2009 2nd to 3rd gear issue

[Wes Nile]

Looking for some help. Used 2009, (49 state model, non abs, non automatic) new to me, with approx 2000 miles. I don't know the previous owner or the bike's history. When up shifting from 2nd to 3rd gear, there have been several times it wont' go into 3rd. (Proper technique used: clutch lever pullled, throttle off, boot properly under gear lever with up pressure, etc) The engine RPM nor speed do not seem to affect the non-shift issue. I also do not believe it is a heat issue either as it was only in the 40's today.

I simply have to slow down and continue to try to up shift or pull over, stop and take off again. Other times, it shifts like it it should, like there is nothing wrong. I will be taking it to the dealer but am looking for some insight. Anyone have or heard of this problem before? Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[dcarver]

This doesn't sound good. If you're being careful with the shifting and having reluctance, it sounds like a shift fork might be bent. :blink: But I'm not a mechanic and....

 

[DonRed7]

Maybe they damaged something when they took off the abs that the bike had?

Don

Sorry not much help....

 

[DonRed7]

However,..Try adjusting you'r clutch lever to the furthest position away and see if any difference.

Don

 

[dustyrains]

Looking for some help. Used 2009, (49 state model, non abs, non automatic) new to me, with approx 2000 miles. I don't know the previous owner or the bike's history. When up shifting from 2nd to 3rd gear, there have been several times it wont' go into 3rd. (Proper technique used: clutch lever pullled, throttle off, boot properly under gear lever with up pressure, etc) The engine RPM nor speed do not seem to affect the non-shift issue. I also do not believe it is a heat issue either as it was only in the 40's today.
I simply have to slow down and continue to try to up shift or pull over, stop and take off again. Other times, it shifts like it it should, like there is nothing wrong. I will be taking it to the dealer but am looking for some insight. Anyone have or heard of this problem before? Thanks in advance for your help.

See, ya shoulda got the hydra glide automatic option. That's what I have. Sorry, not much help either.

 

[WBill]

I know you said the RPM's didn't seem to affect the issue, but, just for grins, when do you try to shift?

I up shift between 4 and 5 K most of the time. WBill

 

[Wes Nile]

Dcarver - that's what I was thinking, bent shift fork. But would that only affect one gear, in this case, 2nd gear?

DonRed - would the clutch adjustment also affect only one gear? The other gears function properly.

Thanks for the input guys.

 

[Wes Nile]

WBill - no particular RPMs. Sometimes I will short shift at a leisurely pace, or rev it up a little, ie highway merging. I have never taken it to redline, maybe the highest its been 6-7k. I am still "learning the bike".

 

[Wes Nile]

Dustyrains - thanks for the advice but the car dealer I got my bike from didn't have an automatic

 

[DonRed7]

Not knowing how many years you have on two wheels... I expect you realize that acceleration just before the shift point unloads the trans better if it may or not have issues. For only having 2000 miles on it and not feeling right you better start checking for a dealer and see if the machine is still in warr.

Don

 

[Wes Nile]

DonRed - dealer, that's what I am thinking and that's what I am afraid of. Pretty sure the problem is not me.

 

[wfooshee]

Is the shifter coming down after shifting first to second? You can't pick third if the ratchet han't reset.

Yes, a bent fork can affect a single gear. There are three shifts forks, and two of them serve two gears. If the fork is bent, it goes one way really really nice, but the other way it can't reach.

The question is the motion of the shift lever. Is it going through the same range of motion as it does in other gears? That question applies to the 1-2 shift as well. Does it move to 2nd, then return to center properly? Going to 3rd, does the lever seem to not move properly?

So either the lever doesn't return to center after getting second gear, which means the ratchet hasn't reset to pick up the shift drum for the third gear fork, or maybe a fork is bent do it doesn't reach the engagement for third gear when you kick the shifter up.

In the first case, it may just take a clean-and-lube on the shift lever. On the second, it's a bit more work. . . . .

It's also remotely possible that you just need to adjust the shifter up or down a bit to fit your foot motion. Last time I bought new boots and could hardly ride the bike any more. Raised the shifter a couple turns and all was well.

BTW, ABS has been standard since 2006, so you do have ABS. At least your bike did when it was built . . . .

 

[Wes Nile]

Whoa Wfooshee, I goota think somethings through. Let's see:

Is the shifter coming down after shifting first to second? ---I believe so as there are no issues going from 1-N-2 and back down 2-N-1 (obviously not actually stopping in Neutral)

You can't pick third if the ratchet han't reset. ---I don't know if the "rachet" is or isn't resetting.

Yes, a bent fork can affect a single gear. There are three shifts forks, and two of them serve two gears. If the fork is bent, it goes one way really really nice, but the other way it can't reach. ---I have not had any issues downshifting from 5 back down to 1. All seems to be smooth.

