Hung in 4th & 5th & lights go out.

[JLOJR]

I debated long and hard, read the Forum, read the reviews and got rid of my Valkyrie for a 2007 FJR, manual shift with 21k miles. It sat in my garage for 2 weeks while I recovered from pneumonia but I finally got to ride it Sunday and what a blast! Sunday night I was not to thrilled because on the way home from seeing my new grandbabies I switched from low to high beam and lost all my lights. (Read something in another post about burnt connectors) Rather scary on a rural road at 60 mph. I got off the road and got the lights back??? and used the low beams from there on home. Tuesday night coing home from work went to downshift, while moving, from 5th to 4th - no problem, went or tried to go to 3rd - nothing. All I had was 4th & 5th gear. I finally got a 3rd gear once but on the 30 mile ride home all I had was 4th & 5th. Next morning started to work and was able to use 1, 2, 3, 4, 5th starting out, but that was the last time I was able to use the lower gears. I took it to the dealer today with less than 300 miles on it from the time I bought it and 2 1/2 days of riding and was told, yes you have a problem and you bought the bike "AS IS". I LEFT IT THERE FOR A TROUBLE EVALUATION. I guess tomorrow I will find out which way this will go. SURE HOPE I DIDN'T MAKE A BIG MISTAKE WITH THE FJR

 

[Ignacio]

I debated long and hard, read the Forum, read the reviews ....... (Read something in another post about burnt connectors) I LEFT IT THERE FOR A TROUBLE EVALUATION. I guess tomorrow I will find out which way this will go. SURE HOPE I DIDN'T MAKE A BIG MISTAKE WITH THE FJR

So, did you read, digest, and confirm the bike had been worked on under the ground spider recall/intermittent ground wire connection before you bought it? After you bought it? Or now?

 

[JLOJR]

I made the dealer check that all the recalls were current before I bought it.

 

[JLOJR]

Any ideas on the shift problem? I can trace a wiring fault, so that doesn't bother me too much. It does not jump out of gear when it is any gear, you just can't downshift. The shifter moves up and down but doesn't engage anything.

 

[Ignacio]

I made the dealer check that all the recalls were current before I bought it.

And did they say that this particular one had been done or that it didn't apply? If it was done, what date? Did they offer to print out some documentation?

I'm not saying this dealer would fib or that this is the issue, but sometimes...unfortunately....some sales folks will default to responses like, "It's cherry." or maybe not research all the details available to them.

Good luck.

Other alternatives....has the stock wiring been altered in any way? If so, how?

Not sure on the seemingly mechanical part unless it's related to the shift forks.

 

[yamafitter]

Is this bike an AE model? If so then the shifting symptoms could be related to a ground spider issue. Otherwise shifting is all done mechanically and I am at a loss to explain what is going on without more info.

 

[Geezer]

I can't recall anyone having a shift problem like the one you describe. I didn't know that a dealer could sell a used vehicle without some warranty. Is that 'as is' normal for them or something they did specifically for this FJR?

 

[JLOJR]

I asked the dealer to reverify the recalls today and was told the main wiring harness had been replaced, but I did not ask for the printout (will do that tomorrow). The only addition to the wiring that I know of is a strobe unit for the headlight, it has a light sensor up by the triple tree. It seems to work properly. I do not know what brand it is.

The bike is not the electric/auto shift version as I have a clutch and use my big foot for gear selection.

 

[JLOJR]

It seems to be BIG #1 Yamaha's policy that any used unit is sold "as is" and if you don't buy the extended warranty on the date of sale - you are out of luck.

 

[SkooterG]

As per the shifting, are you fully releasing the shift lever back to the neutral position after shifting? Other than that, I am a t a loss as to how it wouldn't shift.

As for the 'as is' that is fairly standard industry policy and has NOTHING to do with Yamaha and EVERYTHING to do with the dealer. You couldn't have even bought a Yamaha extended warranty on that bike. Only a third party warranty from the dealer.

