Transmission hard to shift

[Eric]

Well I got my new (to me) 07 FJR last week. Today is the first chance I have had to really ride. so I rode for about 3 hours ( about 150 miles) From the start I noticed it jerked when putting it in gear, but I have had bikes that did that so I was not bothered. But I also noticed that every time I went to down shift from 5th to 4th It was very hard to get it to shift down. ( I had to wait for it to drop speed or I had to raise engine speed to sinc the trans with the engine almost as if I had not pulled in the clutch.

I tried pulling in a holding the clutch in for a second before downshifting and it still did it.

The clutch seems to engage about the same as the new 07 I rode last week. This one has 3000 miles on it.

Is this a normal for these. I don't remember that on the new 07 I rode, but I didn't ride it but a few miles.

I thought since the bike had been setting for a while it might get better as I rode it, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

OH, and when I say "hard" to down shift, I mean harder than I have ever had to on any bike I have ridden.

Also, once it shifted down to 4th I could then click it down as far as I wanted without problem, but if I let out the clutch between gears, it did the same thing.

Any Thoughts on this?

Thanks

 

[Jagermeister]

Eric,

This has been discussed many times in detail, and you may want to try a search for more details.

The short answer is: The shifting gets smoother with miles (10k-ish). The FJR also likes to shift above 4k rpm.

Also, if you have trouble getting it into 1st from Neutral at a light, just rev it a little; after it lubes up, no problem. Sometimes, pumping the clutch helps, too. Again, it gets smoother with miles.

 

[Fred W]

Well I got my new (to me) 07 FJR last week. Today is the first chance I have had to really ride. so I rode for about 3 hours ( about 150 miles) From the start I noticed it jerked when putting it in gear, but I have had bikes that did that so I was not bothered. But I also noticed that every time I went to down shift from 5th to 4th It was very hard to get it to shift down. ( I had to wait for it to drop speed or I had to raise engine speed to sinc the trans with the engine almost as if I had not pulled in the clutch.
I tried pulling in a holding the clutch in for a second before downshifting and it still did it.

The clutch seems to engage about the same as the new 07 I rode last week. This one has 3000 miles on it.

Is this a normal for these. I don't remember that on the new 07 I rode, but I didn't ride it but a few miles.

I thought since the bike had been setting for a while it might get better as I rode it, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

OH, and when I say "hard" to down shift, I mean harder than I have ever had to on any bike I have ridden.

Also, once it shifted down to 4th I could then click it down as far as I wanted without problem, but if I let out the clutch between gears, it did the same thing.

Any Thoughts on this?

Thanks

There have been a few bikes where the assembly lube hardened or sticks a few of the clutch plates together. The result is the clutch does not fully disengage and you get severe clunking when shifting into gear from a stop (they all do it some) and you could also get hard shifting you describe.

I would bring it to the stealership and let them hear your complaint and give it a test ride. The fix is to remove the clutch, clean up the plates, soak them in oil and then reassemble. They should already know about this as it has happened before.

Had the bike been sitting a long time before you got it?

 

[Eric]

I have been trying searches with no luck, I have tired " transmission problems", and I tried "shifting problem" but none of the topics match what I need. am I searching wrong?

 

[Plant City Pete]

just got 08 last week , try playing with rpms and clutch, sometimes if i barely pull in clutch and get off throttle its very smooth , if i clutch it all the way feels like im shifting a dump truck, especially up into fourth. Keep trying different rpms and shift points, it will get better

 

[jekirby]

I have been trying searches with no luck, I have tired " transmission problems", and I tried "shifting problem" but none of the topics match what I need. am I searching wrong?

I read this topis just a couple of days ago. The fix in the thread I read seemed to center around soaking the clutch plates. Try searching for clutch+plates. I have not tried this yet to see, but I think it may bring you to what yu may need. I commute in cold weather <40 and it seems to me that the first few shifts are always a little clunky untill everything gets warm. I never really experienced any smoothness problems except that my riding boots were tall enough to hinder the shift lever from ratcheting back--just a simple adjustment.

