Having some shifting issues on a new bike - any help?

[Evanlamarr88]

Like the title says, when I have the clutch pulled all the way in and downshift, sometimes the gears hit so hard that it shakes the whole bike. Usually the lower the gear, the harder the hit when shifting. Again, this is with the clutch pulled all the way in. Sometimes it doesn't. The hard shifting seems to happen when I have the clutch pulled all the way in and am downshifting while going faster than that gear would allow for (for example, approaching a stop at 45mph in 4th gear, pulling the clutch in, and immediately shifting down all the way to 1st while my speed has slowed down maybe only to 35 mph). However, even if I go down only one gear to downshift and then release the clutch for engine braking, it sometimes still hits into the next gear really hard. If I shift while I'm going really slow, it doesn't seem to happen as much (even though it still does sometimes), but if I shift when I'm at a complete stop, many times it gets stuck in between gears, so I have to roll the bike backwards or forwards a few inches to get it unstuck.

I'm not a perfect shifter by any means, and part of that issue is the clutch lever. There's like 3" of play between the end of the lever and the bar end, but the clutch only seems to grab 0.5"-1" from the lever being all the way released. In other words, most of the range of the clutch is useless. This has made it harder to shift for me.

Anyone experience symptoms like this? I know whatever is happening isn't good for the bike. It's a 2019 with just over 1,100 miles. I changed the oil at 500 like the manufacturer recommends, but I haven't done another one, yet. I bought it w/ 69 miles, and it had been lightly dropped before. No damage to frame; only to front wheel hub, bar end, muffler, foot brake lever, and the Yammie emblem on the tank panels. I haven't dropped it at all, but I have accidentally released the clutch super hard on accident a few times.

TIA

[Airbornedeth]

Have you tried adjusting the clutch? I would start there. I would also recommend not downshifting, especially if you have to slam the gear lever down to get it to go in to gear. Rev matching will help some. I didn't like all of the free play in the clutch lever, so I got an aftermarket lever and it helped tremendously.

 

Let us know what you find and/or do. 

[Airbornedeth]

Oh, another thing. I have a 2019 as well, and I'm 5'9".

 

Adjust the levers to your comfort. You shouldn't have to conform to the bike. Set the clutch and brake levers to suit your body geometry, and the gear and rear brake lever to how you sit on the bike. It makes a huge difference.

[Evanlamarr88]

1 hour ago, Airbornedeth said:

Have you tried adjusting the clutch? I would start there. I would also recommend not downshifting, especially if you have to slam the gear lever down to get it to go in to gear. Rev matching will help some. I didn't like all of the free play in the clutch lever, so I got an aftermarket lever and it helped tremendously.

 

Let us know what you find and/or do. 

It’s not hard to change gears down. It’s just that when I do, something inside the engine acts like it hit a sledgehammer against the transmission.

[klx678]

Here are my thoughts...

There is no way I'd be downshifting into first gear decelerating.  I don't know about shaking or shuddering, but I would think that rpm is too high for coming to a stop.  Personally I end up coming to a stop in second a majority of the time, then tap down to first at a stop.  As long as I am rolling, second gear will pull away fine should I have to do so, considering the strength of the 700 engine, plus it will pull to a higher speed without problem.

[longrider1951]

same here

1 hour ago, klx678 said:

Here are my thoughts...

There is no way I'd be downshifting into first gear decelerating.  I don't know about shaking or shuddering, but I would think that rpm is too high for coming to a stop.  Personally I end up coming to a stop in second a majority of the time, then tap down to first at a stop.  As long as I am rolling, second gear will pull away fine should I have to do so, considering the strength of the 700 engine, plus it will pull to a higher speed without problem.

 

[Josh2019mt07]

Yes. Agreed theres almost never a reason to really downshift to 1st on this bike. Unless im pulling into my driveway or a turn over a bump and up a steep incline real low speed

[mossrider]

You're letting the rpm's drop too far during the shift if it clunks or 'hammers' on gear change. It's caused by the mass of the transmissions parts trying to dump speed to re-mesh with the clutch side. You have to remember the clutch always spins at engine speed, the tranny always rotates at road speed. The closer you keep the two speed wise, the smoother your shifts. When one of those does not match the other, 'Jango!'. 

Try not to move the clutch lever any more than you have to to accomplish a shift. You should be smoothly and rapidly squeezing and releasing the clutch lever during shifting, no pause it stutter. As you flip the clutch lever, snick the gear lever to change gears simultaneously so that's done before the clutching is over. (In the middle of clutching) done properly or rev-matched you won't even need the clutch lever since these bikes have a constant mesh type transmission, meaning it's always in gear (1 of the 6 anyways) so the gears are spinning away in there waiting for you to select the appropriately matched gear for the speed you're travelling. Upshifting is easier than downshifting as it's less temperamental to rotational differences. When downshifting always let the clutch all or at least most of the way out before making a second down shift. In other words one downshift at a time to prevent binding up the tranny like you've described when at a stop.

[klx678]

That last part of your comments isn't always possible or reasonable, but waiting for the "mass downshift" until speed is more like 15-20 mph is far better and not to shift into first until either very near stopped or stopped.

[shinyribs]

On these bikes it's possible for the left-hand switchgear ( the bit that holds the turn signal, headlight and horn switches) to get in the way of the clutch perch if something's been installed weirdly. 

 

Nothing serious to worry about, just make sure there is clearance for the clutch lever to pull all the way to the grip vs interfering with the switchgear. 

After that, double check clutch cable adjustment. It's super simple and requires no tools or even bending over. If your clutch lever seats fully against it's base ( clutch perch) it's too tight. Turn the big nut where the cable enters the perch until the lever rests with about 1/8" gap between itself and the perch. You will have to put very light finger pressure on the clutch lever while checking for the gap. Just to take the slack out of the system. The amount of pressure is get light. About as much pressure as flipping your phone over on a table with one finger. You'll see when you do it. 

 

If all that checks out, do what Moss said. Don't let terminology like rev matching and such intimidate you. It's really very simple. Just go practice in an empty lot somewhere, relax, have fun with it and take your time. We all learn to do better by practicing. 

 

p.s. - while it's not a good practice to regularly drop the clutch hard, don't let it worry you. It's good to be as careful so possible, but these things are pretty damn tough. I run all my bikes hard and that includes slamming clutches. You're not going to break anything by accidentally releasing the clutch hard a few times. Try not to! But don't sweat it if you do. 

Edited September 16, 2020 by shinyribs