Rough Shifting

Lately when I shift between first and second gear, it feels quite notchey. It’s a 2002 VFR_ABS with 30,000 KM. Shifting through the other gears is quite smooth. Any ideas as to what is causing this?

Would changing motor oil help in this case at all?

How long has your oil been in there? If its got a few thousand miles on it, I'd suggest starting with an oil change (Mobil 1 or Shell Rotella T synthetic are my preferences).

[image: View Post]Anaconda, on Jul 21 2009, 10:10 PM, said:

Would changing motor oil help in this case at all?

Changing motor oil helps the rider *believe* shifting is improved but the slippierness of oil is by far
more dependant on temp than being new from the bottle... hard shifting is usually traced to the action
of the clutch... because your gears can't shift smoothly if your clutch is part way engaged... here's
how to check your clutch for unwanted drag...

1 Place your bike on the center stand...

2 Start engine and establish a steady idle...

3 Squeeze in the clutch and hold... shift into first gear...

4 Now look at the rear wheel... if it's spinning step on the rear brake...
does this action drag down the engine rpms???

If you bike is equipped with an cable then adjust the clutch lever
knob clock wise (out) 1/4 turn and check again check for clutch
drag... if you bike is equipped with hydraulics bleed system and check
for bubbles...

Ultimately you want the rear wheel to stop when the engine is idling
and first gear selected with the clutch lever is squeezed in...

Do you think your shifting technique changed at all?

Motorcycle transmissions are very sensitive to rider input, I hear many riders shifting too slowly which results in a rather violent snap engagement I can hear from the distance, especially on 1-2 shifts. Oddly, and this goes somewhat against what's been said above, I find that the smoothest shifts are done with the clutch only slightly pulled in (like an inch) and for the shortest duration; even the quickest shift will result in a slight "clunk" if the clutch is pulled too far in (does this make sense?). On upshifts, it seems like gears engage more freely with the clutch at engagement point (not beyond), leading me to believe that some induced clutch drag improves shifting; case in point, and I'd like someone's feedback on this, I get cleaner shifts without disengaging the clutch at all (not that I do this often), only trouble is the next gear engages too quickly for slow/mild acceleration (results in jerky shift yet smooth as it gets). Conclusion to this long rant, the optimal shift feels like half a clutchless shift followed by brief clutch disengagement to prevent immediate drive from next gear to the rear wheel.

This could be an interesting discussion.

Regards,
Bruckner

Hondas don't have the best shifts, especially after I've been riding them a while. The VFR was VERY nice when I got it, even with 37k miles on the engine. So, I decided to fit an Evo Star shifter kit. Now, some 4 years later, it's still good, but not as good as it was. I've found that type of oil used, and the condition of the chain makes a difference. Get the chain too tight/loose, or needing cleaning'n'lubing, and the shifting suffers. Too tight is the worst: it'll be somewhat harder to shift, and be more inclined to pop out of gear or give false neutrals.

[image: View Post]Anaconda, on Jul 22 2009, 12:10 AM, said:

Lately when I shift between first and second gear, it feels quite notchey. It�s a 2002 VFR_ABS with 30,000 KM. Shifting through the other gears is quite smooth. Any ideas as to what is causing this?

Would changing motor oil help in this case at all?

VFR is the klunkiest Honda gear box I've ever owned, I've never missed shifts on it though, until recently. My boot toe collasped and the give would cause me to miss shift , if I wasnt paying attention . It was always a 1 to 2nd shift. So those boots are no longer in use.

as far as oil and the vfr is a notchy gear box to begin with, there's a 5% difference between the worst and the best shift oil, but its a gate or no gate transaction.

Some oils really make the shift smoothness stand out. The worst I know on vfr is Rollella 15w40, hate that stuff in the vfr , I took it right back out.

[image: View Post]spud786, on Jul 23 2009, 04:01 PM, said:

Some oils really make the shift smoothness stand out.
Strangely, lotsa peoples rave about Mobil 1 (or whatever it's called now - usually Mobile 1).
I tried it only once, because it was cheaper'n normal (67 UnZUd Shekeldollars, as opposed to over 90).
It seemed to make the shifting notchier and less smooth than the Motul does.

[image: View Post]enzed_viffer, on Jul 22 2009, 11:16 PM, said:

[image: View Post]spud786, on Jul 23 2009, 04:01 PM, said:

Some oils really make the shift smoothness stand out.
Strangely, lotsa peoples rave about Mobil 1 (or whatever it's called now - usually Mobile 1).
I tried it only once, because it was cheaper'n normal (67 UnZUd Shekeldollars, as opposed to over 90).
It seemed to make the shifting notchier and less smooth than the Motul does.

The Motuls, that I've seen the compositry on, tend to have alot of Molly, so they should be pretty slick shift oils

[image: View Post]spud786, on Jul 22 2009, 10:21 PM, said:

[image: View Post]enzed_viffer, on Jul 22 2009, 11:16 PM, said:

[image: View Post]spud786, on Jul 23 2009, 04:01 PM, said:

Some oils really make the shift smoothness stand out.
Strangely, lotsa peoples rave about Mobil 1 (or whatever it's called now - usually Mobile 1).
I tried it only once, because it was cheaper'n normal (67 UnZUd Shekeldollars, as opposed to over 90).
It seemed to make the shifting notchier and less smooth than the Motul does.

The Motuls, that I've seen the compositry on, tend to have alot of Molly, so they should be pretty slick shift oils

I'm using Motul mineral in 10W40, much better than the different brands of synthetic I used; clutch grabs great, shifts nice and smooth, and no more valvetrain noise.

I've never ridden another modern bike in the same category as the VFR to compare shifting clunkiness across brands, all I can say is this: done right, the shifts on my 45K miles VFR are as smooth as it gets, although I don't get it right 100% of the time.

Regards,
Bruckner

Ive owned too vfr's and have not liked the way they shift either. I had a 05 gsxr and the shifting was butter smooth, and so was my R6, fuel delivery was perfect on these bike also. I get the clunking thing you described sometimes to, but its hit and miss? What bugs me is when i reapply throttle after the up shift, the on/off issue with the throttle makes the shifting a little abrupt if your not careful.