Having a problem finding the sweet spots to shift from 1st to 2nd and 2nd to third. Owner's manual says no speed shifts and to close the throttle when shifting. Shifting with the finger shift or the foot control, same thing. Clunk and throttle snatch. :dribble:
Clunkity Clunk
- Thread starter Monty
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Sin Saint
Member
As the acceleration in 1st slows I ease off the throttle just a touch, click the finger or foot shifter and right back on the throttle. Mine shifts nice and smooth that way.
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ScottyUSN
Well-known member
There is some clunk in the AE. Don't worry it's normal.
You can reduce some of it with some timing I would best describe as a throttle "blip" at time of shift. This is no where near a throttle unload. Just a subtle twitch.
You can reduce some of it with some timing I would best describe as a throttle "blip" at time of shift. This is no where near a throttle unload. Just a subtle twitch.
No clunks in mine. I just back off the throttle a bit (maybe 1/4) and siultaneously feather the clutch and stab the shifter with left toe.
Oh yeah... You need a clutch lever to do that. Newvermind.
Oh yeah... You need a clutch lever to do that. Newvermind.
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ScottyUSN
Well-known member
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You're just jealous of my clutch and my location. :lol:
ScottyUSN
Well-known member
Fred, at times.. both
Can't say I never miss having a clutch lever, and born in Tewksbury MA. We had a cottage up on Squam Lake.
Added: Then again there is the fact I've never gone more than 2 weeks without riding (even without a clutch) while you where blowing snow
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garyahouse
newbs need the forum
How many miles on the bike now?
I assume that you know that your trannie will get smoother once it's broke in. I have an 05 and though it's not an AE, many of the basic shifting principles are similar. Mine was a little clunky when I first got it. I just needed some time to get acquainted with it and the FJR needed some time to get broke in. Not sure if this will answer your question, but there's some interesting reading here: clicky 1.
Needless to say, the tranny is a lot more accommodating if you shift at really low RPMs. However, at higher RPMs the smoothest shifts are achieved when you get off the throttle just enough to unload the tranny, but not so much that you are decelerating. There's a "sweet spot" between accelerating and decelerating where the engine is not pulling the bike forward nor slowing it down. Shifting at this exact throttle setting is REALLY smooth. This is why the guys say they blip the throttle. This takes practice, but it's worth it: it works well. Timing is everything, and when you do it right, the FJR rewards you with a smooth seamless shift. On my bike, if my "blip" it too short or quick, it won't shift at all. As long as the engine is still producing thrust, it will not shift (without the clutch). If I "blip" it too long or too deeply, it CLUNKS. Reason? Engine RPMs were decelerating past the point of no load. As soon as the shift is completed, for an instant, the engine is decelerating the bike. If ya get back on the throttle quickly, the forward thrust takes up the play in the driveline, resulting in the clunk. But getting that blip just right isn't easy. However you will find that if you practice it at lower RPM's it'll come to ya. This principle is the same on an AE or a regular FJR. A little practice turns a clumsy clunker into a master blipper. So, let us know how it works for ya.
Gary
darksider #44
I assume that you know that your trannie will get smoother once it's broke in. I have an 05 and though it's not an AE, many of the basic shifting principles are similar. Mine was a little clunky when I first got it. I just needed some time to get acquainted with it and the FJR needed some time to get broke in. Not sure if this will answer your question, but there's some interesting reading here: clicky 1.
Needless to say, the tranny is a lot more accommodating if you shift at really low RPMs. However, at higher RPMs the smoothest shifts are achieved when you get off the throttle just enough to unload the tranny, but not so much that you are decelerating. There's a "sweet spot" between accelerating and decelerating where the engine is not pulling the bike forward nor slowing it down. Shifting at this exact throttle setting is REALLY smooth. This is why the guys say they blip the throttle. This takes practice, but it's worth it: it works well. Timing is everything, and when you do it right, the FJR rewards you with a smooth seamless shift. On my bike, if my "blip" it too short or quick, it won't shift at all. As long as the engine is still producing thrust, it will not shift (without the clutch). If I "blip" it too long or too deeply, it CLUNKS. Reason? Engine RPMs were decelerating past the point of no load. As soon as the shift is completed, for an instant, the engine is decelerating the bike. If ya get back on the throttle quickly, the forward thrust takes up the play in the driveline, resulting in the clunk. But getting that blip just right isn't easy. However you will find that if you practice it at lower RPM's it'll come to ya. This principle is the same on an AE or a regular FJR. A little practice turns a clumsy clunker into a master blipper. So, let us know how it works for ya.
Gary
darksider #44
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Ah yes... on Golden Pond. Much nicer than the big lake, IMO.
