Transmission shifted unexpectedly

Hey y'all.
I'm a pretty new rider, but have been putting as many miles in as my schedule can afford. Lately I've been having issues, particularly at the 4th gear, at higher revs. I hit false neutral a few days ago while shifting and I figured it was a fluke as it hadn't occurred again. Today, however, upon accelerating in 4th gear, a horrible grinding noise came out of the engine as I think it slipped down a gear. I emergency stopped and pulled over to the shoulder. I had no issues finishing the trip, but I'm worried if my skills or the bike are gonna be a problem for the future. Any help would be greatly appreciated barfers! Pic from the ride included :ride
 

Attachments

  • 20201105_144122.jpg
    20201105_144122.jpg
    92.7 KB · Views: 35

Maddevill

KNGKAW
Oofah. Usually when you get a bike pop out of gear under hard acceleration, you can bend the shift forks or round off the gear dogs. It's unusual to happen in 4th. Usually happens in 2nd. Before you panic, make sure the shifter is set so you get a full shift. Maybe you're not getting it entirely in gear.
If it is damaged, you'll have to split the cases.

Mad
 

W800

Noob
Hey y'all.
I'm a pretty new rider, but have been putting as many miles in as my schedule can afford. Lately I've been having issues, particularly at the 4th gear, at higher revs. I hit false neutral a few days ago while shifting and I figured it was a fluke as it hadn't occurred again. Today, however, upon accelerating in 4th gear, a horrible grinding noise came out of the engine as I think it slipped down a gear. I emergency stopped and pulled over to the shoulder. I had no issues finishing the trip, but I'm worried if my skills or the bike are gonna be a problem for the future. Any help would be greatly appreciated barfers! Pic from the ride included :ride

I would take it to Rockridge Cycles and see if there's something that might need to be adjusted. Those bikes have LONG warranties.

Also - when you shift, make sure you pull in clutch lever all the way and press firmly on the shift lever with your foot. Some bikes don't need the clutch - but whatever you do - press firmly like you mean it.

Also - and I know this seems strange - sometimes different oil makes the bike shift different. My OLD Royal Enfield C5 shifted better with certain oils. Don't know if the new ones are like that.

Hmmm - another thing is that you might want to adjust the shifter down or up so that it's in a good spot for your foot. Even little things like this can make a different.
 
I'll try to work on more deliberate shifts. Sadly, as seen in my other post, it might be safer for me to wait until a fix or replacement handlebar can be done.
 

W800

Noob
I'll try to work on more deliberate shifts. Sadly, as seen in my other post, it might be safer for me to wait until a fix or replacement handlebar can be done.

Yes - I would take it to the shop at this point and have them look it over. Sorry about the accident BTW.
 

motomania2007

TC/MSF/CMSP/ Instructor
Two things come to mind:

First: are you riding around with your toe hovering on or around the shifter rather than the balls of your feet on the foot peg so that your toe is nowhere near the shifter which is the way you should be doing it.

If you're riding around with your toe hovering under or on the shifter you can inadvertently be pushing the shifter partially out of position so that it will slip out of gear or slip between gears.

Second: since you seen me having problems up shifting if I read your post correctly, I suggest you adjust your shifter down about a quarter of an inch. That will make it easier for you to up shift.

Also make sure that your clutch is adjusted properly so that when you are shifting you are pulling the clutch lever fully in and the clutch is fully disengaging the engine from the rear wheel while you're shifting.
 

W800

Noob
Two things come to mind:

First: are you riding around with your toe hovering on or around the shifter rather than the balls of your feet on the foot peg so that your toe is nowhere near the shifter which is the way you should be doing it.

If you're riding around with your toe hovering under or on the shifter you can inadvertently be pushing the shifter partially out of position so that it will slip out of gear or slip between gears.

Second: since you seen me having problems up shifting if I read your post correctly, I suggest you adjust your shifter down about a quarter of an inch. That will make it easier for you to up shift.

Also make sure that your clutch is adjusted properly so that when you are shifting you are pulling the clutch lever fully in and the clutch is fully disengaging the engine from the rear wheel while you're shifting.


youtu.be/OP56qGs90jA


youtu.be/FPuWJYfNgR8
 
Last edited:

davidji

bike curious
Whether you or dealer/shop works on your bike, you might want to makes sure the oil gets changed. I would anyway. Oil filter too.
 

rodzghost

Well-known member
Also - when you shift, make sure you pull in clutch lever all the way and press firmly on the shift lever with your foot. Some bikes don't need the clutch - but whatever you do - press firmly like you mean it.

Also - and I know this seems strange - sometimes different oil makes the bike shift different. My OLD Royal Enfield C5 shifted better with certain oils. Don't know if the new ones are like that.

Gonna agree with both these points. Took me longer than I care to admit to get into the habit of doing this. Ironically, the "trick" that did it for me was actually using less clutch, thus forcing me to have to shift more quickly. My guess is that this also sub-consciously made me shift "harder" since the motion was quicker? Whatever the case, it's pretty rare that I hit a false neutral now-a-days. Another tip would be to keep all your control inputs as smooth as possible.

As for oil, go with what's in the owner's manual. And keep up with the changes. Fresh oil can make a pretty noticeable difference, depending on the bike.
 

W800

Noob
Gonna agree with both these points. Took me longer than I care to admit to get into the habit of doing this. Ironically, the "trick" that did it for me was actually using less clutch, thus forcing me to have to shift more quickly. My guess is that this also sub-consciously made me shift "harder" since the motion was quicker? Whatever the case, it's pretty rare that I hit a false neutral now-a-days. Another tip would be to keep all your control inputs as smooth as possible.

As for oil, go with what's in the owner's manual. And keep up with the changes. Fresh oil can make a pretty noticeable difference, depending on the bike.

Yes - The old RE C5s are big thumpers and specify 10W-50, which is a rare oil. Folks on interwebs also suggest semi-synthetic (rumor is it's better at suspending dirt, but IDK). So I ended up using Bel-Ray "Thumper" oil - great stuff, hecka expensive. But bike loved it!!!
 

ScottRNelson

Mr. Dual Sport Rider
Some bikes get false neutrals. The Ducatis from the mid-90's were known for that. I had a 1998 ST2 where I could get a false neutral between any two gears if I wanted to. It was the worst between 4th and 5th, which was also the case of the 1997 M900 Monster that I rode before it. On both bikes I adjusted the shift lever down a little bit for more positive upshifts.

Apparently I have skills at hitting false neutrals, because I've done it on a lot of different bikes. Lazy shifting habits or something. I'm not sure if I've manage on my current KTM though.

Separate from possibly having the bike looked at, work on making positive upshifts. But an adjustment to the shift lever might also help you.
 
Top