When I shift, mostly 1st to 2nd, it does not have a smooth shift. Sometimes the gears rake and sometimes they are very smooth. This happens when the bike is both cold and hot. Has anyone else had this problem, don't know if it is clutch or transmission? Any help will be greatly appreciated.

By Ken CHAPIN on Saturday, May 05, 2001 - 07:14 am:

I found that 1st to 2nd gear was always a little noisier than the rest. A switch to Mobil 1 15W-50 really made things nice and smooth (which translates to quieter).

By G. Mann on Saturday, May 05, 2001 - 07:34 am:

Have to agree with Ken (and others) on the Mobil 1. It really does work. Also, if you get a chance, take a trip through the old archives. Use key words "clunky shift" or "Klunky shift". You will get hours of reading.

Thanks to these archives, I found out about pre-loading the shifter just a little bit before making your shift. In the case of the 1-2 shift, this would amount to gently lifting up and taking out the slack and then pulling the clutch and shifting. That helps on my bike. I had most of my trouble on the 3-4 shift.

I suspect that one of the other reasons that might cause some difficulty in shifting is the fact that the gearing on a trike is somewhat lower. That is, the output shaft is running a bit faster due to the higher numerical ratio (lower gearing) of the rear end on the trike. Not much you can do about this.

Good luck, like Mr. Chapin says, try the Mobil 1.

G. Mann
'94 SE