god i hate this shifter

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sidwin

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I posted this on the other forum but i'm really beginning to hate my shifter.

If i come to a light and forget to downshift, sometimes i can't get the bike in first gear. She'll stay in second. i have to either move the bike a couple of inches then try or rev... Sometimes when i'm in neutral i can't go into first without double clutch either. i put rotella synthetic day 1 i bought the bike. i'm going to try to change the oil and put some more back in tomorrow. Bike has 6600 when i bought it and now has 7000 miles. I just put a 16T front sprocket in and retentioned the chain. i thought that would help but the problem is still there...

thanks,
sid
 
If you have adjusted the lever to allow for a shorter throw, it may not be fully releasing. I know that I was having problems with it not going smoothly into first on my Gen I. For a Gen I, the lever should have around 10-15mm of travel, don't know if it is the same for Gen II, but it may be a start.

Can also be compounded if you have adjustable levers on the bike instead of the stockers, but check the adjustment before going the next route....
 
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The first of your problems is common to all bikes. Once you are stopped, and unlike a car, you can generally only shift one gear in either direction. There is a trick that will work on most every bike, including the FZ1: Shift down like you normally would, one gear. Then shift down again but keep the clutch engaged. Slowly release the clutch till you hear the "clank" of the gear change. You have now successfully changed 2 gears. You can repeat this as many times as you like. Be careful not to let the clutch totally out, only till you hear the clank and then pull in again, unless you are in neutral now. You can do this all the way from 6th gear down to neutral or first and you never have to move the bike. Again, this is not an FZ1 issue. It's a motorcycle issue.

Your second problem is indeed a little troublesome. I have found, unlike other bikes I've ridden, that sometimes I have to double clutch or simply go to second from neutral. It's not common but it happens.
 
Hate to tell you but this on is on you, not the bike. You simply need to remember to down shift before you come to a stop. Or you can stomp the shifter down and gently release the clutch part way and the bike will shift down. Repeat until you find neutral or whatever gear you are looking for.
 
Norm said:
The first of your problems is common to all bikes. Once you are stopped, and unlike a car, you can generally only shift one gear in either direction. There is a trick that will work on most every bike, including the FZ1: Shift down like you normally would, one gear. Then shift down again but keep the clutch engaged. Slowly release the clutch till you hear the \"clank\" of the gear change. You have now successfully changed 2 gears. You can repeat this as many times as you like. Be careful not to let the clutch totally out, only till you hear the clank and then pull in again, unless you are in neutral now. You can do this all the way from 6th gear down to neutral or first and you never have to move the bike. Again, this is not an FZ1 issue. It's a motorcycle issue.

Your second problem is indeed a little troublesome. I have found, unlike other bikes I've ridden, that sometimes I have to double clutch or simply go to second from neutral. It's not common but it happens.
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i'll try that... i've only had this problem on yamaha chain driven bikes to be honest. my old 03 honda shadow with 10k on it never has a problem going down in gears. i can always downshift at a stop without a problem.

That double clutch problem seems to be normal in yamaha's too.

I've driven v-stars that are shaft driven and also kawasaki's... they don't have this problem at all. perhaps its somehow related to the chain and or sprockets.
 
Hellgate said:
Hate to tell you but this on is on you, not the bike. You simply need to remember to down shift before you come to a stop. n
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easier said than done at times... i had a car pull out infront of me and had to do an emergency stop. the last thing i was thinking of was downshifting..... after yelling at the car driver, i noticed i couldn't get the bike into first... with traffic coming up quickly behind i was quite annoyed.

thx,
 
Hellgate said:
Hate to tell you but this on is on you, not the bike. You simply need to remember to down shift before you come to a stop. Or you can stomp the shifter down and gently release the clutch part way and the bike will shift down. Repeat until you find neutral or whatever gear you are looking for.
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:+1: I've owned many bikes through the years, Honda's, Yamaha's, Suzuki's, and all are like this, including the FZ1.

If you roll to a stop and forgot to downshift along the way, you can't just shift multiple gears down while stopped. You have to slightly engage the clutch between each gear. PITA, but that's normal. If you had a bike that didn't need that, then it was NOT normal actually.
 
Boomer said:
:+1: I've owned many bikes through the years, Honda's, Yamaha's, Suzuki's, and all are like this, including the FZ1.

