.
- hi fellas
- 2012 C14 : being my first shaft driven bike , have found it difficult to change gears smoothly.
- used to change gears the "traditional" way , ie , clutch in , then foot accesses the shifter , change gear , then clutch out.
- gear change the "traditional" way was very jerky , abrupt and slow.
- lately , have learnt to preload the shifter during upshifts. Ie , top of boot gently presses up on the shifter , clutch in , gear lever pops up into next gear , clutch out.
- preload result : very smooth upshifts , very quick and seamless acceleration.
- question : any issues with gearbox reliability or damage when using preload ?
thanks
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Yep, I agree with you. It's one thing about the GTR that I do not fancy. The gearchange is not smooth ( compared to my buddies VFR 1200 it is shite !!! ).
I do not think there will be any issues with putting some preload on the shifter as one can do clutchless upshifts anyway.
Deon
Mine is as smooth as silk, once you've got used to the clunk when selecting first, which is more noticeable when the bike is still 'cold'
In fact all three GTRs that I've had have had good/smooth gearboxes, sure I've ridden better but I've also ridden a lot worse
Make sure that the gear change lever is correctly adjusted to suit you (sir)
Clutchless changes over a prolonged period will cause heat damage to the selector dogs and wear the drum selector, which in the long run will mean difficult gear selection and a knackered box.
Pre-loading isn't quite as bad but has the same effect. Pressure on the lever before the change will move the selector dogs against the next gear face and the drum which will have the same effect of premature wear of the selector dogs and drum.
If your not keeping it then it wont cause you any issue. If your keeping it for a while then you may experience problems.
Like you I find the gear selection poor compared to my previous ST1300, especially the first few cold miles, it can be smoother if you apply the following rules...
For up changes, no matter how hard you accelerate level the speed for a second before the change this ensures road speed and engine speed are about the same (all the gears in the box are matched roughly to the output shaft) and lose 800-1000 revs only during the change. This makes for a smooth change.
For down changes again get the speed correct first by breaking or decelerating then lock the throttle to maintain that speed, then change gear whilst keeping the throttle in position. This will raise the revs by 800-1000 (per gear going down) and will result in engine speed and road speed matching the selected ratio.
Known as sustained rev gear changing. It takes a lot of practice but once mastered is usually silky smooth. Just takes a bit of thought and planning.
This is the method I have used to teach Police Advanced cars and bikes for years now, very satisfying when it works.
Just thinking...both BMWs I owned K1300 GT and a R1200GS had crap gearchanges, in fact so bad I got rid of 'em :yes:
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:agree:
RT1200 is awful. Always wonder why it gets such good reviews, heap of steaming :asshole:
@scotty597,
Thanks for the advice. Will try it. Downshifting no problem but shifting up through the box is not as it should be.
My ZX14 was much smoother than the GTR.
Deon
Quote from: scotty597 on September 20, 2012, 08:00:39 AM
For up changes, no matter how hard you accelerate level the speed for a second before the change this ensures road speed and engine speed are about the same
- that "levelling" of the speed is what causes the jerky-ness. Ie , the bike's road speed drops off when the clutch is pull in and if the next gear is not fed in asap together with throttle , you get a "limbo" moment (which if i was carrying a pillion would be a helmet slapper situation) - hope am describing it in an understandable fashion.
- with pre-load , its an almost seamless gear-to-gear acceleration with the machine that is very satisfying (!!).
- am not trying to sell this idea of preloading , but hey , it seems to work very well.
- are all those bikes running around with "ignition-interrupt-full-throttle-up-change-gearboxes" doing the same thing that pre-loading does ?
cheers.
.
I don't know if my bike is typical of the breed or not but I've always thought the gearbox was a delight just seamlessly snicks through the gears up and down.
Regards
Max
Hi how many miles has the bike done, i found once my bike hade 4k plus and its 2nd service the gear change is fine. I think using the clutch for up and down gear changes is what its designed for. Changing gear with out using the clutch will only result in wear in the gearbox.
Compaired to a Triumph ST Sprint gear change its like a Rolls Royce......