The question is the motion of the shift lever. Is it going through the same range of motion as it does in other gears? That question applies to the 1-2 shift as well. Does it move to 2nd, then return to center properly? Going to 3rd, does the lever seem to not move properly? ---This is what it feels like to me. There are times when I am shifting up through the gears and not moving my boot or changing its position.

So either the lever doesn't return to center after getting second gear, which means the ratchet hasn't reset to pick up the shift drum for the third gear fork, or maybe a fork is bent do it doesn't reach the engagement for third gear when you kick the shifter up. --- Oh boy, its sounds like the later, it doesn't want to go into 3rd.

In the first case, it may just take a clean-and-lube on the shift lever. On the second, it's a bit more work. . . . . ---I will try the lube first and see if that works..

It's also remotely possible that you just need to adjust the shifter up or down a bit to fit your foot motion. Last time I bought new boots and could hardly ride the bike any more. Raised the shifter a couple turns and all was well. ---I will try this as well

BTW, ABS has been standard since 2006, so you do have ABS. At least your bike did when it was built . . . . ---Well, I be damned! I didn't know that! I read the owner's manual but skipped over this section thinking that it didn't apply to me. :blink:

Thanks for the input.

 

[Happy Rider]

Is the shifter coming down after shifting first to second? You can't pick third if the ratchet han't reset.

This is my guess. I found this out on a speed run. Off the line I ran it up to about 8500 rmp through the gears. When I was shifting from 3rd to 4th I didn't let the shifter back down and it wouldn't go into 4th. I tried several times with no luck. When I took my toe off the shifter and let it reset it went right into 4th with no effort. I have been able to duplicate this as an experiment. Now that I know how to shift properly I have never experienced this problem (operator error :dribble: ) again.

 

[Wes Nile]

HappyRider - Well... its mentioned again. I will try to go back out tomorrow wearing a different pair of boots (smaller) and see. Hell maybe its just my dumb *** being dumb. I just can't figure out why the 2nd to 3rd upshift is the only problem. That's why I thought it was a mechanical issue. But.. I check it out. Lube the shift, adjust the lever and try a different piar of boots. That would be great if that is indeed the problem!

 

[wfooshee]

Getting all the gears downshifting is a good sign. If it was the fork, it wouldn't matter if it was up or down, it would still be a problem. I think we're back to the shifter itself, or the operation thereof. When I said one way but not the other, I meant the movement of the fork inside the tranny, not the shifting sequence up or down the gears. One way it engages one gear, the other way it engages another gear. It slides back and forth with a stop in the middle, where neither of its gears is engaged. So if it was bent, it would come up short on that gear always, whether it was an upshift or a downshift.

Just guessing, you might wanna adjust the shifter upwards a bit. The linkage has a turnbuckle-type adjustment: loosen the locknuts at each end and spin the center section. You can see the lever move up and down. Adjust it so it's just s bit higher than when you started (linkage shorter.)

 

[S76]

I also was going to mention the non returning shift lever but that has been covered pretty well.

If you look at the shift lever you will see it goes behind part of the frame on the aft end. Right at that point there is a raised mark in the middle of the shift lever, and 2 corresponding raised marks on the frame. From the factory the shifter is adjusted so the raised mark on the shifter is in the middle of the 2 raised marks on the frame. I could not ride my bike like that. Boot was too big. I adjusted the shift lever to shift arm rod so the shifter mark was even with the top mark on the frame. That worked pretty good and the missed shifts are a thing of the past, mostly.

Also, where the shift lever is bolted to the inside of the frame cover, that pivot joint will become dry and stiff. It needs periodic lubriction every year or 2. But your bike seems to new for that.

 

[Checkswrecks]

I can totally understand why you're wondering about shift forks.

But before launching into anything along that extensive, try simply taking the clutch plates out, cleaning, and re-installing after a dunk in fresh oil. This was commonly needed as a one-time fix for the 2007s and there were a few stragglers from other years. (Google up: "FJRForum.com clutch soak" for threads and photos) It'll cost you a side cover gasket (about $11-$12), oil, & a bit over an hour of time.

My thought is this: I've done 2 of these clean & soaks and one sounded very much like yours before the work. If you bought a used bike, you don't know how long it sat, giving a couple of the plates a chance to build some stickiness. I'm going to guess that if you take the plates out, you'll find some dark sludge buildup on at least a couple.

Checks

 

[midlifeuturn]

I know this isn't going to help much but, I had the same exact issue from about 200-1000 miles. I too had to just stop and work into a gear. I was on a trip so the option of spending some time at a dealer and having it looked at wasn't much of an option. It only did it occasionally, so it really wasn't a huge deal. For me, it just went away, and hasn't done it since. I now have about 2500 miles on it and it shifts like butter.