Problems shifting between 1st and 2nd???

[beauwilliam]

I have problems when shifting from 1st into 2nd gear. Jumps into neutral and doesn't want to go into 2nd. I have changed my rpm's to high rpm's before shirting into 2nd and there is no difference. I have tried a short pull on clutch doesn't help. Does anyone else have this problem or had it because of something?? I just got this bike new to the valkyrie world.

[Chrisj CMA]

Try adjusting the shift lever up or down one tooth

[old2soon]

Straight cut gears mean ya GOTTA shift like you MEAN it. And Chrisj CMA has a very valid point. Finding YOUR sweetspot with that shift lever is the trick. I've pushed first gear to the chip and have hit 2nd. I've also pushed first gear to the chip and missed!  After 5+ years and 72000+ miles of ownership I still on occasion miss a gear shift.  AND I will admit-these beasts we ride can be forgiving at times!  RIDE SAFE.

[Daniel Meyer]

Preload (up) the shifter before you clutch and then when pulling the clutch in...as soon as the shifter begins to go (you'll feel it) sharply apply the force. Generally that's all it takes.

Don't be shy. These trannys are not fragile.

[rknef777]

I have the exact same issue.  Agree with the rest, dont be shy about shifting.  Also when down shifting to first i slow it way down. Almost at a crwl.  Seems to do better.  I think its fairly coomon on these bikes. Ride safe.

[DK]

I've pushed first gear to the chip and have hit 2nd. I've also pushed first gear to the chip and missed! 

"Pushed to the chip"??????

Please explain.

Dan

[slabghost]

I brought my shifter down a tooth yesterday. Shifts much nicer now for me.

[R J]

I put a Kickshifter on MGM when they 1st came out.

Believe it or not, I have not missed a shift since.

You have to be determined to hit a gear and it it hard.

Straight cut gears are noted for missed shifts if you are not aggressive with the move.

One way you can help eliminate the problem, is stick your toe up under the lever and raise it to what is called pre-load, then when ya shift  bang it hard.    You do not have to be super careful on hitting these gears on the Phat Guhl.

[Pete]

I have 2 of the "beast" and I have not experienced any shifting issues.

They can make a little clunk on up shifts in the lower gears if you do not shift correctly.

As for the neutral hang, that usually indicates to little pressure or toe travel.

I wonder if your clutch is dragging making the shifts harder?

[rknef777]

I was wondering what changing the shifter one notch means  also? 

[slabghost]

I was wondering what changing the shifter one notch means  also? 

Shift lever is on a splined shaft. You need to actually remove the bolt to get the lever off. Slide out turn it the way you want to go until the next splines match then reinstall and tighten the bolt.

[R J]

Actually, moving the shifter lever 1 notch helps the guys with the size 15 EEE boots.     They can get their boot under it or on top of it, whichever one they are having trouble with.

Don't laugh at the size 15 EEE as one of my old riding buddies, RIP Frank, wore that size and was only like 5'9" tall.

In his case, there was only 1 brand of bike made.   Y A M A H A.

He put 100,000 miles on his and it showed the wear and tear.   When MGM hit 200,000 miles and looked real good yet, he about had a hissy.   He accused me of washing it and waxing it every time I rode it and if it set over 4 days I was accused of washing and waxing it on a no ride day.

On his death bed, he told me I knew you weren't washing and waxing MGM like I accused you of way back when.

I just told him I had the superior bike and his wife later said that was what killed him.   LOL.   She was joking as he had a severe case of lung cancer.     3 years prior he got a bag hung on him.   It was a reoccurring for him after his 1st go around with cancer.    Never seemed to slow him down any.

[old2soon]

I've pushed first gear to the chip and have hit 2nd. I've also pushed first gear to the chip and missed! 

"Pushed to the chip"??????

Please explain.

Dan

          Hit the chip-rev limiter. Helps prevent really stoopid kaka from happening to yer engine!  Before these rev limiters I have blown up some very EXPENSIVE  race engines.  Nice to know something there to help prevent stoopid!    You WILL know when you hit the chip/rev limiter by lack of any more power and the engine burbles. Find out where BEFORE you race yer friends Harley!  RIDE SAFE.

[davit]

I have problems when shifting from 1st into 2nd gear. Jumps into neutral and doesn't want to go into 2nd. I have changed my rpm's to high rpm's before shirting into 2nd and there is no difference. I have tried a short pull on clutch doesn't help. Does anyone else have this problem or had it because of something?? I just got this bike new to the valkyrie world.

I'll probably burn in hell for it, but I've run Seafoam in the crankcase for a couple hundred miles, and have done this on two old Hondas now that hadn't been ridden regularly and it definitely improves the shifting.  Dump the oil after 200 miles, replace the filter and add fresh oil of your choice.

