Upshifting from 1st to 2nd gear

[Stumbles06]

When I first got my bike, I thought there was something wrong with the gearbox. The dealer sent me out a survey to answer, and in the comments box, I even mentioned the "clunky gear change" They rang me up an explained that it was normal... lol

I have found that getting the bike up to over 6K revs and then changing from first to second whilst keeping a little bit of throttle on makes for a smooth change... but, you'll always get the odd one that still "clunks".

 

[Wolfman]

The FZ6 gearbox is a bit of a mystery...some gear changes are perfect, other times it is just awful!

It reminds me of a Ducati gearbox from the 80's...you just have to be really positive with your foot, and as someone else said, good riding boots help heaps!

 

[castor]

I don't know about you folks, but this is my first bike. A friend of mine who has Fazer and who bought it new helped me in buying my bike and told me to get used to the fact that the gear shifting is followed by that clink-clank sound. It's just the way the gearbox is made and designed.

What I have noticed are two things.

First is that up/down-****ing can be smooth all the times, but you have to be careful with the gear change. By the term careful I think of following:
1) No throttle play or very small amount.
2) Slow gear changes.
3) Allow for 1-2 secs from releasing the throttle, pulling the clutch lever and then changing gear.

Secondly, I have realized that the amount of sleep (for now I know it works only for me) directly effects on how noisy my shiftings are... It may sound a bit (or a bit more ) ridiculous to someone, but that is just my observation on my riding. When I have a good night sleep, I'm not nervous and feel (totaly) relaxed - I don't hear or notice any noise during my shifts. Otherwise - regularly...

So try this and report back your notes on this one...


EDIT:

I forgot just one little thing... There is a possibility of up/down-shifting with not pushing the gear lever all the way up/down. There is a position of gear lever when you haven't moved it all the way up/down, but when you release the clutch lever - you have practically did change the gear... Try that one out too... :thumbsup:

 

[snowmannn]

OK, after taking into account all your comments and experimenting a bit while commuting office -> home -> office I realized this:
1) there are two modes when shifting gears which affect "clunkiness" - quick/race style and normal/easy style
2) when riding easy and doing a slow shifting from 1st to 2nd at ~4K RPM (no shift lever preloading, etc.) the gear change is kind of smooth every time. It still makes a clunk noise but it's a "good" one, more like a click. By slow shift I mean pulling the clutch lever while closing the throttle completely and after that - without hurrying - switching the gear.
3) when riding race style, i.e. trying to switch gears very quickly, the 1-2 gear change becomes really clunky and that's where you should do the lever preloading, you should not close the throttle completely, you should be very quick with pulling the clutch and hitting the shift lever, etc.

It's interesting that quick shifting vs slow shifting make a big difference even at one and the same RPM.

So that's it for today

 

[damnpoor]

Unless you're speed racing take an extra 1/2 second and let the clutch out sloooooower. Also keep the throttle cracked. A mere forward flick is all that you need.

 

[slammer111]

2nd gear is useful for pulling from a stop more smoothly. If I find myself in 1st though, I just skip to 3rd. Hell, I skip to 5th as well. Kinda wish they spread out the gears more.

 

[fizz_off]

I've noticed that a MINIMAL and quick squeeze of the clutch along with similar synchronized "blip" of the throttle keeps the 1st-to-2nd shift a lot smoother (a click rather than a "clunk/jerk") regardless of the RPMs. As others have pointed out muscle memory is starting to kick in and I'm finding shifting my bike is much easier/smoother this way. BTW, this also works when shifting up at the higher RPMs and gears too (even more so - almost like the bike has an automatic!!). It's just this side of cluthless shifting.

Experiment with the combos that work for you (in a safe area, of course :thumbup: ). Hope that helps some.

Paul
p.s. I've also found that not using a "gorilla grip" on the clutch (and brake lever for that matter - unless it's a panic situation, that is) helps greatly for getting this "minimal clutch squeeze" - it's kinda like the finger placement on the trigger of a gun (using more fingers of course ).

 

[VWci]

I am used to hear CLUNKY noise... I am getting used to love it...

 

[youngGun]

i have never owned nor rode a bike that didnt clunk from first to second or second to first, I know there is a technical explanation for the noise, but i also know that it has nothing to do with poor design or cheap quality. if that were the case then the hundreds of bikes i have rode were crappy.

 

[KensFz6]

As others have pointed out muscle memory is starting to kick in and I'm finding shifting my bike is much easier/smoother this way.