Ok so lets get the bull :shit: out of the way... clutchless upshifts don't wear out the gear box!!.... this is a well used technique and modern gearboxes are designed in such a way that up shifts are as smooth as possible.
Clutchless upshifting is taught at all the Race schools as a smooth and efficient way of changing gear,
if you can't master it... its because you are a ham fisted oaf :mfr_lol: , or are changing gear at 2,000 revs in an effort to prove you can get the highest MPG in the world ever...... at those revs, gear changes are subject to loads of transmission lash... now that will fook up the box.
Quote from: scotty597 on September 20, 2012, 08:00:39 AM
For up changes, no matter how hard you accelerate level the speed for a second before the change this ensures road speed and engine speed are about the same (all the gears in the box are matched roughly to the output shaft) and lose 800-1000 revs only during the change. This makes for a smooth change.
For down changes again get the speed correct first by breaking or decelerating then lock the throttle to maintain that speed, then change gear whilst keeping the throttle in position. This will raise the revs by 800-1000 (per gear going down) and will result in engine speed and road speed matching the selected ratio.
Known as sustained rev gear changing. It takes a lot of practice but once mastered is usually silky smooth. Just takes a bit of thought and planning.
This is the method I have used to teach Police Advanced cars and bikes for years now, very satisfying when it works.
Im working on this, does take some thinking about, but sure is better.
Bah... Gear changes on my bike are sweeeeeet. Dunno what you're all on about.
Having said that, I have a ZZR history, so maybe I'm just used to the kwaki box :rolleyes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIhycth8msU
eeee by gum...... when I were a lad, it were all double de-clutching that were 't rage :mfr_lol:
mind you syncro hadn't been invented then :mfr_lol:
Quote from: pistole on September 20, 2012, 02:10:41 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIhycth8msU
Fook me where did you find this steaming twerp..... :hammer:
BTW Tuono's have a slipper clutch...sooooo the whine you hear is the slipper clutch crying in it's basket..... :censored:
Clutch less gear changes might be ok if you want to track day your gtr but us normal guys just use the clutch,thats why its fitted.
I have recently (one month ago) replaced my 2004 BMW K1200 RS with a 2012 registered GTR. The BMW always had an excellent gearchange (it is usually the boxer twins and later transverse four cylinder/six cylinder engines that suffer from occasional reports of poor gearchange quality), however after some 1,400 miles I felt that the change on the Kawasaki (especially into first from a standstill and from first to second) was bad enough to merit a return to the dealer and ask for advice.
The dealer tried the bike and agreed that it was harsh into first and from first to second. They bled the clutch (no difference, I rode some twenty miles and went back) and then they changed the oil and filter, using Motul 300V oil. This has revolutionised the whole gear selection process, it seemed much better immediately, but was a HUGE improvement after covering around 100 miles! The dealer feels that the fully synthetic oil allows the clutch plates to free more easily, it certainly does something.
Finally, despite the cost (over £55.00 for four litres) this is the oil for me from now on.
My 2007 GTR could be on occasion a bit lumpy on gear changes but my 2011 model is smooth. As for the sustained gear changes, done right they are a dream, get it wrong and it's a bit messy.
If your pillion likes it fast.
Crutchless is the only way.
Mine is really good, apart from when i cock up the odd shift, :mfr_lol: i like my boot just touching the shift lever, so i just slightly flick the lever for a smooth change. The correct grade clean oil will also make a difference, and the correct span of your gloved hand to the clutch lever. When changing down i always blip the throttle first to keep the revs up.
Blipping the throttle on changing down is used to keep the revs up with the back wheel in order to stop the back wheel from locking up. No need to do this on the GTR as it has a slipper clutch.
Deon
- re the throttle blip going down the box : at higher speeds i will just leave it to the slipper to sort it out (which it does very well).
- but at lower speeds , eg , 3-2-1 , have found that the slipper isn't really that much help there and hence will still do the blip.
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Been doing it for years, force of habit, my other bikes dont have one so i will keep blipping.