I have a 2012 with 19,000 miles. It always clunks when downshifting to first and even worse when in neutral to first. Kind of embarrassing at a stop light but I have gotten use to it. I have only used synthetic since after break in and have settled on Lucas full synthetic. I previously owned a Z1000 and it never clunked this bad but then again I have way more fun on my Versus.
Crappy gear box ?
Is it me or do these bikes shift like crap ? I have 200 miles on my 2012.
61 - 80 of 144 Posts
Per
Cycle World
Downs:
Not the slickest gearbox
......
I agree this bikes trans is clunky (N-1_1-2_2-3).
And should not require special conscious effort to compensate. IMO
I have found that
N-1
Nudging/rolling the bike forward slightly as it's being shifted in to 1st reduces the clunk a lot
1-2 & 2-3
Shift at Lower RPM to prevent shifting while the the motor was just in a high torque condition (upshifting while motor was engine braking)
or
at Higher RPM's Shift Quickly with a Pre-loaded Lever as needed
3 up seems acceptable
.
.
Cycle World
Downs:
Not the slickest gearbox
......
I agree this bikes trans is clunky (N-1_1-2_2-3).
And should not require special conscious effort to compensate. IMO
I have found that
N-1
Nudging/rolling the bike forward slightly as it's being shifted in to 1st reduces the clunk a lot
1-2 & 2-3
Shift at Lower RPM to prevent shifting while the the motor was just in a high torque condition (upshifting while motor was engine braking)
or
at Higher RPM's Shift Quickly with a Pre-loaded Lever as needed
3 up seems acceptable
.
.
I'm finding that (WHEN I remember to do this...) IF I pull in and release the clutch lever twice BEFORE putting it into 1st gear, the "clunk" is greatly reduced.
:clap:
Just pull the clutch in and blip the throttle a couple of times. Inertia will break the plates loose.I'm finding that (WHEN I remember to do this...) IF I pull in and release the clutch lever twice BEFORE putting it into 1st gear, the "clunk" is greatly reduced.
:clap:
I've gotten used to the clunky 1st gear by now (4.5k miles) but will try the Motul 7100 Syn 10w40. I am hoping that it will "cure" the whining noise at 3,000 rpm.... Your best would be ester based group V synthetic motorcycle oils like Motul's 300V 4T Factory Line and 7100 4T ...
... Btw, once in a while, when approaching a stop at high gear downshifting to first sometimes it does not go in. I hear that "terrifying" sound, as if I shifted without the clutch! Has anyone experienced this?
The clunk into first gear is common on lots of bikes.
And I thought that "bikers" were this self-confident bunch.Kind of embarrassing at a stop light but I have gotten use to it.
I really do not understand being embarrassed because of some sort of "clunk" when shifting. Given the people who drill holes in their mufflers I would think that loudness was a good thing. Then again, all of the people in their cages, listening to the satellite radio and paying attention to their latest texts most likely do not notice your clunk.
I am having issues with 4-3-2. I feel like I am stomping out a fire for some reason trying to get it to downshift. Took the bike to the dealer 2 weeks ago and ask the service manager to take it for a ride and see what he thinks. He came back and said what a fun bike I have to ride. What about the shifting???? Oh yah....No problem, it is fine and normal....don't worry about it.
Since I am at 330 miles on the bike I need to wait to 500 then put synthetic oil in it and see what happens...stay tuned.
Since I am at 330 miles on the bike I need to wait to 500 then put synthetic oil in it and see what happens...stay tuned.
Your shift-lever MIGHT need adjusting....I am having issues with 4-3-2. I feel like I am stomping out a fire for some reason trying to get it to downshift. Took the bike to the dealer 2 weeks ago and ask the service manager to take it for a ride and see what he thinks. He came back and said what a fun bike I have to ride. What about the shifting???? Oh yah....No problem, it is fine and normal....don't worry about it.
Since I am at 330 miles on the bike I need to wait to 500 then put synthetic oil in it and see what happens...stay tuned.
