Who knows how to avoid the CLUNK shift?

[red98vmax]

I am a creature of habit, both good ones and some bad. I try to do things normally how I'd like to do them when under pressure in an emergency. A good example would be braking, I try to use both the back and front brakes with mostly front after the weight shifts to the front, without locking either one. If I do this every time, I'll be ready if I get into a bad situation with no time to think about it. This same thing applies to getting ready for corners and looking through them while cornering. The Max gets a bad rap in this area, but the rider has a lot they can do to help in the corners. There are some really good books (and courses) out there on the subject that could help any one of us with our techniques. Sorry if I sound preachy because I do like to have fun pushing envelops on the Max!

Anyway, I usually feather the clutch quickly as extra insurance against a mis-shift, even tho I don't think it hurts the bike to not use the clutch, unless something goes wrong.

As long as you're matching the RPM's of the next gear right before the shift, there won't be an issue. If you've ever done this in a car/truck it's the same concept. I learned this a long time ago from an old farmer.

The way I started practicing on the bike was using the same pre-load that red98vmax brought up. Before I shifted, I'd just put a little bit of pressure under the shifter. When I was ready to go to the next gear, I just blipped the throttle. I didn't completely get out of it, just enough and the lever just fell right into place. It's incredibly easy on a bike to perform this.

Does anyone else do this out there??

 

[44 magnum]

I am a creature of habit, both good ones and some bad. I try to do things normally how I'd like to do them when under pressure in an emergency.

If I do this every time, I'll be ready if I get into a bad situation with no time to think about it.

Excellent advice. (I do the same with my hand guns at the range. Prepare, prepare, prepare = auto-motorfunction when needed under adrenaline rush.)

 

[4gasem]

Sounds like a bent shift fork just waiting to happen...:whistlin:

You are playing with fire IMHO... To many variables and only one has to be off to cause long term tranny issues...

I'll stick to using the clutch.

 

[44 magnum]

Sounds like a bent shift fork just waiting to happen...:whistlin:

You are playing with fire IMHO... To many variables and only one has to be off to cause long term tranny issues...

I'll stick to using the clutch.

Not if you know what you're doing but there's nothing wrong with being cautious.

 

[4gasem]

Not if you know what you're doing but there's nothing wrong with being cautious.

Takes one time though... Shift forks seem to be made of swiss cheese...

 

[44 magnum]

I'm with ya bro.

 

[Robbarrie]

Recently changed the oil and went with a different brand as well as going from 10/40 to a 20/50. At first it seemed like the bike was shifting smoother however I'm starting to change my opinion fast. I have miss-shifted twice since and I have noticed it seems to have that clunck more often. When I did miss the shift it was under normal operation. I thought it could have been human error but it has never miss shifted since I bought it.....so I'm going back to my original brand and type for the next oil change. We'll see what happens then.

I too hate to hear any clunking, but then I sit and listen to all the bikes going passed my house and the noise from the Max is not even close to some of them. I'm sure I'm going to see one of them look back to see if they dropped the tranny on the road somewhere.

Sometimes it shifts so perfect you can't even hear a thing ( I'm not kidding ) it is like it didn't shift at all ! So when I hear a clunk. I get pissed off a little.

 

[partenr]

This all helps...at least I know I'm not the only clunker. Robbarrie hit on the reason for my concern: it shifts sooooo well in the upper gears. I also often shift without the clutch even though a shaft-drive bike doesn't have quite as much slop as a chain drive. It's just that 1st to 2nd that doesn't seem to have a sweet spot.

It might just be the nature of the beast. There are some big *** gears clunking around in there without fenders, upholstery or insulation to dampen the noise. The fact that 1st-2nd is passing through neutral does seem like it might make a natural mesh harder to obtain.

I've been noticing that shifting quicker usually gets a better mesh & quiter shift. I bet it'll improve overall as the tolerances loosen up a bit.

 

[44 magnum]

Sometimes it shifts so perfect you can't even hear a thing ( I'm not kidding ) it is like it didn't shift at all ! So when I hear a clunk.

