XT600 Tenere 3rd Gear problem

[FourTenKev]

Hi All,
Newbie alert!!

After spending many nights reading the stories on the site and dreaming of hitting the road for some serious travel I have just bought a 1988 XT600Z Tenere 3AJ. I'm loving the bike but I'm concerned about 3rd gear!

If definitely feels rougher that the other gears and makes a bit of noise. It feels worst when under load at lower revs. I have read about the pitting that often occurs in fifth gear, so is this the most likely problem with my 3rd gear?

Questions!
Is there anything I can check or other things I should look at before planning open heart surgery?
Where is the best place to source replacement gears in the UK?
What are the chances of the gearbox locking up if I continue to ride her?

Cheers
Kev

[wolfzero]

not had much to with the gears on these motors but logic says that its going to need some surgery as either the shaft or gear it self is worn.
do a comparison of backlash without the engine running pop the chain off and measure how far the output shaft rotates back and forth in all gears if its significantly more in third it will confirm shaft or gear wear.