My first bike was the XT250 and I still short shift very quickly and pronounced from first to second. Before I'd be clear of the intersection, I'm up to second and I usually get a bit of a jolt when I do.

As for downshifting, I can't do it worth a damn yet. When I'm coming to a stop I just let off the throttle and engine brake a bit then pull the clutch and glide/brake while shifting all the way down to first.

I noticed early on that when I shift down all the way too quickly or while still rolling pretty fast, the trans will clunk or very hard (even grind).

I'm working more on my downshifts but I wish I had a better place to practice nearby where there is less traffic.

 

[VWci]

Yesterday i noticed that it was clunky when shifting at above 3000 rpm to 2nd... it wasnt clunky and was very smooth when shifting at 2000 rpm to 2nd... I also noticed that mine is clunky when doing 2nd to 3rd..vs.. But when accelerating fastly it is sometimes very quite 2nd to 3rd....

 

[fzwing]

Yup, just the first to second is a PITA far as smoothness goes.
That clunk dont bother me, long as nothing lets go.
Will probably switch to syn oil on my next change, but I bet she's still a clunker.
The rest of the gears works fine.

 

[castor]

Yup, just the first to second is a PITA far as smoothness goes.
That clunk dont bother me, long as nothing lets go.
Will probably switch to syn oil on my next change, but I bet she's still a clunker.
The rest of the gears works fine.

Don't bother with that one if you think that that will solve the "clunking". I'm on Motul 300V since service one on 6000km, and nothing has changed. Yes, the gearbox, or should I say gear lever, is somewhat/little-to-some-difference softer/smoother but that lasts till 1000km max after the oil change/service...

Son don't throw your money, 'cause - basically it's no big difference...

 

[mdr]

i have never owned nor rode a bike that didnt clunk from first to second or second to first, I know there is a technical explanation for the noise, but i also know that it has nothing to do with poor design or cheap quality. if that were the case then the hundreds of bikes i have rode were crappy.

Then I guess you've never owned a Suzuki GS500F. The bike has other weak points, but the tranny is smooth as silk in every gear up or down. Smooth transmissions CAN be made but it seems to be the exception rather than the rule these days.

Hotei

 

[reiobard]

as others have said, i preload the shifter and it goes in quicker so it is peceived as as smaller clunk if not actually a smaller clunk.

 

[Chackster]

Riding with a passenger gets you pretty good at smooth shifting real quick, unless you enjoy getting clocked in the back of the head with a helmet.

 

[squirly]

From stevesnj "I want a 7th gear added...im always looking for it anyway"

Me too im always looking for atleast one more!!!!!

 

[Daybreaker]

Today I stopped by the Dealership to ask about my FZ6 Clunky transmisson. They told me that was normal. I bought the bike used with 1400 miles on it. I have ridden it about 300 miles. I have rode bikes for over 30 years. This is my first bike with a noisey transmission. He asked me at what rpm I shifted at, I told him usually around 3K he told me to rev it to at least 6k before shifting. I said "really". I'm an older dude and don't want to always be shifting at 6k.

My bike clunks shifting from 1st to 2nd then to 3rd and 4th. No noise shifting into the higher gears. I have tried shifting at all different rpm's, none higher than 4k, and it still clunks. On the downshifts I only have a problem shifting from 2nd into 1st while the bike is rolling very slowly. It will really clunk if going at speed while shifting into 1st. I do blip the throttle while doing this.

I have read here on the Forum that the chain slack causes the clunk also. I have mine adjusted like the manual says and it still clunks. Seems like the FZ6 runs a lot of slack. I check some of the F1's onthe showroom floor and they were very tight, almost no slack. Manybe the swingarm pivot is in a different place than that of the FZ6, I don't know.

Thanks for the post.

 

[abacall]

I noticed early on that when I shift down all the way too quickly or while still rolling pretty fast, the trans will clunk or very hard (even grind).

I found the same thing. I found that if you shift into 5th in the 50's, 4th in the 40's, 3rd, in the 30's, etc. the shifts are silky.
As for 1-2, I always thought that was normal. My old Kawi did the same thing, louder even. Never bothered me.

OT, but still. Nothing feels better than rev-matching into a turn and getting that flick timed just right.

 

[Simoncm]

i am considering changing the sproket to effectively give me a 7th gear. i use kmph not mph 5000 rpm is 100kmph but id rater it was more like 125 kmph dont have to change gear so much