A few Questions for all AE Riders

[wnyfjr]

One thing that I will mention that admittedly I don't even think about any longer is the ability to coast. I can't pull in the clutch and just freewheel. In stop and go traffic, it is possible to rev enough just to start moving in 1st and then before I get going too fast, I back off the throttle and the clutch will stay engaged allowing me to coast...but if I don't get it right, the clutch disengages and when I roll off, I get engine braking in 1st gear. As I said, I don't even really think about this any more, I'm used to the AE and have been since after about 30 minutes of riding!

As for the "throttle jerking around", I have an '06 and I don't believe the original owner did anything to the throttle tube. I have only experienced mild stutter (maybe clutch slip) under hard acceleration from a dead stop. Certainly nothing jerking me around.

Anyway, I like mine just fine!

 

[KTMRIDER]

What about finding neutral?

 

[willboe]

the bike has no engine braking as I recall...it's all wheel brakes, but someone in the know might well correct me...

I'll correct you

, you get exactly the same engine braking as on a conventional machine until the revs drop below 1300, when the clutch disengages.

...This actually eliminates one of the popular ways of dropping a bike in a slow tight turn on conventional bikes.

On the AE, if you turn too tight without enough throttle it will just pull in the clutch.

Unfortunately I have to disagree. I dropped my '06 whilst negotiating an uphill tight hairpin. The engine was pulling, but the bike was slowing. At the disengagement point, all drive suddenly disappeared, and before the engine revs rose sufficiently to re-engage the clutch, the bike slowed right up, and I couldn't stop it from dropping.

The fix is to recognise before the turn that it's going to get too slow, slow the bike sufficiently so the clutch disengages before the corner, then put a bit of throttle on so you can drive it through the turn with the clutch slipping. (I described my event here and here).

It's one of those things you learn to do automatically, like not parking down-hill if you've got to back out.

PLUS 1 mcatrophy, bigtime! This is THE single biggest pitfall of the AE/AS IMHO. Uphill, downhill, on a slope in a tight turn, coming to a slow stop. You do NOT control when the clutch dis-engages, the bike does. This makes your decades long skill of 'subtle braking combined with subtle clutch feathering' your biggest enemy (at the end of this type of maneuver). When that clutch dis-engages you instantly have too much, or too little brake, and the bike can go down so fast it feels like it was pushed over by the hand of Dog. < slight dislexic event. When your experienced hands and feet control both subtle clutch feathering, AND braking it is, most often, uneventful to stop slowly, on a slope, in a tight turn as long as your feet can reach the ground. This weakness can be countered by experience, hopefully quickly. Unfortuneately for me, it took the third time before I really grasped what was happening. In my defense, I do live in the foothills of Northern California, and there are plenty of dips and slopes including right in front of my Garage door. < twice here, don't tell anyone. This was also exacerbated by my dirt riding ego thinking, "I can stop on any slope, any time, anywhere." I am over that.

PS: no worries, except to my wallet. I have a good painter, and frame sliders.

 

[gixxerjasen]

What about finding neutral? It's easy, all the way down while stopped.

That loss of thrust can be super scary, but I haven't experienced it on my FJR in a scary situation like yours willboe. I will say that having your fuel line come off the rail of your GSX-R600 in the middle of a turn at Mid Ohio will result in a pucker mark in the seat that can NOT be ironed out.

 

[Enn]

Flick the paddle switch and it'll shift one gear faster than you can shift one gear. If you run up the rpm's in a low gear getting on the highway and then start flicking upshifts to get to fifth, it IS possible to flick faster than it can shift. You have to flick very fast though.
Downshifts are another deal. Flick and yes, it'll still downshift faster than you can do a downshift on a standard clutch bike. But there seems to be some type of built in delay for multiple shifts. This is a point of frustration for me and one place I'm much faster on a standard clutch. I'm used to being able to pull in the clutch and hammer down two gears and let her rip for a passing maneuver on the back roads. Two quick flips of the shifter will result in only one gear change because you flipped too fast and it only changes gears one gear at a time.

I've never experienced a problem like this.

 

[willboe]

What about finding neutral? It's easy, all the way down while stopped.
That loss of thrust can be super scary, but I haven't experienced it on my FJR in a scary situation like yours willboe. I will say that having your fuel line come off the rail of your GSX-R600 in the middle of a turn at Mid Ohio will result in a pucker mark in the seat that can NOT be ironed out.

I am with you on the, "finding neutral is easy" thing. Currently, as you know, we cannot select neutral until AFTER the bike decides to disengage, at least on my 2006. I would like to be able to select it at a little higher speed.

As regards your fuel line: Did you become a flare?

Here's to our health!

 

[gixxerjasen]

I've never experienced a problem like this.

