Tough to downshift

[FZ8.UK]

Hi Petemass

Hi
Yes I have the same trouble, CLUNK when putting in 1st, then stiff lever lift going up 2nd 3rd ok after 3rd,,

Going down the box as you describe,

Blip the throttle, Or downshifts will be hard, they do'nt tell u this when u buy the bike or mention it in the jurno test rides, or even in the bikes manual,

How long would it be acceptable to put up with this before the downshift is smooth, or it is ok for the bike to be returned to the dealer for check or replacement,

Do not have this problem when i bought my new cars past and present,


I have come to the lovely FZ from 10 years riding 3 different Buells, which got slated for there agricultural gearbox, i chose the Buell box over the FZ

My FZ is 2011 with 300mls on the clock, hope the changes get smoother, if not what mileage do i reject the bike or ask for a new g/box, if it does not,

No mention of a lighter crank than the FZ1 so i may have to put up with a cranky gearbox when i bought it,

Fingers crossed for a long friendship with my FZ8

RIDE SAFE BOYS.

 

[Speedo007]

I put around 18000km on mine this year. It's still not perfect, will never be smooth like a honda or kawa gear box, but it has improved quite a lot and it's no longer an issue for me. I'd say after the first 1000km it gets better and better. There's a warranty so I'd say stick with it and see how it goes, if after a few more thousand miles you see no improvement ask them to try it out and check it out.

 

[Cognitive CHAOS]

Service manuals

Yeah I've seen those on eBay and stuff. I'm always skeptical about those. I don't wanna take the chance of wasting time and money. I've even got one of my close friends hunting one down for me. Since the model is so new, he said it would be a few more years till an official manual is released. *sigh* I would like the part by part expanded view layout. They closest thing he's sent me was from the Yamaha site where it gives you an expanded view of parts so you could order anything directly from them. Sadly it's VERY limited on what it shows.
If there's anything else you can think of, hit me up.

 

[dubel]

My bike is very tough to downshift. For example: I'm riding in top gear and approaching a stop, and I clutch and brake before downshifting. If i then try to rapidly downshift to 1st gear i get quite a bit of resistance as it drops into each gear.

In your description it sounds like you are slowing down almost to a stop while in high gear, then with the engine practically idling downshifting through all your gears - each subsequent shift requiring the engine to rev somewhat faster to match the new lower gear. If they don't match, you will get resistance or possibly grinding if forced.

This might be expected depending on engine RPM at the time of the downshift. The resistance/wear is avoided by blipping the throttle to match the RPM for the new lower gear. I've noticed that there seems to be a wider gap between first and second.

The CLUNK into first gear from idle is normal, I've felt that on the few bikes I've ridden and notice that some bikers actually appreciate that clunk into first. However, it does seem like a relatively powerful clunk on the FZ8 (clunk effect to engine size ratio if there was such a thing).

Some things I learned from the MFC:
1. Engine braking should be used for motorcycles (while not typically appropriate for cars). The clutches are designed to handle this and you will always be in an appropriate gear to escape if needed.
2. Bad habit: I naturally pulled the clutch in anytime I needed to slow down - this was discouraged in the course - it was expected that you use engine braking whenever possible.
3. Engine braking is almost as effective as your rear brake yet doesn't trigger your brake light; get in the habit of using the brake lever at least to signal drivers behind you that you are slowing down.

 

[crspangenberg]

Cognitive CHAOS

The FZ8 is my very first motorcycle I've ever owned. It's already put me 9k in debt, so I gotta be tight with mah money. Does anyone know where I can find a cheap/free service manual for my bike? Because 80 bucks is a bit steep for me.

Hey Cognitive CHAOS I have the digital service manual pm me and I'll set you up!

 

[Hoover]

Although the CLUNK from neutral to first is normal, on the 8 it is much more noticable, this is due to the lightweight crank.