Forgive me Board for I have sinned.

[R J]

I have problems when shifting from 1st into 2nd gear. Jumps into neutral and doesn't want to go into 2nd. I have changed my rpm's to high rpm's before shirting into 2nd and there is no difference. I have tried a short pull on clutch doesn't help. Does anyone else have this problem or had it because of something?? I just got this bike new to the valkyrie world.

I'll probably burn in hell for it, but I've run Seafoam in the crankcase for a couple hundred miles, and have done this on two old Hondas now that hadn't been ridden regularly and it definitely improves the shifting.  Dump the oil after 200 miles, replace the filter and add fresh oil of your choice.

Forgive me Board for I have sinned.

You haven't sinned IF you used the internal engine treatment.

If you put the Seafoam for carb cleaning in there, yes, you has sinned.

[davit]

One and the same.  It really does loosen things up down there, kinda like a morning cup of coffee.

...and while I'm confessing, I use xylol as a carb cleaner.    I feel much better now.   

[Paladin528]

Whenever I get too relaxed I miss the 1st to second shift.  Glad Im not the only one.  The one that kills me is the spontaneous downshift from 4th to 3rd.  It has done it twice to me.  I think it is just partial engagement (laziness on my part) of the gear.

[BradValk48237]

Yep, you gotta hit it firmly...... I usually have it happen on the 2nd time down the road after just getting on the bike.. it "reminds" me... then its not an issue.

B

[cookiedough]

My bike gets stuck between 1 and 2 a lot more often when the bike is ridden in hot stop and go traffic a ton more than just normal hwy. driving then coming to a stop finally.  Don't know why, but that is how my bike behaves.  I've found that also changing the oil to synthetic also helps smooth shifts between 1 and 2.  Also,  new synthetic oil also seems to help improve shifting in all gears as well most importantly between 1 and 2. 

In a few occassions in very hot weather,  I have no idea on why, but sometimes when stuck in neutral,  I have a heck of a time downshifting or upshifting to get it out of neutral like it will NOT go no matter how hard I slam the shifter up/down.  It has only happened a handful of times to me, but when it does,  it really ticks me off like I will NEVER get it out of neutral.  Why???  I have no idea.

[R J]

The next time that happens, while pushing the lever for it to get out of nuetral, let the clutch out and rock it back and forth, to see if it will drop into a gear.

As you said, full synthetic oil helps 110%.

I used Mobil 1 in MGM all the time I had him, since my son bought it from me he has also been using Mobil 1.   No brainer, we use Mobil 1 in the shop for everything.

I think I have converted him as his Harley has not been ridden all summer.    He has put close to 6,000 miles on MGM just puttin around and going to Bike Nights.

[Paladin528]

I know I have an issue with shifting due to the Barnett clutch installed.  It seems to drag.  If I blip the throttle when shifting up or down the shifts are far smoother. 

When it gets HOT you can expect a little drag on any clutch, its the nature of expansion.  A Hot clutch will behave differently than a cold one.  On my old VT1100 if I am working the clutch say in a parking lot doing slow speed drills. the clutch will become useless and slip until I can "breeze" it out with a good run up and down the road to cool the engine and oil down.

Heat is the enemy

[DarkSideR]

I know that it's time to change the oil when it gets hard to shift, and hard to find neutral. If you are due for an oil change you might want to start there.

[RonW]

That's what I'm about to do (Royal Purple). I'm getting a problem upshifting into 3rd gear, oddly only that gear.

[R J]

That's what I'm about to do (Royal Purple). I'm getting a problem upshifting into 3rd gear, oddly only that gear.

Royal Purple, is that a synthetic oil?

That is your best bet to get  good shift.

[RonW]

Well it cost more so must be good stuff. I don't think it's more expensive becuz they spent more money on the bottle. It was on sale if that matters. And yea, synthetic. Was this away from using the 15w, 2 quarts, mixed with 10w, 2 quarts, but then had to return the 15w becuz the label said it was CI-4 plus. Researched  CI-4 on the Internet, but sorta conflicting literature using it on a wet clutch.

Usually I change oil when all the gears start getting harder to shift regardless of mileage, on any bike. This isolated 3rd gear glitch is hard to figure out.

[Chrisj CMA]

Change oil based on smooth shifts?  Never heard of such a thing.  It may seem silly but I change the oil when the odometer reads around 6K miles more than when I put the oil in.  She shifts just as smoothly the day before an oil change as the day after.

[RonW]

New oil don't make shifting better if there wasn't a problem previously, but if there was a shifting problem, new oil might just resolve the issue something to do with the wet clutch.

