08 Ninja 250 shifting problem

bsawant

bsawant

Well-known member
Hey folks,

I have a 2008 ninja 250 and i've been having problems shifting up when the bike has warmed up.

after a couple of hours of riding, it gets harder to shift up. i'll try to shift and the rpms will just shoot up and i'll have to try again, or i'll shift, let the clutch lever out and the rpms will shoot for a second and then go back to normal (as if the clutch had not engaged completely).

i am pretty handy with tools, just no experience with motorbikes.

thanks in advance
 
check if there's play/slack/tightness in the clutch cable. That's where I'd look first.
grab yourself a service manual for the ninja while you're at it. Great to have for a bike you work on.
 
How sudden is the rise and fall in RPM while changing gear and working the clutch? I ran into an issue last year where it felt like the clutch was terribly slippy, causing a gear change to result in a short RPM rise with a lack of acceleration before the two came to meet, but it just turned out that the cable needed to be re-routed and thoroughly lubed. There were actually a few kinks, and a tonne of gunk.

Any trouble with physically shifting into gear (via shift pedal)? Do the RPMs rise then fall with a sudden click and jolt in the bike? Issues there would point to a gear engagement issue.
 
nfq said:
check if there's play/slack/tightness in the clutch cable. That's where I'd look first.
grab yourself a service manual for the ninja while you're at it. Great to have for a bike you work on.
Click to expand...

there is lot of slack in the clutch lever i'll adjust it right now and i'll download the manual right now as well.

Bermuda said:
How sudden is the rise and fall in RPM while changing gear and working the clutch? I ran into an issue last year where it felt like the clutch was terribly slippy, causing a gear change to result in a short RPM rise with a lack of acceleration before the two came to meet, but it just turned out that the cable needed to be re-routed and thoroughly lubed. There were actually a few kinks, and a tonne of gunk.

Any trouble with physically shifting into gear (via shift pedal)? Do the RPMs rise then fall with a sudden click and jolt in the bike? Issues there would point to a gear engagement issue.
Click to expand...

there is a bit of an issues with the bike jolting sometimes (i always dismiss it as my lack of riding experience) also, to go with that, there isn't much of a friction point per say, about 2 mm of movement near the end of the lever will give me a bit of friction point and then full engagement.

i'll also do an oil change tomorrow to see if it does anything.
 
Check your mileage, if you are roughly in the 40,000 km range you might want to replace your cable. Also when was the last time you lubed your cable? it's possible that when you release the clutch it is not engaging quickly enough because it's sticking for a bit then releasing.

Your original complaint sounds similar to what would happen on my 250, every once in a while if I was not positive enough on the up shift the gear would fall into neutral. It would feel like you were in gear for a second then all of a sudden the revs would rise because the gear was not fully selected. I would have to clutch again and then shift again more positively.
 
NealT said:
Check your mileage, if you are roughly in the 40,000 km range you might want to replace your cable. Also when was the last time you lubed your cable? it's possible that when you release the clutch it is not engaging quickly enough because it's sticking for a bit then releasing.

Your original complaint sounds similar to what would happen on my 250, every once in a while if I was not positive enough on the up shift the gear would fall into neutral. It would feel like you were in gear for a second then all of a sudden the revs would rise because the gear was not fully selected. I would have to clutch again and then shift again more positively.
Click to expand...

The bike has just hit 18000 km, I don't think the cable is broken, there is however a massive play in the clutch lever. I will be adjusting it tomorrow morning and take it out for a long ride (hopefully it doesn't snow again)
 
Check the cable for fraying at the lever and down at the clutch, that could explain how it is suddenly getting so much slack in it.
 
+1 my cable frayed in the middle so I never saw any broken strands however the effect was similar to suddenly having your clutch cable lengthen, if this is the case you don't have much time before it breaks.
 
Had one snap on me.. Fortunately close to home, no traffic 3 lights.. Still have no idea how I started it back up and then rode it home in 1st.. Was "fun" :cool:
 
so i adjusted the cable, with minimal play in the lever. Took it out for about an hr and everything seemed okay; However, I will replace the cable soon as everyone is suggesting.
 
bsawant said:
so i adjusted the cable, with minimal play in the lever. Took it out for about an hr and everything seemed okay; However, I will replace the cable soon as everyone is suggesting.
Click to expand...

I'd start calling now. When I needed one, nobody had one in stock and I needed to wait a week. Buy a good cable lube tool and lube all your cables while you're at it. Clutch cable will be the easiest since it won't be attached to anything. Don't pull your old one out when you detach it. "splice" the new one to it with some electrical tape and pull through. Will save you a bit of a headache.
 
FiReSTaRT said:
I'd start calling now. When I needed one, nobody had one in stock and I needed to wait a week. Buy a good cable lube tool and lube all your cables while you're at it. Clutch cable will be the easiest since it won't be attached to anything. Don't pull your old one out when you detach it. "splice" the new one to it with some electrical tape and pull through. Will save you a bit of a headache.
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i ordered in the cable on friday, hopefully it'll be in by tuesday.

today i am going to adjust the chain slack.

also, should i order a clutch plate and spring kit? just as a good measure, the bike does have 18200 kms on it now
 
anyone know of good reputable websites to order parts from? Also, should i be looking for both the friction plates and the steel plate?
 
In general, no reason to go through a whole bunch of extra stuff on a single clutch cable replacement at under 20k. 3 tips on chain slack adjustment:

1) Mark a point on each nut with a bit of whiteout so they get the exact same number of "turns" (usually go by 1/4 turn) and you don't mess up your alignment

2) Too much slack is better than too little slack

3) If you start having to do this frequently, it's time for a chain/sprocket replacement
 
FiReSTaRT said:
In general, no reason to go through a whole bunch of extra stuff on a single clutch cable replacement at under 20k. 3 tips on chain slack adjustment:

1) Mark a point on each nut with a bit of whiteout so they get the exact same number of "turns" (usually go by 1/4 turn) and you don't mess up your alignment

2) Too much slack is better than too little slack

3) If you start having to do this frequently, it's time for a chain/sprocket replacement
Click to expand...

thanks for the tips! used a vernier in the end to make sure both ends were perfect and adjusted the chain slack to ~1"

Also, i hope the clutch cable fixes the shifting issues, went to port stanley on saturday and after the day of riding had the same issues shifting again.
 
Have you tried lubing the cable? I see you've made adjustments, which is good, but gunk or a kink in the cable could keep the clutch form engaging as quickly as you release.

Grab yourself a cable-lube device (cheap online, or just about any shop/dealership). Undo the cable from the lever, and try and straighten it out. Check for any tight spots in its route, and lube the crap out of it (literally). Could save you from having to replace the cable, and lets you keep the one you ordered for when you may really need it.
 
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