Riding Twisties on New 06

[sprint_st]

Yesterday I was out doing some road testing for ESTN07 with the guy who is doing most of the setup for that event. We ran some very twistie stuff including thirty miles, I say again three zero miles of road that is just as nasty as the infamous Dragon. I ran the lead of four bikes, the others were two 1050 Sprints and an SV650. I was running brisk, but NOT balls to the wall because we were running as a group. The FJR, suspension wise was just fine and stopping power wise was just fine, BUT, a real big BUT, the shifting flat SUCKED!!!! Some times it would not down shift at all. Some times when I tried to do a double down, nothing happened, sometimes I only got one. I could feel that the shifter was not even trying to engage. I was using the clutch because I was trying to blip shift most of the time. It was totally unpredictable. I have also run into this on fast upshifts but that seems to be going away with age.

I am going to my dealer to discuss this before I start playing with it. Let me say right off the bat, this doesn't feel like any clutch issue, it really feels like shifter issues.

On the bright side, I found out that my heart is fully functional. Damn near got FEDEX'ed. In a series of very tight 3D lefts and rights I got close to but not across the centerline when I had a close encounter with a FEDEX driver that was a bit behind on schedule and definitely on my side of the road. Big Blue just snapped to right, missed him by a layer of paint and kept on movin'. Love that bike!!!

 

[jwilly]

How many miles do you have on your bike?

 

[Cdogman]

I would get that looked at, I would also look at the shift lever positioning for your personal taste. Sometimes it can be that simple. Still needs to be resolved if you are gonna push it

 

[sprint_st]

I would get that looked at, I would also look at the shift lever positioning for your personal taste. Sometimes it can be that simple. Still needs to be resolved if you are gonna push it

Totally agree on the position thing, and I am going to get it looked into. Ran into that before on other bikes. I should be just shy of 2K miles so it may be a teething issue, hope so. I had a Connie that was very sensitive to which oil it used when it came to shifting too. I've had shifts stick, hang or do other partial shift stuff but this is the first time I've had one do absolutely nothin'. No feel or no notchiness, nuthin'. Let the clutch out, bang it a couple more times and its good to go again. For those who are rightfully thinking it, yea, I have screwed up many a shift in my time, it happens but this really isn't one of them. Now if you are just moseying along and doing things kinda easy, 4 or 5K rpm shifts, no problem. If you are doing a plane jane downshift, no problem. Get those R's up and that's when it happens.

 

[rocketdoc]

I would get that looked at, I would also look at the shift lever positioning for your personal taste. Sometimes it can be that simple. Still needs to be resolved if you are gonna push it

Totally agree on the position thing, and I am going to get it looked into. Ran into that before on other bikes. I should be just shy of 2K miles so it may be a teething issue, hope so. I had a Connie that was very sensitive to which oil it used when it came to shifting too. I've had shifts stick, hang or do other partial shift stuff but this is the first time I've had one do absolutely nothin'. No feel or no notchiness, nuthin'. Let the clutch out, bang it a couple more times and its good to go again. For those who are rightfully thinking it, yea, I have screwed up many a shift in my time, it happens but this really isn't one of them. Now if you are just moseying along and doing things kinda easy, 4 or 5K rpm shifts, no problem. If you are doing a plane jane downshift, no problem. Get those R's up and that's when it happens.

Totally agree with the oil comment. Once you have that puppy up to 6000 miles drop some synth in and the difference should be just as profound as on your old Connie.

I would still get the dealers best riding mechanic to experience it, and see what they say.

 

[brazos parker]

This may be a simple-minded fix...but, were you riding w/ new boots?

When I got new Alpinestars, I started missing 1-2 and 2-3 shifts frequently. Made a conscious effort to make those shifts and, voila, the problem went away. Now that the boots are broken in, no more problem.

 

[sprint_st]

This may be a simple-minded fix...but, were you riding w/ new boots?
When I got new Alpinestars, I started missing 1-2 and 2-3 shifts frequently. Made a conscious effort to make those shifts and, voila, the problem went away. Now that the boots are broken in, no more problem.

Nope, old boots, but did that too when I got a set of Alpinestars. Talked to the dealer. He made a good point in that he only has three FJR customers so he doesn't have a good customer experience base, but will look at it and is sure that it is something that would fall under warranty. This is a problem with FJR's unless you are close to one of the major FJR sellers which most of us aren't, we get to be guinea pigs for the mechanics. At least these guys are up front about it. My plan is to get some more miles on it and do a hard look at what oil I put in ( I promise I will not ask any question on any forum about that sticky subject , sorry, couldn't avoid the pun). Tonight I'm going to play with the shift linkage (outside, not the "in tranny" stuff) and see if that makes any difference.

 

[gr8eyes]

There is no way the teeth on the shift lever are stripping............................................... is there?

Glenn

 

[Windblown]

Due to the low miles on the bike and your mention of when the bike was causing you the most problems my first guess is shifter position. The tranny doesn't care if you're in the twisties but your mind does. When concenrating hard on your lines and the road it's easy to screw up a shift if the shifter has not been adjusted to your preference and boot type. I almost always have to adust the shift lever down just a hair on all my bikes.

There is also a slim chance that the shift assembly is sticking a little and needs to be cleaned and lubed, but I think this less likely.