If you only have 330 miles on it, you need more seat time and practice on that bike. It's possible to make nice smooth upshifts by using proper technique. Mine's klunky if I do slow shifts and let the rpm fall too much when upshifting. Downshifts can also be very smooth if rev matching is done.
IF your V seems to shift "crappy", I suggest you check your throttle-cable free-play. Mine was getting bad, so I checked, then removed the free-play. Now it shifts a lot better. Give it a try.
(I had about 1/8" movement before the throttles 'cracked', so set it down to pretty much ZERO.)
(I had about 1/8" movement before the throttles 'cracked', so set it down to pretty much ZERO.)
They are not as smooth as a Honda gear box but still OK. I would suspect if you have problems it is due to the shift lever being wrongly positioned for you and perhaps your shifting style. Are you pre loading the shift leaver before shifting and lightly pulling the clutch only a centimeter or two?Is it me or do these bikes shift like crap ? I have 200 miles on my 2012.
Adjust your shift lever so that it's a little lower. Whats happening is you aren't letting the lever come back up all the way between shifts. If you don't let it completely return, it won't go into the next lowest gear.I am having issues with 4-3-2. I feel like I am stomping out a fire for some reason trying to get it to downshift. Took the bike to the dealer 2 weeks ago and ask the service manager to take it for a ride and see what he thinks. He came back and said what a fun bike I have to ride. What about the shifting???? Oh yah....No problem, it is fine and normal....don't worry about it.
Since I am at 330 miles on the bike I need to wait to 500 then put synthetic oil in it and see what happens...stay tuned.
Before you adjust it, take it for a ride and concentrate on lifting your toe completely off the shifter between gears as you downshift. I bet you don't have a sticky shifter anymore.
True that. I spend about week getting my shifter tweaked in just right...then added Motowerks lowing blocks and got to do it all over again!
I will give credit to Honda. Their gearboxes are IMHO the best, shift like butter and no big "CLUNK" when you shift into 1st.
I will give credit to Honda. Their gearboxes are IMHO the best, shift like butter and no big "CLUNK" when you shift into 1st.
Huh, usually moto journalists credit suzuki and yamaha for having the smoothest transmissions (I've never owned either of those brands so have no experience with them myself, just hondas and kawasakis for me). My honda street bikes (88 hawk gt, 98 superhawk, and 08 cbr1krr) all clunked into 1st. The cbr1krr (which I still have) clunks into 1st but is a smooth clutchless shifter above 2nd gear. The versys, in contrast, is kind of clunky with clutchless shifting in pretty much any gear. I just got out of the garage doing my first oil change on my 'new' 09. I'm hoping the rotella t6 will smooth things out a bit. I've just got ~500 of my own miles on the bike so far.I will give credit to Honda. Their gearboxes are IMHO the best, shift like butter and no big "CLUNK" when you shift into 1st.
I've never owned a Yamaha or Suzuki (I've riden them but it's been too many years to remember how they shifted).
I've always had Hondas until the last two bikes, which are Kawasakis.
I think the harshest shifting bike I've ever ridden is my Versys, second worst was my KLR 650 and the Hondas were all pretty good.
Now, I also recently bought a BMW boxer. Sometimes it's butter, other times it's not. Going into 1st from N it has absolutely no clunk, it doesn't make a whisp of a sound, which is hard to get used to, but it is pretty clunky downshifting and I catch alot of false neutrals when downshifting.The BMW is the first bike I've ever owned with a dry clutch so I think that may be why it feels weird.
I've always had Hondas until the last two bikes, which are Kawasakis.
I think the harshest shifting bike I've ever ridden is my Versys, second worst was my KLR 650 and the Hondas were all pretty good.
Now, I also recently bought a BMW boxer. Sometimes it's butter, other times it's not. Going into 1st from N it has absolutely no clunk, it doesn't make a whisp of a sound, which is hard to get used to, but it is pretty clunky downshifting and I catch alot of false neutrals when downshifting.The BMW is the first bike I've ever owned with a dry clutch so I think that may be why it feels weird.