Interesting, so you can clickclickclick downshift? Wonder if it's an issue with mine or one other thing that got fixed for the 08 model year.

 

[willboe]

I've never experienced a problem like this.

Interesting, so you can clickclickclick downshift? Wonder if it's an issue with mine or one other thing that got fixed for the 08 model year.

Plus 1 on the, "wonder if it changed in 08.". I can: click, click, click very fast on my 2006 AE, BUT I only get one gear down. As soon as it engages, I can, quickly, downshift to another. I have just learned to plan ahead a little better like when I want to go to 2nd gear from 4th or 5th at, say 70 mph to pass most quickly.

 

[Enn]

I've never experienced a problem like this.

Interesting, so you can clickclickclick downshift? Wonder if it's an issue with mine or one other thing that got fixed for the 08 model year.

Plus 1 on the, "wonder if it changed in 08.". I can: click, click, click very fast on my 2006 AE, BUT I only get one gear down. As soon as it engages, I can, quickly, downshift to another. I have just learned to plan ahead a little better like when I want to go to 2nd gear from 4th or 5th at, say 70 mph to pass most quickly.

Can also be that I have never done it fast enough. Can't try it now as there's still a bunch of snow on the roads, but somewhere in May i will be able to check this out. So perhaps you are still right.

 

[gixxerjasen]

Yea, my bike is grounded too. I walked around the back yesterday and noticed that my tag expired last month. I'll rectify that today because our afternoons in the 60's and 70's won't last long!

 

[Auron]

I'm having trouble getting mine to come to a smooth stop. I've found coming to a near stop in 2nd and clicking 1st just you put your foot down helps alot. Sometimes the gear indicator will flash for just a second in protest of not shifting down earlier, is that OK for the clutch?

 

[willboe]

I'm having trouble getting mine to come to a smooth stop. I've found coming to a near stop in 2nd and clicking 1st just you put your foot down helps alot. Sometimes the gear indicator will flash for just a second in protest of not shifting down earlier, is that OK for the clutch?

The blinking just means you are in a potential engine lugging situation with your current gear. As long as you do not add much throttle, it should not hurt anything. Perhaps more important is your, 'trouble coming to a smooth stop'. Can you be more precise in telling us just what happens? Hint: It could have to do with your idle speed.

I've never experienced a problem like this.

Interesting, so you can clickclickclick downshift? Wonder if it's an issue with mine or one other thing that got fixed for the 08 model year.

Plus 1 on the, "wonder if it changed in 08.". I can: click, click, click very fast on my 2006 AE, BUT I only get one gear down. As soon as it engages, I can, quickly, downshift to another. I have just learned to plan ahead a little better like when I want to go to 2nd gear from 4th or 5th at, say 70 mph to pass most quickly.

Can also be that I have never done it fast enough. Can't try it now as there's still a bunch of snow on the roads, but somewhere in May i will be able to check this out. So perhaps you are still right.

Click, click man. Let us know please.

 

[mcatrophy]

Comment on rapid shifting: the bike does insist on engaging each gear as you flick the switch. There is no way of disengaging the clutch, dropping two gears, then re-engaging the clutch. So, if you are not sympathetic with the throttle, it won't change quickly, as it "protects" the bike from jerking. (Or is that "protects the jerk on the bike"?)

If it hasn't changed one gear quickly, it can't start on the next change.

But, if you use the throttle correctly it will change gear very quickly, and you can repeat as required.

So, it's down to technique.

At least, that's my experience.

 

[mcatrophy]

And another comment on finding neutral and finding first from neutral when stationary.

The gearbox is no different from the manual. There are occasions when it doesn't want to go into another gear when the bike is stationary, just like many bike gear-boxes. So, if you stop other than in first, you may find it doesn't want to change into the next gear down, or it may not want to change from neutral into first.

As with the manual, just rock the bike a couple of inches and try again, it will change.

 

[Auron]

My idle is a bit high around 1100, I'll try lowering it. I also noticed having too much throttle slack doesn't help.

 

[gixxerjasen]

Yep, that's the other key, removing all that excess throttle play.

 

[RiderX]

The gearbox is no different from the manual.

Except that the gears are ordered differently.

My idle is a bit high around 1100, I'll try lowering it. I also noticed having too much throttle slack doesn't help.

I like my idle at near 1100 (maybe a touch less)

 

[mcatrophy]

...

The gearbox is no different from the manual.

Except that the gears are ordered differently....

Which makes neutral easier to find.

...

My idle is a bit high around 1100, I'll try lowering it. I also noticed having too much throttle slack doesn't help.

I like my idle at near 1100 (maybe a touch less)

I have my idle about 950. I know it's lower than most have theirs, but seems optimum for my bike.