Regardless I'd bet it's one or the other, and not anything serious.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[MotorSWATCop]

Sprint,

Were you "unloading" the shifter between shifts? I wear Joe Rocket Speedmaster boots when riding hard. If I don't make sure to unload the shifter, I will sometimes miss upshifts. It only happens in the JR's. Give it a try and see.

 

[stellarsteve]

When I first got my 06 I encountered times that it would take some time for it to downshift. Meaning that when I would downshift from, say 4th to 3rd, I would have to hold the clutch in and step on the gearshift for about a second and it would eventually shift down. It never mattered how hard I stepped on the gearshift, it as long as I kept pressure on it, it would eventually shift down. It would never take more than a second but there was a small delay. It was usually when the engine was not yet up to operating temp and only in the first 2-3k miles. Now with almost 9k on it, it shifts smooth as silk. IMHO I think it is just needs to be broke in more.

 

[warsw]

My plan is to get some more miles on it and do a hard look at what oil I put in ( I promise I will not ask any question on any forum about that sticky subject , sorry, couldn't avoid the pun).

Some bikes are very picky about what oil is used. I had a Honda Shadow Spirit that, after break-in, I changed the oil to the same oil that I had used, with good results, on every other bike I have owned. The Honda Shadow didn't like it. The shifting became very notchy and sometimes would not want to shift at all. I switched to a different brand but stayed with the same weight oil and all was good again. If nothing else works you might try some different oils. It worked for the Shadow.

The FJR doesn't seem to be nearly as picky so you may not see the same results but, if all else fails, it is worth a try.

 

[sprint_st]

Told you to pass the cheese cause I was whining. Better give me the "chicken little" award while you're at it. Looked in the service manual, which I should have done before posting this, and saw how to check and adjust the shift linkage. Well, lo and behold my lever was about 3/4" low, which is pretty significant. Upshifts are now clean, and crisp, super nice. Still a little problem with the down shift, but nowhere near as bad as yesterday. I'll bet that with a little time and/or the right oil that will go away too. Amazin' what these critter's will do when properly adjusted. Chalk this up to an I/O problem, ignorant operator.

Thanks for the responses.

 

[RTSR1/FJR]

As my bike nears the oil change interval, I can definitely feel a decreased ease in shifting. I use Mobil MX4T in mine and when I change oil, the shifting is slick for at least 2/3 the life of the oil (2000), if not more. I change at 3000-3500. I can most definitely feel a difference!

 

[lrider]

Yesterday I was out doing some road testing for ESTN07 with the guy who is doing most of the setup for that event. We ran some very twistie stuff including thirty miles, I say again three zero miles of road that is just as nasty as the infamous Dragon. I ran the lead of four bikes, the others were two 1050 Sprints and an SV650. I was running brisk, but NOT balls to the wall because we were running as a group. The FJR, suspension wise was just fine and stopping power wise was just fine, BUT, a real big BUT, the shifting flat SUCKED!!!! Some times it would not down shift at all. Some times when I tried to do a double down, nothing happened, sometimes I only got one. I could feel that the shifter was not even trying to engage. I was using the clutch because I was trying to blip shift most of the time. It was totally unpredictable. I have also run into this on fast upshifts but that seems to be going away with age.
I am going to my dealer to discuss this before I start playing with it. Let me say right off the bat, this doesn't feel like any clutch issue, it really feels like shifter issues.

On the bright side, I found out that my heart is fully functional. Damn near got FEDEX'ed. In a series of very tight 3D lefts and rights I got close to but not across the centerline when I had a close encounter with a FEDEX driver that was a bit behind on schedule and definitely on my side of the road. Big Blue just snapped to right, missed him by a layer of paint and kept on movin'. Love that bike!!!

 

[lrider]

I am from the north east and i make a trip to the dragon twice a year. If you know some roads that conpair to the dragon please let me let me know i will be heading down to NC in May.

 

[sprint_st]

I am from the north east and i make a trip to the dragon twice a year. If you know some roads that conpair to the dragon please let me let me know i will be heading down to NC in May.

lrider,

I highly recommend going over to the STN forum https://www.sport-touring.net/forums/index....opic,233.0.html

and take a look at ESTN07 in Sparta, NC. I just signed up myself. It is the 18-20 May, I think. Lots of great riding.

IMO, there are several roads I much prefer over the Dragon. The one I was talking about in this thread is NC80, it'll float your boat. SC28 from Walhala turns into NC28 and goes all the way to the gap. It has some dozer sections but it has some real sweet sections too, especially from Franklin to US74. These are just a few. IMO, the GAP is overcrowded and overrated.

 

[Geezer]

I see that you have resolved your shifting problem for the most part. A couple other things you can do are:

1) Remove the shift linkage, clean and grease it well. Check for any binding in the shift lever mount, the bolt with the spring washer on it. There seems to be some variation in either the thickness of the shift lever where the bolt goes through or the length of the shoulder on that bolt because some people report binding when it is tightened up.

2) On the first gen FJR many of us have replaced the shift arm with one from on R1 which is a little bit shorter. It makes shifts shorter and quicker. Made a noticeable difference to me.

 

[FJRMGM]

the shifting on my '05 was kinda notchy for the first couple of thousand miles but what really helped was doing the R1 shifter linkage mod.

Best $35 I spent on the bike.