Bike lurches forward abrubtly from N to 1rst gear.

[RossKean]

This is my first FJR. It is a 2013 FJR 1300AD model and overall I am very pleased with this bike. I've owned about a dozen different Japanese bikes over the years; mostly Honda's. With my newly acquired FJR I have discovered that when I shift from Neutral to 1rst gear when starting to ride, the bike sometimes abruptly lurches forward, when the clutch lever still FULLY engaged. Once it lurched forward so abruptly, it stalled. is this a normal bike personality trait for the FJR (nature of the beast so to speak?) BlueSky:bike:

To the OP - any resolution?

 

[BlueSky]

Hi again folks - one thing I have tried is simply changing engine the oil this spring from running a 20W50 conventional grade oil to a 10W40 100% synthetic grade Mobil 1 oil. It seems to have helped somewhat with the heavy 'ker-chuck' shift into first gear. It has not entirely made it a smooth as puppy poo shift from N to 1rst, but it is definitely improved. I firmly believe the clutch plates are happier with this oil. More importantly I am more happy with how it has improved this issue without going to the hassle of a 'clutch soak'. I believe a clutch soak may have benefited this issue though. This bike with about 33k on it has always run 20W50 since new but as per manual 10W40 grade is not a radical change and recommended in climates that are not too warm - like southern US & Mexico. I live in Canada on Vancouver Island so a lighter oil is acceptable given the manual & Yamaha specs.

 

[Mortenk]

10W40 is the recommended grade AFAIK. Since you live in a cooler climate, I don't think 20W50 would be a good choice. It is actually a lot thicker at cooler temperatures than the 10W40...if anything I would go the other way up here in the PNW...

 

[RavFJR]

Hi again folks - one thing I have tried is simply changing engine the oil this spring from running a 20W50 conventional grade oil to a 10W40 100% synthetic grade Mobil 1 oil. It seems to have helped somewhat with the heavy 'ker-chuck' shift into first gear. It has not entirely made it a smooth as puppy poo shift from N to 1rst, but it is definitely improved. I firmly believe the clutch plates are happier with this oil. More importantly I am more happy with how it has improved this issue without going to the hassle of a 'clutch soak'. I believe a clutch soak may have benefited this issue though. This bike with about 33k on it has always run 20W50 since new but as per manual 10W40 grade is not a radical change and recommended in climates that are not too warm - like southern US & Mexico. I live in Canada on Vancouver Island so a lighter oil is acceptable given the manual & Yamaha specs.

I would also bleed and replace the (brake) fluid in the clutch reservoir as well (speed bleeders are your friend). This helped my shifting performance tremendously.

 

[John d]

My '08 does the same when cold. I just pull the clutch, rev lightly one or twice and snick it into first. Once fully warmed up - no problem.