Yeah, there is that. As time goes on I become increasingly less tolerant of the winter down time. Not just for lack of motorcycling, though I'm sure that is part if it. Just the lack of daylight hours messes with you emotionally. I just don't know how people even further to the north of here (Canadians and Alaskans) can do it.Added: Then again there is the fact I've never gone more than 2 weeks without riding (even without a clutch) while you where blowing snow
But the other ~9 months of the year all is forgotten and it's a wonderful place to be.
networkguy
Well-known member
I take exception with "the tranny is a lot more accommodating if you shift at really low RPMs"....my tranny is accomodating at any RPM
h34r: But, ahem, other than that, Gary has it right. Its not so much a roll off the throttle as it is a blip...like, a quick 1/4 or 1/2 inch turn off the throttle. Smooth as silk at any RPM or throttle.
Duff
Well-known member
Doesn't the computer cut the engine during a shift? Why would you let off the throttle at all? :yahoo:
ScottyUSN
Well-known member
<BR><BR>No, the computer only shifts. It does not interfere with motor (RPM) in any way. It only replaces manual clutch function.
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fjrbrad
Well-known member
I use the blip or the wrist twitch method as well and am able to pull of super smooth shifts. Works the absolute best I find if you roll on the throttle fairly aggressively before each blip. The downside to that method is you end up doing 100 mph before you are into 5th.
networkguy
Well-known member
wfooshee
O, Woe is me!!
The throttle oepration for best shifting isn't much different than non-AE bikes, I'm thinking. Not closing the throttle, but breathing it during the shift.
If the shift took 2 or 3 seconds, like the school bus you rode in the '60s, then yes, close the throttle. But closing it on a motorcycle just upsets the bike, throws the weight forward, applies drag on the rear wheel, and forces you to find a point to release the clutch lever, which you can't do on an AE.
Just breathe the throttle a bit as you shift, and put it right back where it was. Shouldn't even need a half-second of reduced time.
If the shift took 2 or 3 seconds, like the school bus you rode in the '60s, then yes, close the throttle. But closing it on a motorcycle just upsets the bike, throws the weight forward, applies drag on the rear wheel, and forces you to find a point to release the clutch lever, which you can't do on an AE.
Just breathe the throttle a bit as you shift, and put it right back where it was. Shouldn't even need a half-second of reduced time.
Don2334
Well-known member
I shift by the sound of the engine. I don't really blip or back off the throttle. Just a very slight pause. When I hit the sweet spot all I hear is a slight click and continue to accellerate. I don't accellerate as hard as some but try to be smooth.
Don
Don
bobg3723
Well-known member
I used to bemoan the clunk-jerk commotion the first few forays early on with my AE. I wasn't sure what technique would work in situations where I was more familiar with a manual clutch I could feather. Even a throttle blip at moderate speeds would cause a very slight weight shift bobble. It wasn't until after some day trips that I came to realize that by not blipping the throttle and simply shift, things started to click in my head. Even under harder acceleration, same thing but I'm more careful on when to time my shift and that realization became more familiar with time on my bike. Any harder acceleration beyond that required a little blip of throttle, but I normally wouldn't need to do even that just to get on the freeway.
The low speed stuff in first gear basically required that I manage the throttle roll on at under a quarter twist (even less after roll on play is taken up), but a buttery smooth roll on. That took my wrist more education than what I left with from my BRC. With the right amount of nuance to the parking lot roll-on the clutch would feel as if it were feathering itself. Any more abrupt roll on than that which was required and the clutch gave me a mild "clunk-jerk" . My U-Turns needs some work. Anyway, I've only a couple thousand highway miles on this bike and none prior. It wasn't until I spent a couple of hours the first time I practiced my low speed U-Turns did I start to get a feel for that AE's clutch engagement characteristic at low speed.
Work in progress.....
The low speed stuff in first gear basically required that I manage the throttle roll on at under a quarter twist (even less after roll on play is taken up), but a buttery smooth roll on. That took my wrist more education than what I left with from my BRC. With the right amount of nuance to the parking lot roll-on the clutch would feel as if it were feathering itself. Any more abrupt roll on than that which was required and the clutch gave me a mild "clunk-jerk" . My U-Turns needs some work. Anyway, I've only a couple thousand highway miles on this bike and none prior. It wasn't until I spent a couple of hours the first time I practiced my low speed U-Turns did I start to get a feel for that AE's clutch engagement characteristic at low speed.
Work in progress.....
garyahouse
newbs need the forum
So, Monte:
You started this thread but never responded to anything we said. We'd like to know if the feedback we provided was of some help: we'd like to hear from ya. You still out there?
Gary
darksider #44
You started this thread but never responded to anything we said. We'd like to know if the feedback we provided was of some help: we'd like to hear from ya. You still out there?
Gary
darksider #44
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