3rd gear change techniques

Joined
Sep 17, 2014
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South, UK
I believe its myself and not the bike so I'm after advice for shifting into 3rd smoother

If I change gear at low rpms its smooth and I don't need to think about changing gear however if I accelerate to 60mph in 2nd then go for third it grinds/crunches before going into 3rd......the only way I seem to be able to alleviate this problem is pull the clutch in for slightly longer than normal and really think about lifting the gear lever up swift, firm and high

I'd like to be able to not think about changing gear and still use 2nd to achieve 60-70mph
 

ST1100Y

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Most "pre-load" the shift lever before pulling the clutch and then shift quick and firmly (it actually feels like the gear is "sucked" in)
But all still is also a matter of proper timing between throttle, clutch and shifting... especially at higher revs...
Also the individual ergonomics come to play, depending on seating position, leg length and boot size, some minor adjustments on the shifter linkage might be of help.

I'm a bit long legged and cannot work with the default adjustment of the shifter lever on my ST1100 either, and have to set the tip ~1cm lower to avoid any unintended "mishaps", whilst with the OEM setting I'd actually need to lift the foot from the peg to achieve the full stroke required for proper shifting...
 
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You use the clutch for 2-3 upshifts? All it takes is a little preload, then a slight back-blip of the throttle and Bob's yer Uncle. Same for 3-4 and 4-5. No clutch necessary.
 

scootac

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You use the clutch for 2-3 upshifts? All it takes is a little preload, then a slight back-blip of the throttle and Bob's yer Uncle. Same for 3-4 and 4-5. No clutch necessary.
Wonder why they put a clutch lever on it then?
And given Honda's engineering expertise, wonder why they don't make a retractable lever that pops out for 1st gear, then disappears for subsequent shifts? That would be cool!!! :D
Maybe it will be on the 'new' 2016 ST!!! :crackup

Guess I'll have to go read the Owner's Manual to find discussion of that technique!
:rolleyes:
 

ST1100Y

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Is this a good demonstration?
He shows the preload->up- and blip->down-shift quite good; its an 1100 however, the 1300 with EFI will be a bit jerky and sensitive on the throttle though...
It doesn't require much force from your left foot, one could probably easily shift with one finger, its more the timing...

What also impacts shifting quite badly are worn hub dampers (the rubber cushions between rear wheel and drive splines), if their worn (or any other causes for slag in the drive-line), smooth, silent shifting will be impaired... but I donno how sensitive the 1300 actually is in this regard.
 
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You use the clutch for 2-3 upshifts? All it takes is a little preload, then a slight back-blip of the throttle and Bob's yer Uncle. Same for 3-4 and 4-5. No clutch necessary.
+1, I very seldom use the clutch for anything other than the N-1 shift, often also the 1-2 shift, very seldom for anything else. I have experienced a few miss shifts in the past trying to shift using the clutch.
 
OP
OP
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Just a little update/closure to the thread

I have alleviated problems shifting by preloading the gear lever before pulling the clutch lever in
 
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Never taken a rider course Marc? I would think this is, or should be, part of any basic skills training in any motorcycle course. If you haven't ever attended one, they have lots of other riding tips to offer that may be of help to you.
 
Joined
Mar 21, 2012
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Norfolk, VA
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2019 Goldwing Tour
I have experienced a mis-shift once or twice also and yes the pre-load helps. I also found that when shifting with the pre-load or without, I only need about a quarter of the clutch lever, meaning don't pull the clutch lever all the way in, of course with the pre-load this is less of an issue cuz it's going to shift in the "sweet" spot anyway. It takes time to re-learn some of the habits like pulling the clutch lever all the way in when shifting but once you start thinking about it when you're doing it that time is pretty short.
Good luck and enjoy the ride.
+1 on the class. I teach the MSF classes and adjust my coaching to the riders skill level, most all new riders that are having issues shifting get the "pre-load" tip.
 

T_C

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+1, I very seldom use the clutch for anything other than the N-1 shift, often also the 1-2 shift, very seldom for anything else. I have experienced a few miss shifts in the past trying to shift using the clutch.
This morning I found it quite useful to use this technique.

Temperatures in the single digits, that clutch lever gets cold!
 

ibike2havefun

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Sometimes I have a problem with the 1-N-2 or the 2-3 change; have found that keeping engine RPM a little higher (i.e. shifting a bit later) helps. Being a novice rider, I still use my clutch for all shifts.
 
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