Poor shifting when hot

[lovememyxt]

When the bike is hot I sometimes cannot down shift at all in the normal manner. In order to get it done I have to press the shift lever down, slide my foot off the lever while it is in that position, and let it snap back up by itself. This will allow the next lower gear to become available. This problem started pretty much from when I had bought the bike new in 2012. I figured it might need to break in, but that apparently did not change solve the problem. Living at the end of the road in Key West and basically never really having to leave the island I very rarely get the engine hot enough for this issue to come up, but now, having ridden across to California there is ample opportunity here to spend a couple of hours on a ride. Anybody else experience this problem?

 

[scott123007]

When the bike is hot I sometimes cannot down shift at all in the normal manner. In order to get it done I have to press the shift lever down, slide my foot off the lever while it is in that position, and let it snap back up by itself. This will allow the next lower gear to become available. This problem started pretty much from when I had bought the bike new in 2012. I figured it might need to break in, but that apparently did not change solve the problem. Living at the end of the road in Key West and basically never really having to leave the island I very rarely get the engine hot enough for this issue to come up, but now, having ridden across to California there is ample opportunity here to spend a couple of hours on a ride. Anybody else experience this problem?

Before you get trampled by this board for not using the search function, because this is an often discussed problem, try lubricating the shifter pivot bolt with a little wd40. If that fixes your problem, remove that bolt, and grease it, and you should be good to go.

On another note, I'm assuming you realize, that you always downshift as you slow down, not all at once when you are stopped.

 

[lovememyxt]

Hahaha,....have been spared the trampling thus far, thanks! Will be more careful. No, it is not a matter of riding inexperience, have had tons of bikes(4 presently), and have never had this kind of miserable gearbox action.

 

[trainman]

an obvious question but is your oil the correct grade for the temp you operate in, old or wrong oil can affect clutch, especially if you use a synthetic not designed for a wet clutch

might be worth a dealer checking master cylinder is operating to its full extent

 

[twinrider]

I don't think the shift pivot is the cause of your issue because it wouldn't be heat related, but if you do lube it, use moly grease, like what Honda sells.

I'd recommend you have your clutch inspected. I had similar symptoms even when I didn't have that much mileage on my bike and it turns out the clutch needed to be replaced. Shifts great now, wish I had done it long ago.


I also used the opp to replace the basket with the 14~ redesigned basket. Nice improvement there in terms of how the bike pulls at low RPMs, much smoother.

 

[EricV]

I'm a bit surprised that if you've known about this issue from when the bike was new, that you haven't investigated it by now. Try the simple solutions first. As Scott123007 suggested, a common complaint of this type is simply dirt or lack of lubrication on the shifter pivot. Some people have even added a zirc fitting to make it simple to grease. The shaft has a groove there from the factory.

Key west is a fun spot. Just sucks getting there and getting out of there. I hope one of your bikes is a scooter! Perfect spot for scooter riding.

What mileage do you have on the bike at this time? Others have offered up good ideas, but having a physical problem with the clutch is quite rare. More common are simple things like the lubing of the pivot or a poor bleed job on the clutch hydraulic system. Further complications such as a leaking hydraulic system or contaminated clutch plates due to incorrect oil could also play a part too. And operator error is not ruled out quite yet, as you did not specify the conditions under which you have the issue other than when the bike is hot.

I try not to assume either way, so is your normal downshifting process when this occurs when you are slowing down or otherwise moving? Or after you have come to a stop?

Have you ever bled the clutch system? Or ever changed the fluid? If you changed the fluid, what did you use?

What engine oil are you using? How old is it? (miles & time) It's common to notice an increase in shifting effort with oil that's due for a change. Oils with "energy conserving" marked on the bottle have friction modifiers that don't play well with wet clutches.

After these simple issues, then it gets into physical problems that have occurred. There is a shift return spring that has broken inside on a few Super Teneres, but it's not common. There have been some sticking clutch friction disks too, usually on bikes that sat for very extended periods before being sold. And as Twinrider notes, there have been a couple of damaged clutch units too, but these are odd manufacturing faults, not common issues.

Last, if you have the extended YES warranty, it might be useful to have the dealer look at it for you as well. I have no idea off the top of my head where your nearest Yamaha dealer is, but FL has a few.