Rough first gear-suddenly appeared

J

jc100

Well-known member
The other day I'd gone for a ride, parked the bike at the LCBO to get..err...supplies....when I set off again there was a noticeable roughness in first gear that I'm sure wasn't there before. Most noticeable when letting the clutch out to set off. All other gears seem smooth and fine.

Only things I've done recently are:

Changed oil and filter (Shell Rotella- no problems with this oil previously, also rode from Ottawa to Kingston on bike after the change with no problems)

Very slight adjustment to clutch cable to take up a little slack...really not that much, just to get 2-3mm of play.

I did play with my engine map on the PCIII to get rid of a rough spot I had, again only made small changes in the 10-20% throttle range between 5900 and 6200 rpm. Also rode bike back from Ottawa to Kingston without problems.

Any idea what this rough first gear problem is? It's almost like there's grinding or something but there's no noise or ticking....not sure but perhaps there's a little less get-up-and-go too when letting the clutch out to set off.

Also...gears seem to change fine...lately had a few more false neutrals but after the oil change all good so far.
 
Does it vary with road speed? Can you still feel the "roughness" if you clutch in at speed?
 
Should say it's really more noticeable through the pegs as vibration and a little through the bars.
 
Lube your chain.
When i've been riding a lot and my chain is in desire of being lubed, I can feel a distinct vibration in my left peg.
Eliminate as many possibilities as possible.
 
That chain gets more lube than a Bangkok ladyboy but it hasn't for a week so I'll try that. I'm at about 28k and this is the OEM chain and sprockets...could that be it?
 
jc100 said:
That chain gets more lube than a Bangkok ladyboy but it hasn't for a week so I'll try that. I'm at about 28k and this is the OEM chain and sprockets...could that be it?
Click to expand...

It is very possible regardless i would say at 28K at least one of the sprokets and the chain is reaching the end of its life. You shoudl examin them for ware.
 
I was getting a lot of "slapping" and tugging with the chain that was on the bike when I got it.
Turns out it was stretched pretty bad in one spot.
The slapping came from the chain's revolution being uneven so it would slap the swingarm on the way to the front sprocket.
At 28k, you can declare that your chain has done its job. They are not expensive for the job they provide.

If you have a stand, put the rear wheel up and let it idle in first gear.
Watch the chain as it goes around the rear sprocket and if there's a high spot (chain isn't touching the sprocket) then it's stretched.

The above should take you no more than 5 minutes and if you do this AND lube your chain and you find that the issue still persists, then you can rule out the chain for now.
 
Righto thanks....bike's due for a valve check I think I'll just open the wallet and get it all sorted out together with a chain and sprocket swap.
 
I had the same problem on many of my bikes.When hot right at the end of the lever travel it feels like a bind or drag.
Had the first bike at the shop and they said it was drive line slack.A week later the problem disappeared,turns out I had readjusted the cable at the clutch greased the cable and fixed it,same fix worked on my other bikes but.......
Now I have the same issue on my v rod only it's a hydrolic clutch and belt drive,.The bike runs fine when cold but starts to do it when hot.It never gets worse past a certain point but pisses me off.Post the fix when you get it.thanks
 
Seems to be a chain problem.....paid careful attention to lubing it tonight, it had sat wet in the garage over a hot and humid weekend so I think it may have seized in a spot. Seems a bit better but I'll be looking into a chain replacement.
 
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