"I got your third gear RIGHT HERE!",

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UT Rider

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Oct 3, 2012
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Lehi, UT
Last night I bought a 2004 FJR so my buddy and I can ride up to Glacier next week. Bike was fine on the test ride. Naturally, as soon as I ponied up the cash and rode it out of the neighborhood the bike will not allow me to shift into 3rd gear!! I'm not a newbie to riding, but have been away for 10 years, so I'm pretty sure I know how to shift gears. After much coaxing, and a few observations about its ancestry, I finally managed to get into 3rd -5th on the freeway (once in 3rd, fourth and fifth gears were no problem) to get home. But today, the bike again won't shift past 2nd gear. Any ideas? I called the seller who, of course, claims no knowledge of the gearbox ever misbehaving. The bike has only 23,900 miles on it, and appears to be cared for, so I am at a loss. I looked throughout the forum, but not extensively, and didn't find a thread where this was mentioned. It might be a bit tough to get it to a dealer riding in second gear all the way. Thanks in advance for any information, WAGs or brilliant solutions.

After I wrote the above posting, I peeled off my gear and stewed about my problem, then realized that I had left the bike on the street. So I went out to pull it into the garage and tried the gears. Lo and behold, it shifted perfectly normally and I could swear that mean little Cerulean machine was looking back at me saying "Wha-a-at?! There's no problem here! You must be mistaken."

So I go back in the house and put my gear on and hop on the bike again which, I'm sure you have realized by now, swears on its mother's grave that there are no gears past second and I must be dreaming. I ride the recalcitrant beast anyway, but two gears makes for an annoying ride, so back into the garage it goes. Clearly I have lost my mind and am neck deep in denial and anthropomorphism, but does anybody else's bike talk to them with a heavy Brooklyn accent? I feel like a tourist in Times Square trying to beat the friendly young man at the shell game on a rickety card table.

Greg

"Dass right! I got your third gear RIGHT HERE!"

 
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Sounds like either the linkage isn't returnig all the way or you aren't letting it return . Mine does it depending on which boots I wear.

 
Your boots may be too thick. Either try another pair of boots or loosen the gear shift lever bolt, slide it completely off the shaft and rotate it one notch further away from your toe. These bikes will NOT shift if there's any tension left on the lever between shifts.

 
Put the bike on the centerstand, start it, and use your hand to operate the shifter. Clutch, drop it into first, let the clutch out easy. The bike will spin the wheel in idle. Shift up, noting how the lever feels, and whether you have to center it after shifting. If it shifts well, then you may need to adjust the height to accomodate your boot.

The adjustment is a LOT easier than sliding it off the shaft and moving it a notch one way or the other. Loosen the 10mm locknuts on the shaft and that shaft becomes a turnbuckle. Spin it one way, the shaft gets longer, spin it the other to shorten it. The shift pedal moves up or down as you do so. You probably want it higher than it is.

Adjust it and ride it, see if it's better.

If in the first test you don't like how it feels, the lever moves clunkily or doesn't center well, then pull the lever off and clean it. That means removing that side plate with the footpeg, which will have some VERY tight bolts holding it in place. The pivot for the lever gunks up badly, as does the brake pedal pivot on the other side.

I think this is where you're going to end up. It stops at second because that's the first upshift, and the lever hasn't centered afterwards, resetting the ratchet for the next selection. I had this happen on a weekend ride some time back, and until I reached a store where I could pick up some spray white grease, I'd have to shift up and then move to the top of the pedal and push it down to center, then go back under it for the next gear. Not a good high performance option.

 
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You will need a 50 mm torx socket to open up all the linkage. I am 99% certain that you simply need to clean and lube the shifter links. GREAT buy to get such a low mileage FJR. There will be some things you need to do to catch up on routine maintenance such as verifying all recalls are complete, and a valve clearance check soon. No rush for that. Enjoy the ride. I'm sure it will be easy to make everything you expect.

 
Don't you love it when you think you're looking at a new tranny, and all you really need to do is change boots? :yahoo:

Hope that does the job, UT. Enjoy Glacier.

 
UT,

There was snow up Glacier way yesterday. You might want to determine if they have closed the Going-To-The-Sun-Road for the season (they have now closed the Beartooth). But Marias Pass around the south side makes for a fine ride, or you could divert to Lake Koocanusa and the Yaak County, which I prefer to Glacier anyway. The fall colors are brilliant right now. Good luck with that reluctant shifter and have a great ride.

 
You guys are the best. I adjusted the linkage to the high line and Voila! Hello 3rd-5th gears. Took the bike in to work today and showed it off a bit. Changed the rear tire, and next I'll change the oil and she should be good to go for a while.

Thank you for pointing a noob in the right direction,

Greg

 
Man I love this Forum!!!!!

So happy it was minor and you are on your way to FJR Nirvana.

 
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