As for your lights, I would be looking real close at that headlight modulator, and also your ground spiders. It has been documented a few times that the Yamaha recall wiring harness is not as complete a solution as some would have liked.

 

[Geezer]

I have a Kisan headlight modulator and had my headlights go dark when switching to high beams a couple of times. It was a very cold morning before daylight. Eventually the lights started working normally. I cleaned all of the connections to the headlights but I don't know what really solved the problem. Could it be a weak battery?

 

[JLOJR]

Thanks for all the input. Big #1 Yamaha is the name of the dealer and my previous comment was not directed at Yamaha Corp. My wife rides a Yamaha & I raced several before I got so old it was taking me longer to heal than I had between races. Going on 63 now. Never had any serious issues with any of them.

I thought about the shifting and tried several different approaches with the same results. The service manager also experienced the same situation today when he test drove it, He also pulled out in traffic and could not get out of the way in 4th gear.

The battery test good and it was cold Sunday night on the way home, but after I got it in the garage you could switch back and forth from high to low beam and it would hang either on high or low, or go out even though the high beam indicator would go off & on.

Just had a buddy call me saying the problem may be a broke spring behind the clutch pack??? I may be pulling the assembly this weekend. Hope it is something that simple.

 

[wfooshee]

Nothing to do woth the clutch, but the shifter ratchet. I would bet that the lever is not centering after a downshift. There's only one downshift from 5th to 4th, and if the lever doesn't come back up to center, it can't catch the ratchet for the next downshift. That's why you're stuck in 4th and 5th.

The shift lever needs to be pulled and its pivot cleaned and lubed.

It's all external, not even anything that has to be torn down, and not that big a deal mechanically.

While you're at it, remove the brake pedal and do the same thing. The brake pedal gets sticky the same way, which results in rear brake dragging because the pedal doesn't release, which overheats the rear brake and when you want it, there ain't none.

As for the lights, one relay might be the culprit. There is a relay that turns the lights on (energized by the ECU when the engine starts running) and another that switches between low and high (energized by the handlebar switch for high beams.) The headlight on/off relay could be flaky.

 

[maddad]

For the lights, also look at anything farkles that have been added to see if they are hung off the lighting circuit. My Gen 1 has after market grip heaters. Landing a wheelie, light went out completely. 10 mile drive home with no lights following the cousin. Fuse was blown and later found issue was one of the wires was loose on the grip heater switch. Bouncing around caused a temporary short.

I'd also suspect the shift linkage. I know I have the sticking brake lever. Can't think of what on the inside would cause an intermittent issue like that unless you have some really bent shifting forks but if that were the case you'd have other more apparent issues.

 

[JLOJR]

The shift lever sounds like a good place to start. Thanks for all the input. I'll post back when I find the fix. Thanks again.

 

[wnyfjr]

I have a Kisan headlight modulator and had my headlights go dark when switching to high beams a couple of times. It was a very cold morning before daylight. Eventually the lights started working normally. I cleaned all of the connections to the headlights but I don't know what really solved the problem. Could it be a weak battery?

I also have a Kisan modulater and though I have never had the high beams fail, I do notice a delay when changing from low to high and that half-to-one second of darkness was a bit unnerving the first time...

 

[Donal]

There's a very useful guide here with pictures for lubing the pivot points, including rear brake & shift linkage.

 

[ionbeam]

Here is another vote for the shifting problem being the shift lever pivot. IMO, with the severity of the problem I would completely remove this plate. Pay attention to the turnbuckle shaft (with the two rod ends) because it is kind of tricksy to get it back correctly.

So that you can remove this pivot bolt and thoroughly clean and lube everything. Note that one washer is a spring washer. Be careful with the torque when reinstalling the bolt because too much torque will cause the shaft to bind up.

This clean and lube procedure is in fact a miracle worker, making huge improvements in shifting.

 

[odot]

Air.......air in the clutch. And a new battery.......

.....remember to change your pumpkin oil at all battery changes.