Shifts "hard" in 1st - 3rd

athimmel · July 7th, 2009, 08:03 AM

This may be my imagination, but I wanted to see if anyone else had this issue and/or a fix.

I noticed that when I shift into 1st, 2nd, or 3rd, it sounds like the bike just kind of "pounds" into gear. It is much louder and more noticeable in the lower gears, almost like it is being forced while 4th - 6th kind of just click into gear. I am not doing anything different with the clutch or throttle. Does anyone else notice a difference? It just sounds like it is not happy to go into lower gears.

I'm still under 1k miles and had the 600 mile work done at the shop. (So I couldn't have messed that up!)

(Forgive me if this is a stupid or noob question.)

backinthesaddleagain · July 7th, 2009, 08:07 AM

the lower gears are under more torque than the higher ones so they aren't as much of a slight click as gears 4-6, but shouldn't be pounding or forced feeling. i was going to ask if you changed the oil but I see you had the 600 mile word done and they should have inspected the clutch free play.

athimmel · July 8th, 2009, 03:39 PM

The clutch feels fine, but the clicking into gear on the lower gears is really loud and sounds like the bike isn't happy about it.

kkim · July 8th, 2009, 04:28 PM

do you know what brand/viscosity oil was used at the 600 mile service?

athimmel · July 8th, 2009, 04:32 PM

No idea. I assume that they used what the manual required. You think they used the wrong stuff?

kkim · July 8th, 2009, 04:37 PM

dunno... should be written down on the work order that they should have given you when you paid your bill.

how's the oil level in the sight glass?

athimmel · July 8th, 2009, 04:38 PM

When I got off the bike after riding back to work at lunch, the level was midway up the sight glass.

kkim · July 8th, 2009, 05:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by athimmel

When I got off the bike after riding back to work at lunch, the level was midway up the sight glass.

with the bike on a flat surface and absolutely vertical?

Nickds7 · July 8th, 2009, 06:23 PM

After you check the oil levels and everything looks good.... my best guess would be the conventional oil...once you switch over to synthetic (as I did 2 days ago

) everything becomes so smooth. Maybe your wording overstates the clunkiness of the gears.

Rayme · July 8th, 2009, 06:28 PM

It is normal that they clunk out loud ( I supposed its kind of the same noise as when you go from Neutral to first from a stop ?).

And downshifting to 2dn and 1st is also more noisy than the other gear..actually the faster you are going the louder they will be.

wayanlam · July 8th, 2009, 11:44 PM

i sent a PM to kkim like a week or two ago asking the same question, i was being too lazy to start a thread and maybe not wanting to risk to sound like a noob, he he...

in the end we came to the conclusion that its just normal for the bike to make a clunk noise, just as long as its not a metal to metal grinding noise, lol.

anyhow ive noticed that if i pull hard past like 9~10k rpm in the 1st or second gear, whatever gear i go into next is often quite loud! i think it might have something to do with the speed at which the wheel is turning, compared to the engine, at the time you engage the clutch (since its usually general habit to release the throttle a little when you change gear, and on the 250 ive noticed that the engine drops in rpm very fast), so by the time you engage the clutch, release some throttle, and up/down shift, there is a big difference between the wheel, and engine speed, not sure why this would cause the "CLUNK" but it seems to do so~

if i try to keep the RPM even throughout the gear change, i find that i get a smoother transition, throughout all the gears, but no matter what i do, i always get the occasional "CLUNK" and yea, normally in the first three or four gears.

July 7th, 2009, 08:03 AM	#1
athimmel ninjette.org member Name: Adam Location: Sacramento area Join Date: Feb 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninja 250 - blue Posts: 177	Shifts "hard" in 1st - 3rd This may be my imagination, but I wanted to see if anyone else had this issue and/or a fix. I noticed that when I shift into 1st, 2nd, or 3rd, it sounds like the bike just kind of "pounds" into gear. It is much louder and more noticeable in the lower gears, almost like it is being forced while 4th - 6th kind of just click into gear. I am not doing anything different with the clutch or throttle. Does anyone else notice a difference? It just sounds like it is not happy to go into lower gears. I'm still under 1k miles and had the 600 mile work done at the shop. (So I couldn't have messed that up!) (Forgive me if this is a stupid or noob question.)