My Buell had the loudest box of any bike I ever owned. BUT it didn't miss a shift and I never heard of anyone breaking one. I heard it called "The Rock Crusher" once.
My Versys shifts nicely after I set the shifter up and got the throttle adjusted. My KLR...well it's a KLR shifts well but nothing to write home about.
My Versys shifts nicely after I set the shifter up and got the throttle adjusted. My KLR...well it's a KLR shifts well but nothing to write home about.
I don't care about the clunk what ****s me is its hard to get a smooth shift from 1st to 2nd, you either short shift low in the rev range or turn the throttle right open and rev the sucker before you up shift to second all the other gears are smooth with the right Technic but 1st to second it Russian rollette
the 1st gear clunk doesn't bother me, so many bikes exhibit this behavior as to make it a non-issue for me personally - I just accept it as part of the bike either way, and if a bike doesn't do it, even better - but it's not something I dwell on one way or the other
hell I have a suzuki that actually shifts its best under heavily aggressive acceleration, but when at a standstill in neutral it sounds like a f'n rock tumbler down there - pull the clutch in and it very noticeably quiets down, but again, while I know it's there it is not something I dwell on or count among the bikes real faults - it also periodically does the 1st gear clunk thing but not always - truth be told, I haven't bothered to try and notice whatever condition makes it happen - my thing is, if you like riding a bike (and this is the most important thing imo) then it's a packaged deal, so some of the minor warts are easily overlooked for all the fun I've had on it
I always thought the versys gearbox wasn't bad, nice positive 'snick' with each up shift, and only a lazy foot will periodically miss 1st to 2nd really - I think my main complaints with the bike are 1) the rear shock is too harsh on small stuff and too soft on big dips when it should be the other way around, and 2) the instrumentation and headlamp assemblies are unnecessarily tedious when it comes to doing anything simple up in that area - I like when the instrument panel just removes and unplugs entirely as one unit like my bandit, makes doing anything electrical up front nice and easy
hell I have a suzuki that actually shifts its best under heavily aggressive acceleration, but when at a standstill in neutral it sounds like a f'n rock tumbler down there - pull the clutch in and it very noticeably quiets down, but again, while I know it's there it is not something I dwell on or count among the bikes real faults - it also periodically does the 1st gear clunk thing but not always - truth be told, I haven't bothered to try and notice whatever condition makes it happen - my thing is, if you like riding a bike (and this is the most important thing imo) then it's a packaged deal, so some of the minor warts are easily overlooked for all the fun I've had on it
I always thought the versys gearbox wasn't bad, nice positive 'snick' with each up shift, and only a lazy foot will periodically miss 1st to 2nd really - I think my main complaints with the bike are 1) the rear shock is too harsh on small stuff and too soft on big dips when it should be the other way around, and 2) the instrumentation and headlamp assemblies are unnecessarily tedious when it comes to doing anything simple up in that area - I like when the instrument panel just removes and unplugs entirely as one unit like my bandit, makes doing anything electrical up front nice and easy
Yep there's a loud CLUNK at times, BUT have you ever heard a Buell? CLUNK!!!
I have found that short shifting makes it easier to miss a shift. Plus you have to WANT to shift and not mess around, giver the boot! Or at least a good swift toe! Make sure the shift linkage is lubed and adjusted to allow it to return to it's center position after each shift up or down.
I know it's not a "Butter Box" but I haven't seen a mess of post about broken boxes ether. :thumb:
I have found that short shifting makes it easier to miss a shift. Plus you have to WANT to shift and not mess around, giver the boot! Or at least a good swift toe! Make sure the shift linkage is lubed and adjusted to allow it to return to it's center position after each shift up or down.
I know it's not a "Butter Box" but I haven't seen a mess of post about broken boxes ether. :thumb:
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