I have had an intermittent problem with the transmission getting stuck in the higher gears and not allowing me to shift all the way down to first gear as I come to a stop. It refuses to go into first gear even when at a complete stop when this happens. It has happened three times. I have had my Versys for 1 month and have 300 miles. You can imagine it is difficult to get started again in third or fourth gear. Has anybody had a similar experience? The bike goes into the shop tomorrow to see what the problem is.

had a very simular prob. The more i used it the better it got at 500 miles i changed to amsoil 20/50 the trans is very smooth now. also engine is quieter

Every bike I've owned has done this every now and again. All you have to do though is let the clutch back out momentarily and then in, so it's engaging the gearing for a second, and then you can shift down normally.

Thanks for the advice, I'll try these ideas if the shop doesn't find anything.

Also check your clutch cable free-play and drive chain tension.

When I put my Versys in 1st from neterual it is very clunky. Has anyone else experienced this ?

Hi Louis
Yep mine the same,now with 800 mls always been like that,though slightly less clunky when fully warmed up.I hear that this is a trait of Kawa bikes
Dont know if that really so but makes it eassier to bear.
Otherwise following first servive last week and shop refilling with semi synthetic it is really sweet now.

Just a few more miles then......

Twohoots
www.picasaweb.google.com/stuartbull1

So far, when my Versys is shifting normally, I have found it to be much smoother than my Suzuki SV650S was. That one really had a clunky shifter.

Yep, my tranny is clunky. The DRZ was butter smooth compared to the Versys, though the notchiness was reduced some after I changed the oil. Also, it seems as though the lever travel is farther on the Versys to shift from one gear to the next, than on the DRZ. Example, after an upshift (especially 3rd), I have to deliberately let the shift lever travel all the way back down before I can shift into the next gear. I'm constantly missing shifts between 3rd & 4th. I used to use the side of the sole of my boot to change gears on the DRZ. I'm glad to see I'm not the only one to notice.

I got the bike back from the shop. They said it was the clutch cable needed adjustment. Thanks for the input.

I'm glad to know that clunk is normal.

I got the bike back from the shop. They said it was the clutch cable needed adjustment. Thanks for the input.

Did you notice any difference?

I have had an intermittent problem with the transmission getting stuck in the higher gears and not allowing me to shift all the way down to first gear as I come to a stop. It refuses to go into first gear even when at a complete stop when this happens. It has happened three times. I have had my Versys for 1 month and have 300 miles. You can imagine it is difficult to get started again in third or fourth gear. Has anybody had a similar experience? The bike goes into the shop tomorrow to see what the problem is.

It's happened to me too - but not quite how you describe.

It only seems to happen if I haven't downshifted all the way while the bike is moving (e.g., I screw up; Or, during a panic stop if there's no time to move down to 1st). If I roll the bike slightly I can usually make it recover.

I'm wondering it the positive neutral finder is buggy...

It's happened to me too - but not quite how you describe.

It only seems to happen if I haven't downshifted all the way while the bike is moving (e.g., I screw up; Or, during a panic stop if there's no time to move down to 1st). If I roll the bike slightly I can usually make it recover.

I'm wondering it the positive neutral finder is buggy...


I was wondering the same thing. Others have mentioned shifting anomalies on a couple of other Versys forums/threads. Some say its not an issue for them, some say it is...

Almost all trannies clunk when going into 1st from a dead stop. Coming from a suzuki (known for smooth gearboxes), I had to get used to shifting down coming to a stop. Because of the positive neutral finder, when you shift down you must let the shifter come all the way back up to its normal (non-loaded) position before you can shift down to the next gear. I got used to banging down as many shifts as I wanted to on all the other bikes I've owned, having never owned a Kawi. After adapting your shifting style all should be fine. On my next oil change @ 4,500 mi. I will go to my regular bike oil (castrol actevo semi-synthetic) I would'nt be surprised if that smothed things up a bit in the shifting department as well.

AlexDz,

I thought the clutch adjustment fixed it but it happened again last night. I'm now at 400 miles on the bike. Seems to happen every 100 miles or so. This time I was able to get it into 1st gear before the light turned green. I started to to release clutch lever slightly and apply throttle, then pulled clutch lever again and it let me shift it the rest of the way down. It wasn't a panic stop and I was attempting to down shift as I approached the red light when it got stuck in 3rd gear.