July 8th, 2009, 06:28 PM	#10
Rayme ninjette.org guru Name: Remy Location: Moncton Join Date: Apr 2009 Motorcycle(s): '04 sv650s Posts: 438	It is normal that they clunk out loud ( I supposed its kind of the same noise as when you go from Neutral to first from a stop ?). And downshifting to 2dn and 1st is also more noisy than the other gear..actually the faster you are going the louder they will be. __________________________________________________ There's 2 types of people in this world, those who complain and those who act.

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July 7th, 2009, 08:07 AM	#2
backinthesaddleagain ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Greg Location: Rhode Island Join Date: Apr 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2013 ZX6R 636 Posts: A lot.	the lower gears are under more torque than the higher ones so they aren't as much of a slight click as gears 4-6, but shouldn't be pounding or forced feeling. i was going to ask if you changed the oil but I see you had the 600 mile word done and they should have inspected the clutch free play.

July 8th, 2009, 03:39 PM	#3
athimmel ninjette.org member Name: Adam Location: Sacramento area Join Date: Feb 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninja 250 - blue Posts: 177	The clutch feels fine, but the clicking into gear on the lower gears is really loud and sounds like the bike isn't happy about it.

July 8th, 2009, 04:28 PM	#4
kkim Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: Too much.	do you know what brand/viscosity oil was used at the 600 mile service?

July 8th, 2009, 04:32 PM	#5
athimmel ninjette.org member Name: Adam Location: Sacramento area Join Date: Feb 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninja 250 - blue Posts: 177	No idea. I assume that they used what the manual required. You think they used the wrong stuff?

July 8th, 2009, 04:37 PM	#6
kkim Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: Too much.	dunno... should be written down on the work order that they should have given you when you paid your bill. how's the oil level in the sight glass?

July 8th, 2009, 04:38 PM	#7
athimmel ninjette.org member Name: Adam Location: Sacramento area Join Date: Feb 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninja 250 - blue Posts: 177	When I got off the bike after riding back to work at lunch, the level was midway up the sight glass.

July 8th, 2009, 06:23 PM	#9
Nickds7 ninjette.org guru Name: Nick Location: Sacramento, California. Join Date: Apr 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninja 250r Posts: 379	After you check the oil levels and everything looks good.... my best guess would be the conventional oil...once you switch over to synthetic (as I did 2 days ago ) everything becomes so smooth. Maybe your wording overstates the clunkiness of the gears.

July 8th, 2009, 11:44 PM	#11
wayanlam ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Wayan Location: Bali - Indonesia Join Date: Apr 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2014 Z250 Posts: A lot.	i sent a PM to kkim like a week or two ago asking the same question, i was being too lazy to start a thread and maybe not wanting to risk to sound like a noob, he he... in the end we came to the conclusion that its just normal for the bike to make a clunk noise, just as long as its not a metal to metal grinding noise, lol. anyhow ive noticed that if i pull hard past like 9~10k rpm in the 1st or second gear, whatever gear i go into next is often quite loud! i think it might have something to do with the speed at which the wheel is turning, compared to the engine, at the time you engage the clutch (since its usually general habit to release the throttle a little when you change gear, and on the 250 ive noticed that the engine drops in rpm very fast), so by the time you engage the clutch, release some throttle, and up/down shift, there is a big difference between the wheel, and engine speed, not sure why this would cause the "CLUNK" but it seems to do so~ if i try to keep the RPM even throughout the gear change, i find that i get a smoother transition, throughout all the gears, but no matter what i do, i always get the occasional "CLUNK" and yea, normally in the first three or four gears.