My hard to shift issue is exclusively with the 3rd gear, but thought I'd change the oil anyways. The old oil has only 4 thousand miles. The past few days I got too busy to do oil change. Well, today I noticed the 3rd gear was getting more easy to shift, more seamlessly, for reasons unbeknowst. So for now, I'm putting the new oil on hold mainly becuz new oil might stop the 3rd gear shifts from getting better if that makes any sense. When my 3rd gear first started acting up, I had Mobil 1 synthetic in the crankcase. I switched to Royal Purple but that didn't resolve the 3rd gear issue. This oil change would have been the second go around with Royal Purple. That's simply to rule out the possibility that enough of the old Mobil 1 oil remained in the crankcase that it diluted the sterility of the Royal Purple. The sterility of the magic potion and so on.

[Tfrank59]

New oil don't make shifting better if there wasn't a problem previously, but if there was a shifting problem, new oil might just resolve the issue something to do with the wet clutch.

My hard to shift issue is exclusively with the 3rd gear, but thought I'd change the oil anyways. The old oil has only 4 thousand miles. The past few days I got too busy to do oil change. Well, today I noticed the 3rd gear was getting more easy to shift, more seamlessly, for reasons unbeknowst. So for now, I'm putting the new oil on hold mainly becuz new oil might stop the 3rd gear shifts from getting better if that makes any sense. When my 3rd gear first started acting up, I had Mobil 1 synthetic in the crankcase. I switched to Royal Purple but that didn't resolve the 3rd gear issue. This oil change would have been the second go around with Royal Purple. That's simply to rule out the possibility that enough of the old Mobil 1 oil remained in the crankcase that it diluted the sterility of the Royal Purple. The sterility of the magic potion and so on.

What do you mean by "hard to shift issue"?  Is it that it makes a big clunk instead of shifting smoothly, or does it just not want to shift?  For me, if I have a big clunk when I shift, it's always (or almost always I guess) because I didn't peak the gear out enough before I shifted or didn't preload the shifter or catch the "null point" or something like that. It's never the bike's fault -- not lack of maintenance or oil change or anything like that – Smooth or Rough shifting is really an operator function, at least in my experience.  But if your problem is that it doesn't want to shift at all or only with much difficulty, I'm wondering if there could be a bent shifting fork or something wrong with your linkage?  It might be something as simple as the position of your shift lever, but if you rule that out and there's still a problem, I doubt it's about needing oil change or anything like that--likely something more serious.

[RonW]

Okay, I might have left out a big factor. I upshift gears without using the clutch. If I use said clutch the transmission shifts into 3rd gear as it should. However, I can still upshift the other gears without using the clutch, seamlessly. Again, over the past few days, upshifting to 3rd gear has been getting easier to the point it's barely an issue although the coincidence of having posting about the problem then not having the problem in the same time span is puzzling. I'm giving this a rest. Anyways, we should really focus on the OP's problem since it's his thread. Plus the fact that after riding around for 15 minutes when I checked the oil it was near the low mark on the dipstick.

Then I ride home, let the engine rest for a few minutes, recheck the oil, and the oil level registers on the high mark. I know how to check the oil level. Re-checked the oil level after a few hours had passed, and the oil level is near the low mark again. Yes, I did ask the Fat lady what's this all about and she simply refuses to give me a straight answer if you've ever had a discussion with her yourself. Tomorrow morning if the oil level is near the low mark once again, I'll top off the oil. Maybe blow a seal or two come high tide.

[MarkT]

This might be overkill for some, but there's a mod that fixes Honda's poor linkage design.  It's not an issue at first but as our bikes get hundreds of thousands of miles on them, wear combined with the design can make missed shifts more frequent.  It amounts to supporting the outer end of the shift shaft with a heim joint so the play that has come into the linkage doesn't cause missed shifts, or the linkage not resetting after the previous click. This was how the problem surfaced with one setting of the linkage adjustment - shifts from 1 to 2 failing after the linkage wouldn't reset or get past the movement from  1 - N.  I did this mod while fixing the Big Bike Things forward controls, not working with my worn OEM linkage.  http://www.valkyrieforum.com/bbs/index.php/topic,79792.msg781264.html#msg781264

Mine was a simplified version of this mod from a Bavarian rider: http://www.valkyrieforum.com/bbs/index.php/topic,74563.40.html

[Ricky-D]

Shifting sans clutch, regardless of the ease to do so is a totally ROOKIE thing to do

and can and will lead to problems eventually. The dogs will "round off" and the undercut

will disappear which will eventually lead to incomplete shift engagement and the transmission

popping out of gear. It may feel good to not use the clutch but with such a heavy bike the

damage is sure.

