Help, new rider tech question.

[phantom27]

Ok, I just got a 2006 FZ6 (the faster red one... ). It only had 3100 miles on it. I have put about 400 miles on it and it's been running nicely. It's always shifted a little harder than my buddy's 2008 FZ6.

I always downshift as I decelerate. When I get to the stop sign I'm in 1st. Today I found myself constantly in 2nd gear when I was trying to take off from a stop sign. I started paying attention and I noticed that it was going all the way down, but not down to 1st. It was stopping at 2nd gear. I couldn't get it into Neutral either.

My buddy looked at it and said that there was probably too much play in my shifter lever.

Should I take it in to the shop (it didn't have a warranty) or is there something easy to adjust?

Help please....

 

[psnbye]

Does anything feel different to you since you've been riding the bike? How much free-play is in your shifter lever? If you cant immedietley tell whats wrong with it, I would suggest at least calling the dealer or a shop with a detailed description what its doing and ask for free advice. It sounds like somthing recently changed thats causing this. Does it grind when you try to get it in first? How hard are you shifting, sometimes if I dont make a commited effort to get it in first, it grinds or clunks but does'nt go in.

Oh yeah:welcome::welcome: Great bike (RED!!!)

Hope you get it fixed or find out whats going on! Good luck and let us know!

 

[phantom27]

Does anything feel different to you since you've been riding the bike?

Yea, It didn't used to do this at all. It would shift into 1st no problem. It seems to be more squishy now.

How much free-play is in your shifter lever?

Quite a bit. It doesn't seem sharp and crisp anymore.

Does it grind when you try to get it in first?

No grinding.

How hard are you shifting, sometimes if I dont make a commited effort to get it in first, it grinds or clunks but does'nt go in.

I usually just 'slam' it down pretty hard. It seems to go in better that way. Since it has been not going into first it doesn't matter how hard I 'slam' it down.

 

[psnbye]

Yeah I would take it to the doctor, hope nothing serious is wrong. Good luck.:thumbup:

 

[detpilot]

I have a similar problem (05), sometimes it won't go down into 1st unless I bring the clutch back into the friction zone for a second, then disengage it. Then, it pops right into first.
No grinding, it just feels like 2nd is the lowest gear until I manipulate the clutch.

 

[VEGASRIDER]

This may sound strange, but you might try changing out the oil. It's a wet clutch and the condition or the type of oil could effect how your bike shifts.

 

[SovietRobot]

Are you letting the clutch out in between downshifts? I've found sometimes that if I try to go through multiple gears at once it fights me.

 

[detpilot]

Are you letting the clutch out in between downshifts? I've found sometimes that if I try to go through multiple gears at once it fights me.

No, I'm not, which I think is the problem. Are you supposed to? I usually try to go through multiple gears at once, especially if slowing down... (5th to 2nd, usually). If I come to a complete stop, I'll go 5th to second, then 1st before putting my foot down (without letting go of the clutch). That's when it fights me going into 1st sometimes.

This may sound strange, but you might try changing out the oil. It's a wet clutch and the condition or the type of oil could effect how your bike shifts.

I'll definitely give it a try

 

[madmanmaigret]

how much faster is it now? :Flip: J/K when you down shift use your engine brake...go down one gear at a time and disengage the clutch between shifts.

 

[SovietRobot]

+1 ^^ Also once you get good at blipping the throttle on downshifts, you won't feel the shift shock, and it sounds good.

 

[tum226]

on motorcycles you must engage each gear to be able to go into the next gear because it is a sequential gearbox and needs this action to line up the teeth and move thru the gears. be sure to let out the clutch in each gear while upshifting and downshifting.

welcome to the forum

 

[phantom27]

This may sound strange, but you might try changing out the oil. It's a wet clutch and the condition or the type of oil could effect how your bike shifts.

A friend of mine said the exact same thing. My buddy also said something about the clutch not being burned in. He did something where he reved the engine and let out the clutch while holding the front brake down. That seemed to fix it.

I went to the Yamaha store and they gave me a free oil change because they thought it could be the oil too. They put in Yamalube 10w-40 (I think).

It seems to be working well now. I'm hoping to go for a longer ride tomorrow to fully test everything out.

 

[SovietRobot]

They probably hadn't changed the oil in who knows how long. They think "it's only got 3000 miles, why should we change it"

 

[Drinky]

I had the same "problem" on a 05 fz6n, and the same on my 07 fz6s s2,
it's like the other posts said, gear down, release clutch, gear down, etc etc etc.
It just hates to go from 5th to 1st without releasing the clutch

 

[wrightme43]

You must master the blip as you clutch in downshift. Matching rpm is very important. It can save your life one day.

 

[reiobard]

are you still rolling when you push it all the way to the bottom?

 

[CanadianFZ6]

I usually just 'slam' it down pretty hard. It seems to go in better that way. Since it has been not going into first it doesn't matter how hard I 'slam' it down.

WTF???...This can only exacerbate the problem. You are likely to bend the shift fork or shifter linkage. You probably need to adjust your shifter linkage now...

 

[phantom27]

You must master the blip as you clutch in downshift. Matching rpm is very important. It can save your life one day.

A friend of mine told me the same thing but I haven't got it yet.

are you still rolling when you push it all the way to the bottom?

Yea, it is working now and I don't shift to 1st until under 15 mph.

WTF???...This can only exacerbate the problem. You are likely to bend the shift fork or shifter linkage. You probably need to adjust your shifter linkage now...

I was only trying to slam it in because it wasn't working. Usually I kind of push down with my foot firmly.

 

[palmucci]

Tried 4or5 different oil brands , VALVOLINE 20w50 and you will be so impressed.
Infact you will probably think someone's replaced your gearbox with a new one
The clutch doesn't slip and only a very gental lift or tapis all you need so the gear change will be a lot quicker than you have been use to.

Julian