all along i thought it was the "set screw" that activates 2nd gear... after taking the whole transmission apart i found that the clutch was spinning freely. so after going to my LHS and picking up a pack of screws, going home and putting it all back together. my lightning str ran just like it did the day before
only thing i have to do once it cools is adjust the set screw for 2nd gear. it seems to be shifting alot sooner then before. now it shifts into 2nd gear right around 10yards of full trottle. it seems it takes 2nd gear just about a second to fully accelerate again to get to top speed.

will test this out tomorrow and see if it helps

thanks again!