[dubstep]

My wife is enjoying her first bike, and is taking lessons to get off the L plate - her test is next month..



But when escorting her round I noticed that sometimes she has difficulty getting it into 1st from nuetral or 2nd if she pulls up wrong and doesnt complete the change down whilst moving ( perhaps?)



I have ridden the bike and on the whole I manage to get it in ok, but when my wife has had trouble - I have come over to help and indeed it does require a really firm push.



any ideas or tips? Is the selector rod bent? or some other issue? I did have a similar problem on my hornet once after a drop ( tried to ride off one sleepy morning whilst it was still chained to fence

) and had to re-align the linkage - but the TW selector is much more basic.





thanks chaps!

 

[peruano]

Dubstep and Mrs. Dubstep, I'd say its a matter of practice and familiarity with the way the bike shifts. I guess I rode mine a few weeks before finally discerning that the shifter felt different when it went into first. Its as if you hear or feel a double clunk rather than the simple shift for all other downshifts. Now I can sense from the way that shift is made whether I'm in first or not. Now getting it to back off to neutral is a distinct problem and this is likely to depend more on clutch adjustment and whether the bike is moving or not than any other factor (experience be damned on the bike that is slightly out of adjustment). I'd tell her not to worry and to just keep tapping on that puppy until she is sure she is there. Its good ankle aerobic exercise and as long as its a long light and not in the middle of a long steep ascent, the multiple tap method should serve. Certainly warm oil allows easier shifts so if something tricky is going to come up soon after departing that driveway, give the bike a longer warmup (especially on a cold morning) than you might if you have smooth sailing for 0.3 mi to the end of the driveway (like I do). I'm always shifting smoothly by the time I hit the main road. I have a Kawasaki Vulcan 500 that has a sweetly designed tranny that facilitates finding neutral anytime you are shifting at a stop or low speed. It also hits 1st gear and tells you its there because the shift lever doesnot go down as far as for anyother gear. No confusion and keep tapping until you get there if there is doubt. Ride on and needless to say - be patient. Tom

 

[Turtle Chaser]

My Tdub ('06, 8000miles) always had kind of notchy shifting. The "double clunk" thing and just a bit uncooperative at times. Always seemed better with an oil change but got worse again after 500 miles or so on the oil. After trying many top oils I've found Redline 20w50 to provide greatly improved shifting and smooth clutching. Pricey stuff but it gives me 1000 miles of smooth shifting, so it's well worth it.



JMHO, mac

 

[Boret]

From Flyin' Al Gidden TW200 Website (worth a read)

Sometimes, if you try to shift from 2nd to first while slowing below 20mph, the bike goes into neutral and will not go into first until you stop the bike all the way. Its not a real problem unless you are trying the 'bar-in-the-ribcage-panic-turn-in-the-dirt-to-avoid-something-and holy-crap-i-need-power-now' manuver.



I figured after a while that this would stop, but it has not. And, I have heard from other TW owners that they had similar problems. What seems to happen is that something in the tranny gets stuck. To alleviate the problem you will have to stop before the bike will go back in gear. If you think about it, you do want it to be hard to get into gear from neutral, but I think Yamaha went overboard. And, this is not a chronic problem, but when you are hammering in the dirt and go for that first gear you will sometimes get neutral instead.

 

[dubstep]

thanks guys - I think it might be a bit of practice will help - it does seem a bit of a known issue -ala flying Al. actually he is the guy who made me think of getting one for her ( anyone see that episode of the simpsons where homer gets marge a bowling ball for her birthday - the ball even has homer written on it.........)



we went out again last night and she was flying around! so hopefully she can get the hang of it.

 

[dalsco]

It does take practice and routine oil changes help. It gets really bad when the bike gets a good workout (hot). but as far as i know nothing can be done to really change it...

 

[qwerty]

Is the clutch dragging?

 

[dubstep]

ah! perhaps the clutch could be adjusted better? it only requires about an inch of movement - I did wonder if it was slipping a bit.



thanks for that -

 

[dubstep]

saw this bad boy near my local bike shop..



notice the oil cooler-

 

[bluedevilfootballman]

nifty oil cooler, however i don't see how that's gonna help someone get their bike into first. my tw sometimes has a hard time getting into first, i've noticed if i let the bike roll forward or backward an inch or so that can help. just a thought.

 

[qwerty]

Switching to synthetic oil helped with shifting crochetiness. When it is in neutral and won't drop easily in first sometimes letting off the clutch lever and pulling it back in helps. Sometimes rocking the bike forward or back helps.

 

[dubstep]

yep! some good suggestions I can pass on there - It seems to be be better if she changes down we suspect



that oil filter does look nice tho!



unfortunately depending on your perspective - not much in the way off road riding in Hong Kong - it's mostly paved tho a few single track roads here and there - I bet you could ride round the entire place in around 2-3 hours!

 

[dubstep]

yep! some good suggestions I can pass on there - It seems to be be better if she changes down we suspect



that oil filter does look nice tho!



unfortunately depending on your perspective - not much in the way off road riding in Hong Kong - it's mostly paved tho a few single track roads here and there - I bet you could ride round the entire place in around 2-3 hours!