Shifting AE Smoothly and Hesitation at Low RPM?

[sthomag]

I just got a low-mileage 2007 AE, with the auto clutch. It's in fabulous, almost new condition: only 10,000 miles, and the paint and rubber are like brand-new. I paid $6,000 for it out the door, including tax and tags, at a BMW dealership in Maryland.

I've got a few questions about it. First, the owner's manual says to feather the throttle when shifting up, but when I do that I can't get a smooth shift; it jerks, etc. If I just hit the shifter while accelerating, it's as smooth as silk. What are people's thoughts about this? Also, the owner's manual demands that you shift down at specific rpms, but the bike seems not to care as long as you're downshifting at reasonable speeds. However, I don't want to continue what I'm doing and find out I'm wearing out the clutch or damaging the transmission dogs.

Second, there's a little hesitance and unevenness at low rpm, apparently from a lean condition. Is that normal, and if so, is there an easy fix?

 

[owsley]

I have/had two of them so far. I rarely let off the throttle when up shifting. I believe (?) the manual says the bike will not shift down if the RPMs are too high for it. As far as I know, it wont damage the clutch.

The low rpm hesitance has been attributed to the very tight throttle return spring. Some have fixed it by unwinding the spring, installing a G2 throttle tube replacement, and/or installing a Power Commander module. The spring unwind really made a difference for me.

I never felt the need to install the power commander, but many have.

 

[mcatrophy]

"Feathering the throttle" is not helpful wording. On the upshift, it can help to momentarily dip the throttle for the merest fraction of a second. Time this right, helps the shifting when you are accelerating at all hard. Note that trying to get the throttle up too soon in the next gear can cause a prolonged clutch slippage because the revs rise too high for the speed, the clutch will slip while the revs drop or the speed increases until they match. This is usually as a result of your being fairly brutal.

Downshifting, depends whether you are slowing, or preparing to accelerate. Slowing, it can help to momentarily open the throttle (again, the merest fraction of a second). Accelerating, I found that an initial gentle opening of the throttle helped the downshift, when the gearchange was complete, now open the throttle to suit. Again, be too vicious with the throttle may result in excessive clutch slipping.

All this probably sounds quite complicated, but can be summarised as unloading the gearbox during the few tens of milliseconds it takes to change gear, whether accelerating or on the overrun.

Don't worry too much about getting it wrong, the drivetrain has a reputation for being tough.

As for the gear-change speeds, ignore the handbook on this, change when you feel it's right. Incidentally, the MCU that controls the gearchange process won't let you change up if it would lug the engine, or down if it would over-rev the engine.

Should you slow in a high gear, it won't let you stall the engine, it will slip the clutch. You can even attempt moving from rest in any gear. It will do it without risk of stalling, though the performane off the line becomes somewhat sluggish in the higher gears, and I don't recommend doing this too often as it does cane the clutch. (The only way to do this is by stopping in the higher gear, it won't change up when you are stationary.)

 

[roger dodger]

Congrats on the new(er) bike!

I know nothing about the AE... but my A model likes to be shifted around 4k or so. Any lower becomes clunky... higher works smooth.

My concern is a low mileage, 10+ year old bike's tires. You say they are like new... but check the sides for a 4 digit date (22/15) built in the 22nd week of 2015. They may have good tread but be over 5 years old. Check it out.

Watch your smile GROWWWWWW !

 

[Bugnatr]

+1 on the tires,also check brake and clutch fluid.....ok skip the clutch part , most likely need to flush the coolant too. Might as well change the oil. Use the money you saved to freshen up the bike. Ten years IS ten years.

 

[Steve in Phx]

Quick tip, don't worry about damaging the clutch or transmission. The YCCS system won't let it happen. It will feather the clutch on downshifts if you're revving too high. Try it on an open road and see what I mean.

Upshifts can be made more smooth with higher revs, or with practiced, coordinated throttle movement, or by holding the throttle and shifting without letting up. Either way, you won't hurt anything. With a bit of time it will become second nature and you won't need to bother worrying about it anymore.

Also, mine shifts much smoother after it's warmed up.

I hope you enjoy your AE as much as I enjoy mine!

 

[MrM0t0]

The hesitation you are experiencing MAY be due to old oil. Change it and see if that resolves the problem.

In my experience of 75K miles with my 08AE, this problem goes away once the oil warms up, and is eliminated with fresh oil.

 

[BanjoBoy]

+1 on the tires,also check brake and clutch fluid.....ok skip the clutch part

, most likely need to flush the coolant too. Might as well change the oil. Use the money you saved to freshen up the bike. Ten years IS ten years.

Well, there isn't a reservoir on the handlebars, butt, there is one behind the side cover on the left side. I've found that changing this fluid can help with the shift'in.

 

[YummYam]

Congratulations on your purchase sthomag, you now own an Advanced Edition FJR.

All the info given so far is solid good stuff, in particular that from Mcatrophy, but then Im slightly biased, lol.

Ive done the spring unwind and the diy home version of the G2 throttle replacement, but the occasional off idle stumbling I believe is endemic to the model due to fueling/ecu issues and it is possible to tame it somewhat by modifying riding style and by anticipation/practice.

I love mine btw!

 

[Enn]

the best way to smooth the off idle stumbling is to install Power Commander with a smoothness map. I did it together with spring rewind and trhottle tamer, but the PC really cured the problem.

 

[Bounce]

I support everyone who suggest that you flush and fill all fluids on any new-used vehicle purchase. If it looks good on the drain/flush, then assume the selling dealer did it just before you bought it and that's your quick-flush of the system. If it looks like crap, flush and fill, run ~600-1000 miles and do it again to be sure you have crap completely flushed.

Of course, if the bike came with a complete folder of owner service history (with dates, mileage, and receipts) you'd know how old everything is. Which is why service folders are important at resale time.

 

[sullivan]

Treat it like any other bike. My 08AE did wonderfully at the dragstrip (and later).

 

[Brodie]

By all means, do not neglect the clutch fluid service. It is just as important as any other hydraulic system on the bike.

A quick tip... the service manual has you removing the swing arm from the bike to gain wrench access to a manual actuator wrench point in order to cycle the clutch hydraulics when bleeding. This is not necessary, as the clutch actuates when you turn on the key. Attach a MightyVac to the bleed screw and pump up the vacuum, key on, open bleed screw, close bleed screw, key off, wait 5 - 10 seconds, repeat. Add fresh fluid at the clutch fluid reservoir next to the air filter access as needed. Continue doing this until fresh fluid flows out of the bleed screw.

The clutch fluid gets heat from the engine and needs flushing on a regular basis to keep it fresh.

Brodie

 

[Diablo1]

I get the smoothest up shifts by rolling off the throttle very quickly as I pull the paddle shifter, and then quickly opening the throttle again. Throttle off and on as quick as you can. And it only requires rolling the throttle off a tiny bit, not totally closed.