Gearbox impressions/First to second shift

[russter]

I now have about 1700 miles on my new R1200RT. The bike has certainly exceeded my expectations. One issue though that I would like your feedback on is the gearbox. All of my shifts (up and down) are super smooth and quiet except shifting from first to second gear. It may have smoothed out a little since it was new but there is still a distinct "clunk" that I did not have om my R1100S. Other than that shift that was one of the things that really impressed me on my demo ride was the smoothness of the gearbox. I'm probably being a little picky on this but just wanted to see if some of you observe the same thing. By the way I should state that it is much quieter when revved to at least 5K rpm in first before shifting to second. It's at the lower rpm that it's a little noisy. Your observations are appreciated.

 

Russ

[ShovelStrokeEd]

It is not the gearbox, well, not exactly.

 

Largest ratio spread in the box is the 1-2 shift, therefore, the largest RPM shift between them. Trick is to find the right revs to maintain between gears. Real trick is don't back the gas off very much between shifts. Whatever you are doing now with the throttle, do 1/2 that.

 

I have found that an O-ring, fitted between the bar end weight and the throttle will slow the action down enough to really smooth the shifting while still allowing the throttle to return to zero. You can adjust the position of the throttle housing on the bars to achieve the amount of drag you need. On my 1100S, it required a size -320 O-ring to do the job. YMMV.

[motoguy128]

I noticed the same thing. My 07RT It's slightly louder than my R1150R going 1-2 and back down, but more than makes up for it in all other gear. Even though it's more abrupt, the engagement itself is more positive. I haven't yet hit neutral accidentally and it has a much more positive and light neutral engagement. I used to regularly hit neutral on my R1150R and occasionally on a 4-5 upshift.

 

Overall the gearbox is a huge improvement. I think the motor is only marginally smoother, but I guessing that after the 600 mi service it will smooth out after getting the valves reset and the TB re-synch'd.

[planepaul]

I have a 1st to 2nd shift technique that works very well for me on my R12RT. I pause in neutral for about 1/4 second on the way to 2nd. You can't really time it- rather you feel it. The 1st to 2nd shift for me is the smoothest of all. It is also as stress free on the gearbox as you can get.

Some riders will tell you to load the shift lever with your toe before the shift, so as to hasten the shift. I wouldn't do that, because you would be forcing a shift fork against a gear that doesn't want to move, causing a loss of oiling to the shift fork / gear interface. I've seen my share of burnt and bent shift forks.

Back when I wrenched on Guzzis (notorious clunkers), I used the technique for all shifts. There was a large shift lever throw, and you could easily let it pause between gears with a reasonably educated foot. Never a clunk.

Give it a try someplace where traffics isn't hectic. Maybe it will work for you.

Paul in CA

'05 R1200RT

[Bob_Mc]

The 1st-2nd gear thunk on my '05 RT faded away with miles. At my 12,000 mile service the tech used synthetic lubricant and it made the tranny smoother and quieter, even when shifting from 2nd to 1st.