I've got about 350 miles on mine and it's happened 2 or 3 times. Each episode occurred when I was almost at a stop and tried to downshift from the higher gears to first very quickly. I'm thinking (hoping) a little wearing in will take care of it.

I've been experiencing similar issues, but I believe I discovered I'm just being lazy - not fully releasing the shift lever after an upshift (leaving my boot underneath it and keeping it from returning to the neutral position) or after a downshift, my boot keeps it down and doesn't let it return up to a neutral position.

When I don't do either of those, no problems. Guess I need to keep working on my technique!

I've been experiencing similar issues, but I believe I discovered I'm just being lazy - not fully releasing the shift lever after an upshift (leaving my boot underneath it and keeping it from returning to the neutral position) or after a downshift, my boot keeps it down and doesn't let it return up to a neutral position.

When I don't do either of those, no problems. Guess I need to keep working on my technique!

Almost every bike i have owned, or used has had some sort of tranny clunk when shifting into first, especially when new, this is no problem and does not damage the transmission at all, The other problem seems to be getting first gear after coming to a standstill in a higher gear, this is just the norm`on most gearboxes and running higher mileage doesnt cure it, Its more like experience with the box you kinda get used to it and know when to shift down without thinking, And the problem is no longer a problem if you know what I mean, When or if you ever read bike reviews one of the first things you will notice when they review a new bike, Is the transmission its never a great review it either gives false neutrals, or a clunky change. So unless you have a real transmission problem, don't worry as bikes all tend to have the same traits,,,, enjoy your ride and as you get used to your V any tranny probs, you think you had will be a distant memory, even with the odd missed gear or false neutral,,,,:thumb::thumb:

So I'm not alone...

Clunk down into first...clunk up into second... and I've always got to make sure I snap it crisply into third, or I miss the shift... I have my fingers crossed things will smooth out by 1,000 klicks or so... which looks very likely based on the posts above...


I'm not complaining, but I'm still trying to get used to the personality of my '07 at 500 km... the tranny is sure different animal than the Suzuki GS 400 I used to ride. But man, do I love its low-end grunt on busy city streets... I adored my little Suzi but she never much liked stop-and-go traffic. Or maybe it was just me?

My old F650 had a severe clunk into 1st and that's with 21,000 kilometers on the odo. I find the Versys much smoother going into gears. The only problem I have had is that the shift lever was too low on the V and this may be the problem you are experiencing. My boot kept getting caught under the lever and I'd mess up the shift. I've since raised the height of the shift lever and I can move my boot in and out much easier. And my shifts are much smoother.

Now that I've topped 850 km on my Versys, shifting is getting a bit smoother... except for still fairly solid clunk down into first.

I've had my boot / shifting issues sometimes too. Maybe the shifter location could be a little higher for me, too...

Thanks for the tip!

Ive put 3 000 km on mine (was new in may) since the beginning of the riding season (up in canada). And never had trouble with the shifter/clutch/transmission. The only thing that happened once in a while in the beginning was as mentionned by "Bear on a bicycle" I didnt let the shifter all the way down so when I tried upshifting in the next gear the shifter wasn't loaded. But I got used to it and now it doesnt happen anymore. It may be worst when you rode alot on another bike to adapt, in my case its my first street bike so no adaptation...just learning :)
And finding the neutral is a charm when fully stopped. I never put it in neutral when still rolling, even at traffic lights I always stay in 1st gear as a teacher tought me to always be ready to hit the gas if something happens behind you while your waiting for the light to turn green - Ive been rear ended while waiting at a red light in my car because the driver behind me was not looking where he was going!). So basically the only time I put my bike in neutral is when Im stopped and need both hands. Compared to ZZR600, GS500, and a few other models I tried during my motorcycle learning course, the Versys transmission is great. The problem might be isolated issues on a few bikes...

I've just turned 1,500 km after my first oil change and I can report the transmission/shifting clunkiness has disappeared.

Shifting is nice and crisp now, no clunking. And I've been watching my shifting technique, too... I think I was a bit sloppy.

Also did my first oil change now at 950 km's , using Motul 3000 mineral oil , gearbox and engine is a lot smoother .

Will probably change to a semi or full synthetic next service .