Hitting Neutral Instead of Second

[otis]

Sometimes if I'm on the throttle hard and shift to second (6500 or so), it goes to neutral instead. I'm new to BMW and finally figured out the quick shifts (smmothly), but this is annoying. Do you guys run into this?

Either I'm not shifting hard enough or.....I hate to say; could this be an indication of the spline failing? Sometimes all the info on the net is bad (read about splines)....LOL Thanks....Pat

[Deaner]

Not shifting hard enough.

[ShovelStrokeEd]

In point of fact, the problem is not in your foot but rather in your throttle hand. There is no need whatsover to use force while shifting. What you must do is to not back off the throttle so much between shifts. The sequence goes like this.

 

On the gas and revs building.

As you approach your desired shift point, place a light upward load on the lever.

When you reach your shift point, lightly pull on the clutch lever and only back off the gas a few degrees. No need to pull the lever to the grip either, 1/2 way will do.

Release the clutch lever.

If done right, the shift will be smooth and your throttle position should be such that you are lightly accelerating in the next higher gear.

 

The Getrag transmission is designed such that the internal gears come to a very rapid stop when the clutch is pulled in to prevent clunk when stopped going from neutral to first. The result, when your moving, is that it becomes difficult to match the various gear speeds to allow mesh of the shift dogs if the shift is not made in a brisk manner with RPM's roughly correct.

 

This technique works for all oil head transmissions, 5 or 6 speed, M-94, M-97. For that matter it's a valid technique for any motorcycle transmission.

[Clive Liddell]

Pat,

Not sure of what model you're on but all BMW's are fairly high torque at reasonable RPM. On Oilheads I have not found much advantage in revving above torque peak (~5500) before changing. Normally it's between 4 and 5000 before changing for me - YMMV however...

[Ken H.]

the quick shifts (smoothly), but this is annoying.

Why is it annoying? It's the proper way to shift the bike. Quickly and firmly.

 

You didn't say how many miles you have on BMWs, but follow the advice given here on technique and in a few 1000 you will be clicking it up and down so smoothly you'll wonder what you were ever concerned about.

[otis]

Thanks Guys,

 

Ed - thanks for the detailed explanation. Clive - 04RT and yes I agree; I usually shift to retain max torque. Ken - just turned 11,000. It's not that shifting quickly and firmly is annoying....it's when I am getting on the throttle hard and passing a car (or something), I'll sometimes get neutral instead of second - I can't really afford to miss a gear when I'm relying on the power to pass....When riding normally, once I figured out that this bike needs to shfted quicly, it is actually quite smooth.

 

My story; I've been riding the same Shovelhead Harley for 21 years and bought this 04 RT about 1 1/2 months ago. At first the shifting was ruff, but like was mentioned, I was letting off the gas too much and feeling the engine break, ect. Anyway, I played around and am relatively smooth now ...Except.....when excelerating hard between 1st & 2nd.

 

I think you guys steared me on the right track though. I notice old habits are hard to break. I'm really used to shifting my Harley which means letting off the throttle. Shifting is smotth for my on the BMW, except for when I really winding it out at WOT. I think my instints just come in to play....back to letting off the throttle....whew.....I guess I just need to ride it some more:)

 

All in all, I'm impressed with this bike; handles great. It was 32 when I left for work this morning and I was warm the entire commute. I believe I will add 2 - 3 months to my yearly riding season. Oh yea, I can't believe I waited this long in life to get a heated vest......man are they sweet.

 

Pat, ranting....

[Voyager]

something that helped me with this phenomenon (in addition to preloading) was making sure the shift lever was adjusted to my foot. Depending on boot thickness, etc. you may want to lower the lever to ensure you're getting the gear "home". Just my .02

[ttorborg]

Try this, go to the hardware store and get 6" piece of clear vinyl hose with a 1/16" wall and 3/4" ID. Cut an inch off and slide it onto your black rubber shift lever. It may take some WD40 to wiggle on. It will prevent black marks on your brown shoes and may help with your shifting problem by moving the shifter closer to your boot/shoe.