If you roll to a stop and forgot to downshift along the way, you can't just shift multiple gears down while stopped. You have to slightly engage the clutch between each gear. PITA, but that's normal. If you had a bike that didn't need that, then it was NOT normal actually.
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Ditto, Kawasaki, Honda and now my Yami.

I would encourage you to practice emergency stops so that down shifting is instinctive. Last thing you need is some distracted driver barreling up behind you with you stuck in neutral or 2nd and no way out.
 
sidwin said:
easier said than done at times... i had a car pull out infront of me and had to do an emergency stop. the last thing i was thinking of was downshifting..... after yelling at the car driver, i noticed i couldn't get the bike into first... with traffic coming up quickly behind i was quite annoyed.

thx,
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Well then you can sell the Fizzer and buy an Aprilia Mana 850. The Mana has an automatic transmission. It's actually a very nice bike. Other than that you need to do your drills to learn to down shift quickly and by habit.

Aprilia
 
The 06 did have a sticky shift due to lack of sufficient lubrication; if I recall correctly. I believe Yamaha corrected this on future Gen II bikes with greater lubrication. Am I correct?
My 08 shifts rather easily. In fact smoothest shifter I've had on any bike.
BTW-if you get the revs right on down shift, you don't need much clutch.
Do they import the Aprilia Mana 850 stateside?
 
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As I tell every new driver in MTP the gear selector operates like a ratchet system. Always remember to tap tap tap whenever you come to a quick stop in case you need to pull off in a hurry.

Some riders tend to try to count gears as they upshift and doiwnshift. I find that I am always downshifting even though I am in first gear. Most times | can never tell which gear I am in just that it is the right one for the speed. Stop counting gears and enjoy the ride.
 
To the OP, sounds like you just need more experience with this bike...it's not malfunctioning in any way. Cycling the clutch as a stoplight is par for the course to shift a modern sportbike at a stoplight if you left it in a higher gear.

Polestar said:
The 06 did have a sticky shift due to lack of sufficient lubrication; if I recall correctly. I believe Yamaha corrected this on future Gen II bikes with greater lubrication. Am I correct?
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No part of what you just said is accurate in any way.
 
2007 Revision

From 2007 onwards Yamaha solved the throttle snatch issue by slowing the rate at which the secondary flies were being opened. Yamaha also softened the rear shock spring, and provided a larger transmission oil port for smoother shifting. 2007 also received a Raven black colour scheme with red stripes.
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..........
 
Emergency stops aside, you should be downshifting while moving all the way to the stop, which ends in 1st gear. Doing so leaves you in a gear with high RPM range and able to get away from a situation that might occur at that time..... like some idiot cage coming up behind you, not paying attention and can't stop fast enough.

Don't wait until you're stopped or nearly stopped to start downshifting. Don't expect to downshift more than one gear on a single pull of the clutch.

If you do this, there is no problem at all! :D
 
Mine does that too...I've owned HEAPS of bikes over the years and never had one do this the same way.. I shift down gears all the time when slowing, but sometimes it Just Won't Go into first.. even while moving at very slow speed. Sorta gets stuck in neutral.

Used to it now, but it did strike me as a bit weird. Sometimes now I just bang it up into second and pull away, which works, but probably isn't all that good for your clutch to be honest!

Anyways, I forgive it, because it does nearly a ton in first! lol
 
Out of curiosity, what are you guys with the problems using for oil and please be very specific? There are oils that cannot go into these bikes due to additives and what those additives do to the clutch. Just a thought....
 
FZ1inNH said:
Out of curiosity, what are you guys with the problems using for oil and please be very specific? There are oils that cannot go into these bikes due to additives and what those additives do to the clutch. Just a thought....
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well as mine is under warranty still I got the shop to do the oil change... Castrol GPS is what is listed on the receipt.. I change the oil about twice as frequently as they recommend. My beastie only has 4000 miles on it (I use my hornet 900 in bad weather mostly).
 
I had this problem on my FZ6, I thought the gearbox was broken. There's also rolling with the clutch engaged, up or downshifting, and then you can't get it into gear. I understand (now) that you're not supposed to cruise in neutral, but it feels like the gears will be torn apart
 
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