ahirsch Posted November 4, 2007 Share Posted November 4, 2007 I have been working on smoothing out the shifting as well as everyone else is I am sure. I have found that pulling in the clutch just slightly and just blipping the gear changer with the foot works really well. Seems to work equally well for downshifting too. Do other people also concentrate on really small movements with hands and feet? That first to second and the third to second are still the ones that I am not consistently smooth with. Do you find the same? I am doingthe whole preloading thing and it does certainly help. I bet I am smooth 50% of the time with the low gears. How do others fair in the low range? It is a work in progress... Link to comment
glwestcott Posted November 4, 2007 Share Posted November 4, 2007 Depends on whether you ask me or my wife. Link to comment
Wyn Posted November 4, 2007 Share Posted November 4, 2007 Yup, and doing it about 5K+ RPM's seems to be the sweet spot! Sounds like your bike is telling you the way it wants to be treated. Link to comment
Graelin Posted November 4, 2007 Share Posted November 4, 2007 Yes I found myself riding my first BMW and making graunching noises as I progressed down thr 2nd and first gears. How embarrasing and I felt a complete goose and also to "shy" or read embarrassed to reveal I couldnt change gears after 35 yrs with bikes. Now my vintage Reanault with no synchro into first can make similar sounds. I have found that once mastered the gears will go thru smoothly and the satisfaction of doing so is similar to getting a free extra scoop of icecream. I did find that short decisive movements with more of a quick blip on the throttle at just ths same moment combined with minimal clutch movement does the trick on mine. When it is cold however even more care is required to get it right as I am probably being too gentle on the blip of the throttle. Anyway it has taken time to learn my new bike and it rewards you for it with every ride. Chers Graelin Link to comment
ahirsch Posted November 4, 2007 Author Share Posted November 4, 2007 You guys hit some other important features of a smooth shift. Yes, 5000 RPM's is good, two up is a bigger challenge in the low gears and when it is done correctly it makes you want to keep riding! My 20+ year old Honda thumper shifts sweet everytime no matter the gear, RPM or load???? Link to comment
Clive Liddell Posted November 5, 2007 Share Posted November 5, 2007 I think by saying change at 5000rpm all that is happening is that the general noise harshness and vibration is masking the gear change contribution. I find there are sweet(er) spots to change at and they are different for my RT and my R but all are in the 3000-4000rpm range. Link to comment
T__ Posted November 5, 2007 Share Posted November 5, 2007 I have been working on smoothing out the shifting as well as everyone else is I am sure. I have found that pulling in the clutch just slightly and just blipping the gear changer with the foot works really well. Seems to work equally well for downshifting too. Do other people also concentrate on really small movements with hands and feet? That first to second and the third to second are still the ones that I am not consistently smooth with. Do you find the same? I am doingthe whole preloading thing and it does certainly help. I bet I am smooth 50% of the time with the low gears. How do others fair in the low range? It is a work in progress... Andrew, there are many/many posts here in the archives that address a quick/short clutch pull & even fanning the clutch with shifter preloading before hand.. Another thing that helps is to back the throttle off less as you shift.. Most people back the throttle off way too far on the shift & with the relatively light flywheel it drops the engine RPM’s too much between shifts.. Keep in mind that most Japanese bikes that shift good have oil bathed clutches that drag slightly on the shift.. On my 02 1150RT I even went so far as re-working the clutch lever adjusting barrel to allow the clutch lever to be even closer to the handlebar.. That makes quick precise de-clutching even easier.. Twisty Link to comment
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