***

[davit]

Proper diagnostic procedure demands addressing the simple things first.  Since the bike is new-to-you at the very least, change the oil multiple times to flush the crud out. When the bike was brand new the internals were squeaky clean and it shifted as it should;  logic dictates that it is no longer squeaky clean. I highly recommend Seafoam just prior to the change.  If that doesn't improve the shifting then move on to more coplex and costly fixes.

[RonW]

Shifting sans clutch, regardless of the ease to do so is a totally ROOKIE thing to do

and can and will lead to problems eventually. The dogs will "round off" and the undercut

will disappear which will eventually lead to incomplete shift engagement and the transmission

popping out of gear. It may feel good to not use the clutch but with such a heavy bike the

damage is sure.

Ricky-D, I don't believe that's true. Fyi, I never down shift without using the clutch. But upshifting without the clutch saves wears and tear on the engine parts. The engine whatever don't slow down as much only to have to speed up again. Also, I never upshift without using the clutch going up a hill while in a lower gear and lower speed. Once I tried that and I heard & felt the loudest clunk and thought for sure I had busted something in there.

Maybe, after so many miles, it's a good idea to replace the clutch plates??

[R J]

If you are too lazy to use the clutch in an upshift and or downshifts, why don't ya just put an automatic tranny in the Phat Guhrl and be done with it?

How old are you, that is sheet we used to do as a teenager before we knew better, and as a show off thing for the girls.

Grow up and use the clutch as it was developed to be used.

I went through this sheet when my oldest son was 16.    He was born in 1954.     So yes it has been a few years ago.

Forget it, I'll save my breath trying to explain.     You seem to be like most kids, won't listen till it happens to ya and then you bitch cause it happened.

He learned his lesson when he got caught in between 2 gears and tore up a transmission.

Well dad let him walk for about 6 weeks before I got another transmission for the car he had.     Never heard of him shifting without the clutch again.

  As Forrest Gump would say:
“That's all I have to say about that.”

[Chrisj CMA]

Shifting sans clutch, regardless of the ease to do so is a totally ROOKIE thing to do

and can and will lead to problems eventually. The dogs will "round off" and the undercut

will disappear which will eventually lead to incomplete shift engagement and the transmission

popping out of gear. It may feel good to not use the clutch but with such a heavy bike the

damage is sure.

Ricky-D, I don't believe that's true. Fyi, I never down shift without using the clutch. But upshifting without the clutch saves wears and tear on the engine parts. The engine whatever don't slow down as much only to have to speed up again. Also, I never upshift without using the clutch going up a hill while in a lower gear and lower speed. Once I tried that and I heard & felt the loudest clunk and thought for sure I had busted something in there.

Maybe, after so many miles, it's a good idea to replace the clutch plates??

If you think shifting without the clutch saves wear and tear on the engine, you have never learned proper throttle control. Done well the RPM's should not drop between shifts or just a minute amount, not nearly enough to make one be concerned about wear.

[cookiedough]

I'm no tech, but if a clutch is there to use for shifts,  use it, dah.

Otherwise, buy a scooter.   ???

Problems shifting with 3rd am sure is rare, but like me,  getting stuck in neutral or 1st to 2nd is something more of us have an issue with I think.

The comment made to rock the bike back and forth no clutch engaged assuming when stuck in neutral will not go out, what will that do?  Mostly I am on a level surface when it happens but in VERY hot weather in town traffic stop and go all the time and the fan is on as well.  The Valk doesn't suite me well in hot weather with stop/go, stop/go traffic.  Luckily,  95% of my riding is on the hwy.  or rural country roads. 

[cookiedough]

I'm no tech, but if a clutch is there to use for shifts,  use it, dah.

Otherwise, buy a scooter.   ???

Problems shifting with 3rd am sure is rare, but like me,  getting stuck in neutral or 1st to 2nd is something more of us have an issue with I think.

The comment made to rock the bike back and forth no clutch engaged assuming when stuck in neutral will not go out, what will that do?  Mostly I am on a level surface when it happens but in VERY hot weather in town traffic stop and go all the time and the fan is on as well.  The Valk doesn't suite me well in hot weather with stop/go, stop/go traffic.  Luckily,  95% of my riding is on the hwy.  or rural country roads.  

[RonW]

oh, boy.

[Paladin528]

I shift my car, my 1100 and now my valk without the clutch.  Properly done there is no more wear on the gears than if you use the clutch.
All the clutch does is disconnect the engine from the transmission to unload the gear train so the shift can easily take place.  If you match the rpm of the engine and transmission by slightly rolling off the throttle you will get a very smooth shift with no adverse affect on the gear train.
if you have to force it, you did it wrong.  What is save is wear and tear on the clutch and your left hand.
I only use this technique with up shifting from 2nd and up on level road.