Why can't I shift this thing right

[MRFJR]

After riding my 04 for 22,000 miles - the best way I've found to shift smoothly is to make sure that you shift quickly without the clutch - it takes some practice but I've found, especially when 2 up that this technique works very well -- I almost never use the clutch except when starting. This bike likes to be ridden and not babied, run that FJR!

 

[Heber Guy]

I also have been riding for 40 years and when I got the FJR I thought I forgot how.

The $25 for the R1 shift arm and 5 minutes to install changed everything.

Get the R1 shift arm and you will be happy.

Al

 

[Just Plain Dave]

I almost never use the clutch except when starting. This bike likes to be ridden and not babied, run that FJR!

I only have 3000 miles on my 05 but have got the no clutch technique down to where I rarely feel it shift. I put a little pressure on the shifter and as the speed of the bike catches up with the engine, it just seems to shift almost automatically. If I am doing the hot rod thing and shifting at a high rpm then I back off the throttle slightly and quickly hit it again. I do get a bit of a clunk at times under that condition.

 

[TestPilot]

When the '06 AE models were announced there was a thread about clutchless shifting (like when the clutch cable breaks). I spent about 500 miles torture testing my FJR transmission and now I can shift into any gear (within that gears speed band) without the clutch, it's all about RPM's. This taught me valuable lessons on how to ride the FJR and how shift properly, effortlessly and without any unwanted jerkyness.

Now that's useful. I think I'll just go out and check my clutch cable and see it's not gonna break.

 

[JimLor]

I can't say I've had years of experience, got my bike this past May and only have 7k miles of it! I had a hard time w/smooth shifting until I tried this:

Preload the shift lever, either stop accelerating or ease of a little, pull the clutch in a quick 1/4 to 1/2 inch and she shifts like a dream. I found preloading the lever and using minimal clutch quickly gives me "sweet" shifts! I think it's mostly time in the saddle and trying different techniques until you find what works for you.

 

[twowheelnut]

I thought preloading the shifter was not a good idea. IIR, some time ago, someone on the other board posted a pretty good link that went into detail of what preloading can do... Someone up on this?

 

[BrunDog]

Me thinks preloading is a baaad idea. Me also thinks habitual clutchless shifting is a not such a fantastic idea either.

My opinion, natch.

-BD

 

[weekend rider]

After reading this thread now I see the real reason as to why they are making an auto matic shifter for the fjr. Pre load good chance to break a tooth on a gear in the tranny. Clutchless shifting wont hurt a thing as long as you donlt gring gear getting into the next gear up or down talk to a good truck driver and ask him B) B) B)

weekend rider

 

[black mamba]

I want to thank all you folks for your tips and advice on how to affect smooth shifting with the FJR. I think those that had / have the most problems in this area are ex -cruiser riders, like myself, who have looked upon shifting as a multi-phase operation. Rapidly shifting, trying to make the process more of a single movement, is certainly the way to go with this bike. It doesn't take a lot of clutch application and, most importantly, should not entail very much roll-off of the throttle. Like anything alien to procedures you have been doing for years, adapting to the rhythms of a new bike may take a while. I've got it now. Thanks.

 

[tripletango]

After reading this thread now I see the real reason as to why they are making an auto matic shifter for the fjr.  Pre load good chance to break a tooth on a gear in the tranny. Clutchless  shifting  wont hurt a thing as long as you donlt gring gear getting into the next gear up or down  talk to a good truck driver and ask him      B)     B)       B)    


      weekend rider

Ah Ha there in may lie some misunderstanding for some - present company excepted - it does not shift automatically unless you are the auto shifter. Flick flick just like F1 !! But I know what you mean.

It's all in the clutch man, get excited just thinking about it

Gee I remember when double declutching was in vogue, thankfully we got over that! New technology called synchromesh. Now we have the opportunity to try new tech on the FJR, got to love it!

 

[wheatonFJR]

You think this shifter is hard to get smooth?

Just try an old CB 550F from Honda! That thing would quite often shift from 1st to neutral (instead of 2nd) at the most inconvenient times - red light/green light racing.

You sport rider guys are such technical thoroughbreds.

Love my FJR - shifter and all.

Hey, is it spring yet? :bigeyes:

 

[madmike2]

IIRC, preloading is bad! It puts pressure from the shifting forks against the drum (?). It seems that it can wear on the shifing forks and the gears. The gears are designed to "freefloat" in close proximity to one another and when preloaded, gears rotating at different speeds are rubbing against one another.

I know I read the article, but I didn't copy it and I doubt one could find it with the search engine.

 

[zzkenoman]

I ran into the same problem on my 05 FJR & coming from a cruiser and felt the shifting was more difficult. Because I've been driving longer than I have been riding, I just applied (not for everyone) my ford van experience, 3 gear manual shifter. So I double shift up to 3rd, then double shift up to 5th. This works wonders for me, and I've gotten pretty snappy up shifting and working on the clutchless techniques also.

 

[tripletango]

Didn't see too many of those Hummers in UK last visit. Maybe because gas is 6 bucks a gallon!

 

[zzkenoman]

I think hummers wouldnt be popular in UK because of the size of the truck, however I think you'll see a growth of the new H3 hummers which are about the size of the Ford Explorer being more and more popular with the 5 cylinder engines & 220 hp under the hood.

 

[timk]

I think the noise is magnifyed by it being a stacked transmission. Fast gear changes help at the right rpm.

 

[Constant Mesh]

Here's a good article on motorcycle transmissions.

https://auto.howstuffworks.com/framed.htm?p...s/shifting.html

The FJR transmission has three shift forks. One fork moves/positions a splined sliding gear on the input or main shaft. The other two forks move two splined sliding gears on the output or counter shaft. The three sliding gears include the engagement dogs. The FJR transmission is a constant mesh unit since each gear pair is always meshed even when the sliding gear in a set moves sideways to engage an adjacent gear. The FJR is a 5-speed so there are five sets of gears rather than the four sets shown in the drawing. The primary drive shown in the drawing is a chain. The FJR has a gear primary drive -- a gear on the crankshaft meshes with a gear on the clutch housing.

Near the end of the article the author explains why preloading the shifter is a "no-no".

 

[Just Plain Dave]

Why can't I shift this thing right?

Could it be because it only shifts up or down? Left and right are done by handle bars or body weight.

P.S. TWN is my mentor.

 

[TWILKIN650]

All the previous comments were a big help in improving my shifting:

1) Adjust clutch lever to distance from grip to suit your shifting technique; big help

2) R1 shift arm; helps me most in 1-2 shift

3) Shift at 500+ rpm higher than before

4) Load the shift lever slightly

5) Initiate shift as soon as the first part of the clutch lever travel is taken up

6) I also took up a lot of slack in my throttle cable; that helped a bunch

I've stuck with the same weight oil since delivery, so can't comment on that either way.

Coming from a BMW R1100RS ANYTHING seems like a smooth shifing tranny!

 

[tripletango]

Does any one have trouble with the 2/3 upshift. Seems that you have get back to absolute neutral no pressure on the shifter at all so it gets back to the bottom of its travel before moving the lever up otherwise you select air. Only happens on that shift point all others are easy.