Down Shifting issue with 2010

[jbretthorton]

New to me 2010, Awesome machine!

But.... When down shifting (Standard Clutch) mainly from 4th to 3rd and 3rg to 2nd (but not always) I can depress the shifter and it just moves down with no down shift (just like when you are in 1st gear trying to down shift) I can press it hard or soft, does not make any difference, but when I depress the shifter quickly by tapping my foot, it shifts fine...

I disassembled the shift mechanism this past weekend and cleaned and lubed everything. That help MAYBE a little bit...

Any ideas? I do have a 2 year Y.E.S. as well.... But do not want to take it to the shop and not ride her!

 

[jbretthorton]

Well then...lol

Sorry for the multiple posts!

Mods can you delete the other 3 please?

 

[Old Michael]

Homey.

Check this….

https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php/topic/153711-2013-hard-downshifting/

(I'm bucking for an admin job, huh?)

 

[jbretthorton]

Thanks for the link. Had not seen this thread after many searches...

I will change the oil this weekend to Mobil 1 4T and take a look at the wetness of the plates.

Thanks again....

 

[garyahouse]

Don't forget that "little blip" suggestion. It works pretty well on downshifts. Also, I've noticed that as my oil gets closer to the time when I need to change it, my trannie gets a little stickier. It always goes away when I finally change the oil.

Gary

darksider #44

 

[ANZAC]

Change your clutch fluid. Use DOT 4 and flush it good.

 

[wfooshee]

I'm not sure I see the problem...

"when I depress the shifter quickly by tapping my foot, it shifts fine..."

That's kinda how you're s'posed to do it.... Don't use some slo-mo technique.

 

[RadioHowie]

I'm not sure I see the problem...
"when I depress the shifter quickly by tapping my foot, it shifts fine..."

That's kinda how you're s'posed to do it.... Don't use some slo-mo technique.

...said the guy with the BUSTED-*** TRANSMISSION!!! :rofl:

So, what's up with the '03??

 

[jbretthorton]

wfooshee,

If I downshift normally as on any other bike from 4th to 3rd to 2nd, the bike wont downshift, I have to quickly (not necessarily with a lot of force) tap the shifter. sometimes twice as well.

 

[Fullchat]

Clutch fluid change and bleed.

 

[ionbeam]

...I can depress the shifter and it just moves down with no down shift...

That is classic for the shift drum not returning to center. If you were to put your toe under the shifter and slightly lift then shift again I expect it would pop into gear the next time you down shift. Please, do try this. Almost always this is caused by the shifter linkages being dirty or stiff. If you pulled off the foot peg mount and disassembled, cleaned and lubed the pivot, then the reassembly could be a problem. There is a slightly cone shaped washer that can't be over tightened or this exact symptom will occur. IMO, the torque spec for the pivot bolt (as low as it is) is still too much. By quickly down shifting quickly or rapidly taping the shift lever causes the lever to rebound up and this returns the shift drum to center which allows the next down shift to go smoothly. I feel strongly that your shift linkage is the problem and should be the first area to address. There was at least one person that had a spring problem, but the symptoms were different than yours.

'Bad' clutch fluid, air in the clutch line or sticking clutch plates could be in play. The next time your bike is warmed up, put it on the center stand, put it in gear and leave the clutch pulled in to the bar. Does the rear wheel turn? If it turns, carefully touch the wheel with your toe, does it stop turning easily? If the wheel doesn't turn, or turns weakly there is nothing wrong with your entire clutch system. If the wheel turns strongly then you are looking at a problem within the clutch system. A non AE clutch system is easy to bleed. If the problem still remains after bleeding then you need to have a look at the clutch plates and see if they are dry or sticky.

Edited to add:

Item 28 is the bolt that needs to be clean, well lubed and torqued lightly (use lock tite instead of torque) so cone washer 31 doesn't become flattened, its purpose is to prevent very slight in/out movement of the shifter lever.

 

[jbretthorton]

Thanks 2fun,

Yes this past weekend I did disassembly the shifter mechanism. It was a tad sticky, but now is very smooth. It did "maybe" make the symptoms I am having a bit better. I plan on soaking the disks, changing the oil and bleeding the clutch this weekend. Hopefully one or a combination of all will remedy the situation.

Again thanks for your comments...

It always upshifts correctly though... Never an issue

Brett Horton

 

[ionbeam]

Thanks 2fun,Yes this past weekend I did disassembly the shifter mechanism. It was a tad sticky, but now is very smooth. It did "maybe" make the symptoms I am having a bit better. I plan on soaking the disks, changing the oil and bleeding the clutch this weekend. Hopefully one or a combination of all will remedy the situation.

Again thanks for your comments...

It always upshifts correctly though... Never an issue

Brett Horton

Up shifting correctly but not down shifting is almost always the shift drum not returning to the center. Do try to use your toe to very slightly lift up on the shift lever as a way to diagnose the problem. I understand you cleaned and lubed the linkages but I still feel that is where the problem lies.

As mentioned in the previous post, if your rear wheel does not spin or spins weakly with the clutch lever pulled all the way in to the bar your entire clutch system is working. Changing fluid, bleeding and soaking plates won't fix anything because it is all working. There is no clutch issue that can may cause up shifting to work but not down shifting.

Do what you will, I'm just trying to give you easy tests that will positively identify the source of the problem and eliminate guessing.

 

[jbretthorton]

Not doubting you...

The is no way the mechanism could be any smoother IMO (I am a certified A&P)

It just flops down easily from gravity. but very minimal side play

I have tried to pull up slightly before shifting and it did not help either....

I will try the center stand test when I get home tonight

Thanks again...

 

[jbretthorton]

So just got home from my commute on the FJR,

You where correct, if I apply just a tad bit of pressure upward, just before downshifting she shifts perfectly.

Zero missed shifts this commute.

It has been getting a tad bit better since the day I purchased her (maybe 500 miles) but this definitely made a difference.

I did try this in the past a few hundred miles ago and it did not work then, but again clearly worked this time.

The center stand test is fine as well... zero movement from the rear, even spins pretty freely backwards in 1st gear with the clutch in.

 

[ionbeam]

Sorry you still have an issue, but glad you know where to look for the problem

*Perhaps* it could be caused by your footwear and an adjustment to the shift lever position would help. Every time I have new boots I have problems down shifting until 1) the boots break in 2) or the dummy learns how to shift with the new boots. I made a small adjustment to my shift lever and that seems to have helped.

 

[jbretthorton]

So are you saying there is not a known "repair" for this issue?

 

[jbretthorton]

Update:

Getting the FJR back today as it has been in the shop for repairs with this issue.

It was determined that the shift shaft was bent slightly internally and quite rusty actually.

The Y.E.S. warranty is covering it 100%.

What in the world could cause a bent shift shaft?

 

[HotRodZilla]

Update:
Getting the FJR back today as it has been in the shop for repairs with this issue.

It was determined that the shift shaft was bent slightly internally and quite rusty actually.

The Y.E.S. warranty is covering it 100%.

What in the world could cause a bent shift shaft?

I could be wrong, but my bet would be that the previous owner started getting the sticky shifter that you corrected. As it got worse, he prolly began jamming that thing down with his foot and eventually bent it.

I'm assuming it wasn't bent much since you didn't notice, but with no reference, I donno how much it could be bent without being obvious. Coulda been a drop that hit the shifter on something.

IF the op was forcing shifts, you could be looking at bent shift fork issues down the road, but for now, if it comes back fixed, ride the crap out of it and have fun.

Good luck, and I hope it's fixed.