 500 broken shifter

Showing a particular way the shifter can break and a few tips for getting it out.

[@kevinfoster2308]

There seems to be endless issues with these shifters. I got a Vinson with a locked up transmission for cheap. I replaced the entire counter shaft assembly that was bent and had two teeth broke off the low range gear. I couldn't figure out why up until today. While moving the shift lever forward and backward on the gear selection side I noticed that the mechanism that actuates the parking brake cable was also moving even though the pin wasn't engaged into it. So at some point after the shifter failed someone went to shift forward into low range, probably while in motion under throttle and simultaneously shifted into park. You can imagine the rest.

[@patricedufour7752]

Thx for the tip , and finally did you find a replacement or only all shifter assy ?

[@RomanZenka]

Patrice Dufour I had to buy a whole shifter assembly. I kept the old broken one for parts.

[@jimlauth7587]

Do you know how to remove that white detent rod? Mine is broken off.

[@RomanZenka]

Not sure, I did not have to do that. I still have the old shifter sitting around for experiments though.

[@jimlauth7587]

It's not covered in any manual. I thought maybe it just pulled out. I cant tell how its attached, if at all.

[@RomanZenka]

@@jimlauth7587 I think the rod simply transfers the button push down to the mechanism so it might actually just be there, sliding freely. Manuals do not cover this because to them this is a single assembly that is replaced as a unit. :(

[@jimlauth7587]

Can you see if it just pulls out? Mine might just be stuck since it sat outside for years before I got it.

[@jimlauth7587]

Roman, I found the answer. It screws out. There are threads on the inside. It just unscrew to take it out.

[@Rameus]

What year is your quad?

[@RomanZenka]

2002

[@Rameus]

Roman Ženka thank you. When you replaced the part did it function proper? I just got a 2006 model and it will not go into reverse. But the linkage on the transfer case will go into reverse if I push it forward with my fingers. The the gear shifter will get stuck and won't move with out force. If I turn the quad off, it rests and frees up the gear shifter, then I can move it.

[@RomanZenka]

I still have the shifter stuck sometimes. Reverse has an issue. Usually revving the engine a bit lets me shift. The problem I had before was that I could not possibly move the shifter AT ALL except park/neutral no matter how much force I applied. So that part of my problem did get fixed by replacing the part. The whole shifter assembly seems a bit clunky and badly designed to me. I can see it not functioning optimally for a variety of reasons, things getting stuck here and there, but I am not sure if the remaining problems I have are the transmission or if the shifter is still acting up even after replacement. I did not have time to look into this issue much because I can do the basic driving I need.

[@theusconstitution1776]

That whole mechanism is a piss poor design if you shift it very gently like a three-year-old child you’ll never have any troubles with it but the minute you put any kind of force on it it gets bound up and you can’t get it when you can put it in any gear you want but it’s stuck in neutral and whatever gear you’re in it’s too bad they didn’t have just one cable with forward and reverse