Possible clutch adjustment or transmission problem

A

austinw23

Member
Visit site
So i searched through the other posts in the same area as this but didnt find anything that really pertained to my problem.

I have an 02 fz1 with 5,500 miles on it. This started just this year after being stored in my garage for winter.

I will be riding in 1st and go to second and the shift lever doesnt come back down like it should. I have to lift my foot to get it into second really hard. It is like its not grabbing anything it just "floats" up and down.

Once I am in second I try and down shift back to first or even up to 3rd and the shift lever is free. It isnt grabbing anything. I have to stomp it down to get it to go into first. It also sometimes sticks in neutral.

I will pull over put it on the center stand and hold the clutch in and gently go thru the gears it only seems to do this in like 1st 2nd 3rd sometimes 4th. Once i get it into 5th and 6th it seems to change gears just like it should.

I am not sure if its a linkage problem or possibly a clutch adjustment problem. I dont have a lot of experience working on bikes and am trying to avoid going to a yamaha stealership aka dealership.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. If you guys/gals need any more information just ask and I will try to describe it better.

THANKS YAMAHA FZ1 FORUM!!!!!
 
It is due for an oil change. its been about 3000 miles since i changed it last. I will change the oil and see how that works. I wasnt sure if that would make a difference. What a NOOB I am lol Thank you!
 
austinw23 said:
It is due for an oil change. its been about 3000 miles since i changed it last. I will change the oil and see how that works. I wasnt sure if that would make a difference. What a NOOB I am lol Thank you!
Click to expand...

That will make a noticeable difference in this case and will probably fix your issue. Once the oil has been sheared enough by the transmission one of the first symptoms is notchy shifting like you're describing. Let us know how it goes after the oil change...
 
I will get the oil changed today on my lunch and let you all know how it goes. I was unaware the transmission and motor oil where shared. Especially after being stored all winter... I should of changed the oil before I started riding. Thanks again!
 
austinw23 said:
I will get the oil changed today on my lunch and let you all know how it goes. I was unaware the transmission and motor oil where shared. Especially after being stored all winter... I should of changed the oil before I started riding. Thanks again!
Click to expand...

Well now you know ;) and next time it's best to change the oil before putting it away for the Winter. Used oil contains all kinds of contaminants that are not good for the engine so it's best to store it with fresh oil.
 
Oh snap.

It wasnt very long so I dont feel like a complete tard. our winter up here in north idaho was very short i was riding into novemember and december in our 40 degree days. i was able to ride in jan feb and this month so it was an awesome year to buy a bike last year. i will definately change the oil before storing it next time. thank you for the advice. off to the parts store!!!
 
Before changing your oil I would lube you clutch cable and take the foot peg off and lube the gear shaft attached to the peg with thick grease.
It actually makes a big difference in gear changing.

I had the very same issue with my ZX6. Sometimes it didn't go back to first at all with out slamming it hard (loosing you temper) the shaft was bone dry when I removed it.

I found this out after the oil change made no difference and was going to attempt splitting the donk to get to the gear box. The mechanic will not tell you this. They'll ask you to drop it into the shop so they can do it them self's and charge you for parts they clean and put back. Or tell you they need to get into the gear box to take a look. Then send you a bill of thousands of bucks.

Lube first then oil change. Elimate the small things you can do yourself first to fix the problem.
 
I'd serriously think of changing to Mobil 1 synthetic, it will make shifting silky smoothe, and likely ungum up the stickiness and vague feeling. Also CooperN's suggestions, would be a very worthwile thing to do after the hybernation period your bike just had.
 
If you only have 5500 miles on an "02" model, that thing has been doing a lot of sitting around doing nothing. And, if you have salt on the roads up there corosion can be a problem. I'd go over the entire bike and check every single part that should move, clean it, and lube it, including brakes, cables, and the induction (carbs). If you don't do this, you'll end up with a lot of things not working properly during the next riding season. I take it that you are owner #2 or maybe 3? You might also acquire a service manual.
 
I did the oil change today. Everything is working flawlessly. My friend told me about putting grease around the foot peg. did that. its perfect back to amazing shifting. i bought it from a guy last year that is in iraq and didnt get to ride. bought it with 450 miles on it. it has been great and i love every second. thank you all for the input. this remains my favorite forum!
 
austinw23 said:
I did the oil change today. Everything is working flawlessly. My friend told me about putting grease around the foot peg. did that. its perfect back to amazing shifting. i bought it from a guy last year that is in iraq and didnt get to ride. bought it with 450 miles on it. it has been great and i love every second. thank you all for the input. this remains my favorite forum!
Click to expand...

Glad to hear the oil change cured your shifting issue. Amazing what clean oil can do ;)
 
Okay so my problem was gone until i went to lunch today. i was on the way home from work and the shifter was not returning to its normal place of rest. it is doing the exact same thing as before...

does anyone have any ideas without tearing it apart?
 
Heim joints.

Put the bike on the center-stand.
Spin the rear wheel with one hand, work the shifter with the other... shift through the gears and look at the shifter... is it returning to center? Probably not... so.. that's one of 2 things...

#1, check the heim joints... lube them.... then try again... if that doesn't get it moving right, loosen the bolt on each heim joint about 1 turn and try again.... if lubing doesn't work, and loosening does... either replace the heim joints, or get longer bolts... run the bolts through, leaving them 1-2 turns loose, and snug them up with a nut on the back of the threads.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top