Exactly! When I get that coveted Perfect Shift it sounds like my Cohan Racing 700R4 with the shift-kit in it. Lightning fast with no mechanical noise at all.

Music to my ears.

 

[4gasem]

Recently changed the oil and went with a different brand as well as going from 10/40 to a 20/50. At first it seemed like the bike was shifting smoother however I'm starting to change my opinion fast. I have miss-shifted twice since and I have noticed it seems to have that clunck more often. When I did miss the shift it was under normal operation. I thought it could have been human error but it has never miss shifted since I bought it.....so I'm going back to my original brand and type for the next oil change. We'll see what happens then.

I too hate to hear any clunking, but then I sit and listen to all the bikes going passed my house and the noise from the Max is not even close to some of them. I'm sure I'm going to see one of them look back to see if they dropped the tranny on the road somewhere.

Sometimes it shifts so perfect you can't even hear a thing ( I'm not kidding ) it is like it didn't shift at all ! So when I hear a clunk. I get pissed off a little.

I always run 10w40 or 15w40... The 15w40 seems to work VERY well and the higher zinc levels in the diesel oil really cushion the parts well...:thumbs up:

20w50 is to thick IMHO and should be used for VERY hot climates only...

A lot of drag racers run 0w30 and other thin weights... Of course they are going for speed and are going to tear their motors down x times a year anyway...

 

[44 magnum]

I always run 10w40 or 15w40... The 15w40 seems to work VERY well and the higher zinc levels in the diesel oil really cushion the parts well...:thumbs up:

I've heard you guys talk about diesel oil before. Hmmm.... I'm guessing there shouldn't be any issues in using this with regards to the clutch? Sounds pretty sweet to me!

 

[4gasem]

I've heard you guys talk about diesel oil before. Hmmm.... I'm guessing there shouldn't be any issues in using this with regards to the clutch? Sounds pretty sweet to me!

Hey! fixed your quote...:whistlin:

Yeah a lot of SV guys swear by it... I am using it now in the Max with no issues!:thumbs up:

Really any good non-energy conserving oil is good! The diesel adds a lot of zinc to help with the compression ratios they run!:thumbs up:

 

[partenr]

What's an SV guy?

 

[Buster Hymen]

What's an SV guy?

Smells Vile lol....:biglaugh:

 

[4gasem]

What's an SV guy?

Smells Vile lol....:biglaugh:

Ha Ha...

People who ride SV1000 motorcycles... :whistlin:

The copper one is an SV1000S It's a VTwin so it tends to pound on things a bit...

11,000 RPM redline and all!

 

[Robbarrie]

I was having heat problems a while back that turned out to be the thermostat which was replaced. That was one of reasons I wanted to try a different oil - not sure how much the oil has to do with the clunking ( must have some effect ) but the bike got so hot, I felt a thicker oil was necessary at the time.

As long as it doesn't breakdown at the side of the road and then cost me an arm and a leg to have it fixed I'm not too worried about it. But now having read this thread I'll try a few things and see how it goes...

I think it can be a little annoying because you never know when your shifting if it's going to be super smooth or if it will have the clunk to it...:confused2:

 

[4gasem]

I was having heat problems a while back that turned out to be the thermostat which was replaced. That was one of reasons I wanted to try a different oil - not sure how much the oil has to do with the clunking ( must have some effect ) but the bike got so hot, I felt a thicker oil was necessary at the time.

As long as it doesn't breakdown at the side of the road and then cost me an arm and a leg to have it fixed I'm not too worried about it. But now having read this thread I'll try a few things and see how it goes...

I think it can be a little annoying because you never know when your shifting if it's going to be super smooth or if it will have the clunk to it...:confused2:

Here's a great resource... I have been working with Buster and there will be a new Vmax links page setup soon and this one is on it!

OIL

A small quote!