John

 

[v65]

Before going through the other routes mentioned, what is your idle speed set at? Correctly setting that at 1000-1300 (quoting from memory, worth double checking) can make a big difference. That may not account for any or all of your issues, but it is free and easy to do.

 

[Fred W]

Before going through the other routes mentioned, what is your idle speed set at? Correctly setting that at 1000-1300 (quoting from memory, worth double checking) can make a big difference. That may not account for any or all of your issues, but it is free and easy to do.

In fact, it's so easy, just set it at 1100 exactly and be done with it.

 

[dean]

Well I got my new (to me) 07 FJR last week. Today is the first chance I have had to really ride. so I rode for about 3 hours ( about 150 miles) From the start I noticed it jerked when putting it in gear, but I have had bikes that did that so I was not bothered. But I also noticed that every time I went to down shift from 5th to 4th It was very hard to get it to shift down. ( I had to wait for it to drop speed or I had to raise engine speed to sinc the trans with the engine almost as if I had not pulled in the clutch.
I tried pulling in a holding the clutch in for a second before downshifting and it still did it.

The clutch seems to engage about the same as the new 07 I rode last week. This one has 3000 miles on it.

Is this a normal for these. I don't remember that on the new 07 I rode, but I didn't ride it but a few miles.

I thought since the bike had been setting for a while it might get better as I rode it, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

OH, and when I say "hard" to down shift, I mean harder than I have ever had to on any bike I have ridden.

Also, once it shifted down to 4th I could then click it down as far as I wanted without problem, but if I let out the clutch between gears, it did the same thing.

Any Thoughts on this?

Thanks

how many miles on it? i experienced shift problems on my 07, but they settled down at about 7k miles. i think the quick fix would have been to soak the clutch plates; i never got around to that, and it's not as bad now.

dean

cincinnati

 

[BBQ]

Eric

Go to Technical/Mechanical problems and see Clutch not disengaging. Your problem is well documented. The solution is having the clutch removed, cleaned and soaked. My clutch had the fix 7 months ago and runs fine now - probably better than when it was new.

Good Luck.

 

[38 Ford]

This sounds like two different problems. My bike had the same problem. Did not want to go into gear when hot or cold without the clutch draging and does not like to shift into 4 or 5 gear after about a 200 mile ride. I fixed the clutch drag by cleaning and soaking the clutch plates. No more noise or jerk when shifting into first when the bike is cold or hot.

My bike shifts perfectly into 4&5 gear on a ride under 175 miles but over that it gets very hard to shift into 4 & 5 gear. The fixed clutch has no efect on this. I have started shifting into the higher gears without the clutch when I first feel that the shift lever does not feel right in shifting. I still use the clutch down shifting. Two different Problems. Anyone else have this problem? Dealer rode the bike and said everthing was good and that was before I fixed the clutch drag.

Harold

 

[NMRoadRunner]

The clutch plates "ARE" sticking together for whatever reason, I've heard several theroys, Mine did from first break in oil change until about 3500 miles. When you came rolling to a stop and pull in the clutch lever it would still be "in gear" if you will. When that happens just blip the throttle to break them loose. Get aggressive with the clutch and let it burn in a little and the problem will go away quickly. Also don't over fill the oil when changed or the oil will "hydro-lock" the clutch plates together. This is the only problem with the 07's other then the ECU change out. Yamaha isn't owning up to the clutch issue from what I've heard. Ride it like you stole it, it can handel anything you can throw at it! :yahoo:

 

[jekirby]

This sounds like two different problems. My bike had the same problem. Did not want to go into gear when hot or cold without the clutch draging and does not like to shift into 4 or 5 gear after about a 200 mile ride. I fixed the clutch drag by cleaning and soaking the clutch plates. No more noise or jerk when shifting into first when the bike is cold or hot.My bike shifts perfectly into 4&5 gear on a ride under 175 miles but over that it gets very hard to shift into 4 & 5 gear. The fixed clutch has no efect on this. I have started shifting into the higher gears without the clutch when I first feel that the shift lever does not feel right in shifting. I still use the clutch down shifting. Two different Problems. Anyone else have this problem? Dealer rode the bike and said everthing was good and that was before I fixed the clutch drag.