In 1994, Dr. John Woolum tested the viscosity of several 10w-40 oils in his motorcycle. He found that all of the petroleum oils had lost highly significant amounts of viscosity within 1500 miles. Only Mobil-1 held up in his test. I have personally tested Delvac-1 synthetic in my ST1300. It was 5w-40 when I put it in, and 5w-25 9,200 miles later. By 1500 miles, the petroleum oils Dr. Woolum tested were at 10w-25 equivalent. By contrast, Dr. Woolum tested a petroleum oil in his Honda Accord. After 3600 miles, the 10w-40 oil was 10w-37 equivalent. Motorcycles are indeed significantly harder on their oils than cars. Based on this result and the VI numbers above, it would seem that 10w-40, 5w-20, and 5w-30 oils cannot be safely used in motorcycles for more than 1,000 to 1,500 miles.

 

[jgotko]

My clunks have really begun to bug the **** out of me. It clunks so hard I feel like I'm doing some damage every time I shift. (Yes - I have the clutch pulled in...) Likewise on 1st & 2nd. Also likewise on the 6,000rpm shifts.

The guy I bought the bike from this year said he had always run AMS synthetic from day one or two. It currently has AMS in it. There was a fresh oil change when I bought the bike. I'm not so sure synthetic was the best choice but this guy swore by it (AMS) and really-really cared for this bike.

Because the clunking has increased I'm considering a diffrent oil; heavier weight maybe? But then I thought I remember hearing that once you have run synthetic you need to stick with it. (?? any opinions on this ??)

I beleive there is only about 2,000 miles on the current oil. Wouldn't think it would be ready for a change already. Not really sure where to go from here...????...... Think I will try chainging the oil (continuing with the AMS for now) and see what kind of result I get out of it. Hopefully it won't be the experience Bill Kratzenberg had. The bike has over 15,000 miles on it with AMS. (??) No reason for me to suspect AMS will cause me a major clutch problem at this point in time/mileage.

 

[4gasem]

My clunks have really begun to bug the **** out of me. It clunks so hard I feel like I'm doing some damage every time I shift. (Yes - I have the clutch pulled in...) Likewise on 1st & 2nd. Also likewise on the 6,000rpm shifts.

The guy I bought the bike from this year said he had always run AMS synthetic from day one or two. It currently has AMS in it. There was a fresh oil change when I bought the bike. I'm not so sure synthetic was the best choice but this guy swore by it (AMS) and really-really cared for this bike.

Because the clunking has increased I'm considering a diffrent oil; heavier weight maybe? But then I thought I remember hearing that once you have run synthetic you need to stick with it. (?? any opinions on this ??)

I beleive there is only about 2,000 miles on the current oil. Wouldn't think it would be ready for a change already. Not really sure where to go from here...????...... Think I will try chainging the oil (continuing with the AMS for now) and see what kind of result I get out of it. Hopefully it won't be the experience Bill Kratzenberg had. The bike has over 15,000 miles on it with AMS. (??) No reason for me to suspect AMS will cause me a major clutch problem at this point in time/mileage.

Breaking a motor in on synthetic is a big no no...:whistlin:

The statement in red above is FALSE!:thumbs up:

Read my oil link above as well...

 

[44 magnum]

Breaking a motor in on synthetic is a big no no...:whistlin:

There was a TON of stuff to read in your oil link so I could have misunderstood him, but I was almost positive that he said he had found that commonly held statement to be a myth.

Here's a quote from that link...

The theory that synthetic oils should not be used during break in is the same as the theory that your engine will break in better if you use synthetic oil but add a dinner candle to your four quarts of engine oil. Frankly, I find this theory, um, questionable. Oh, hell, laughable. Corvettes and Porsches come from the factory with Mobil-1 in their engines. Remember, these engineers have designed world-champion engines for F1, Indy, Le Mans 24 hours, etc.

I'm not smart enough to argue this point, but if we believe his research, we may have something worth thinking about. I'm not at all trying to step on toes 4gasem. I'm just trying to pick the best oil for my bike just like the rest of us. I really appreciate the link you posted on this subject. That guy did a TON of research on this subject. I won't call him the Oil Savior yet, but there's a lot of information there to digest and consider.

Thanks for your time guys.