Harold

The same thread about soaking the clutch plates also talked about cleaning slave and master cylinders to fix a slow clutch. THis sould be covered under warrenty.

John

 

[Fred W]

Also don't over fill the oil when changed or the oil will "hydro-lock" the clutch plates together.

Huh? That's gonna need some 'splainin'.

I understand fully how the clutch works and how much oil is in the crankcase isn't gonna matter one iota as far as I can see.

 

[Eric]

Going by what many have said I tried this today.

Tied the clutch lever to disenguage it and ran it in the garage for an hour, shut it off, but left the clutch disengaged Seems to have helped 50%, I will do this a couple more times and see if that does it.

But anyway I had a Great ride today. Just right for my wife. Long enough for her to get a feel for the bike but not so long that her first impression was " ouch my butt hurts"

She said it was the best ride she has had as far as the bikes is concerned.

I noticed that she never hit my helmet even once, and that has never happened, but she said she had plenty of room and didnt have to stay tensed up to keep from sliding into me or falling off. She didn't even ask for a back rest! I asked about her feet ( she has always complained that she wanted floorboards because her feet hurt) But because she is not straining to stay on or get comfortable she must not be putting much pressure on her feet.

Anyway, this was the test of "do we keep it or not" and my wife's vote is to keep it.

Full Throttle till ya see GOD,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Then BRAKE!!!!!!!!!

 

[v65]

Before going through the other routes mentioned, what is your idle speed set at? Correctly setting that at 1000-1300 (quoting from memory, worth double checking) can make a big difference. That may not account for any or all of your issues, but it is free and easy to do.

In fact, it's so easy, just set it at 1100 exactly and be done with it.

Until the next time it falls below 1000! :lol:

 

[FuzzyRider]

One other thing to try - change the oil. New oil helps a little bit in smoothing up the transmission.

 

[dhalen32]

Eric:

If the bike is under warranty complain to your dealer about the clutch not disengaging. The fix is for them to disassemble the clutch, clean and soak the clutch plates, then reassemble. If it is out of warranty then tackle it yourself. It is relatively simple and inexpensive. Mine has operated flawlessly since this service was performed.

The difficulty in down shifting is exactly the symptom I had with my '06. Others have described symptoms like the bike leaping forward when shifting into first from neutral. I tried oil changes, slipping the clutch a lot to get moving, etc. The only permanent fix was the disassembly/clean/soak of the clutch pack. Good luck.

Dave

 

[Fred W]

Eric:If the bike is under warranty complain to your dealer about the clutch not disengaging. The fix is for them to disassemble the clutch, clean and soak the clutch plates, then reassemble. If it is out of warranty then tackle it yourself.

+1. I don't like the idea of idling it for long periods in the garage with the clutch pulled in. It was not designed for that and you should not need to do it, never mind the unnecessary wear to the rest of the engine...

But anyway I had a Great ride today. Just right for my wife. Long enough for her to get a feel for the bike but not so long that her first impression was " ouch my butt hurts"She said it was the best ride she has had as far as the bikes is concerned.

Regarding making momma happy with the ride, having a rear trunk with built in backrest has gone a long way toward making my wife feel more comfortable and secure. You should also make sure that she has the right kind of footwear (boots) with relatively flat soles so that she can shift her feet fore and aft a bit. Fashion boots with big heels allow only one position hooked over the pegs. And the most important thing to do when with a relatively new pillion is to stop and smell the roses every now and then. As she becomes more experienced you can stretch things out between stops.