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V-Star 950 1st to 2nd gear shift misses

12K views 14 replies 9 participants last post by  Midnight Gaz 
#1 ·
Hi, just wondered if anyone else is having the same problem as me and if there's any way to fix it... I have a 2010 V-Star 950 (Midnight Star) with about 2,000 miles on it now, and it's great at just about everything apart from the shift up from first to second gear, it loves to jump to neutral instead. I still feel a clunk as if it's engaged 2nd, but am left revving and not moving - not much fun in traffic! It doesn't do it all the time, and no particular pattern as to when it's going to do it (eg: cold, hot, etc.), but always from 1st to 2nd, all other shifts up and down are fine. I sometimes have to kick the shifter 3 or 4 times before it'll engage 2nd. Other times it gets there first time. Very strange. Maybe it's just me and I'm not kicking it hard enough? I don't know. Am I alone in this or is it a common thing?

Cheers,
Gary.
 
#3 ·
i don't know if it's a common issue on the 950 but it happens me now and again on the 650 and 1100, knew a girl once who it happened regularly to on her 250, but she had less-than-ideal oil in. changed it out and mostly corrected the prob.

it's annoying as hell. in fact it happened me a few minutes ago. everytime it happens i swear out loud, cursing the dude who invented the 1N2345 system :D
i grew up on a suzuki ax100, that was N12345 which makes most sense to me even now.
 
#5 ·
Thanks for the replies. So, basically you're saying I'm a girl then? :rolleyes: I've just checked the oil level and that's fine. Actually, I was playing around yesterday with changing gear by stamping on the heel end of the lever instead of kicking the toe end up, and that did seem to work better, so maybe I'll just have to learn to use that instead, though it's taking a lot of effort to undo my instinctive going for the toe lever! This is the first bike I've had with a heel one too. Maybe this is why they included it.

Also thanks FYB for answering another question I had but hadn't got round to asking - why is neutral between 1st & 2nd? I didn't realise some bikes had N at the bottom. That would seem much better to me too! :)
 
#7 ·
Neutral is probably between 1 and 2 just so that you always know at the very bottom of the upshifts you're in first. I know the motorcycle safety course was adamant about being in first when you're attempting to stop so that if you have to get moving quickly you're already in gear. It would be a little more time consuming to get all the way to neutral and then have to downshift once to get to first while balancing the bike - and when you stop, using both brakes means you have to use your left foot to hold the bike up. Being already in first means you don't have to take your foot off the foot brake and shift the bike to the right before shifting to first.

Time saver really.

I've found that my boot sometimes hits the transmission on downshifts just depending on where my foot happens to be on the floorboard of my 950. I've noticed the 1-neutral shift probably 5 times in the last year, all due to smacking whatever is close back there. Otherwise, smooth as silk.
 
#8 ·
Missing Shifts up

I am new to the heel-toe shifter and I suspect that sometimes I am trying to shift up too fast with the heel of my boot that after my first shift, I get a little lazy ;) anticipating the next shift, and trying to make it fast, so I don't take my foot completely off the lever, so it may not engage the next gear for the shift.

I would not think that would happen from 1st to second. There, more likely the shifter is hanging somewhere like neutral for the same basic reason even when using the toe; it just hasn't quite engaged the next gear to take the transmission there. Or something like that. :confused:

I have come to like the heel-toe a lot - especially with my thick steel toed boots; sometimes it feels like there's not much room to get under the toe shift lever. Maybe if I would just give in and wear flip flops to ride!?!?!? :eek: Plenty of room, then! LOL
m
 
#10 ·
Hmm, interesting reading. That timberwoof faq is mostly right, but is not correct when it says "As you leave the stoplight, you tap your gears up to match your speed. You never do go into neutral when you accelerate." - oh yes you do, that's what I was complaining about - being in traffic trying to accelerate but with no drive and cars coming up on your tail - quite dangerous!

Regarding grade of oil, I have no idea what's in there - it's only a year old and the Yamaha dealer did the servicing & oil change as part of the warranty agreement - I didn't have a say in what sort of oil to use. I trust they put the correct Yamaha spec oil in.

Anyway, I've just about got the hang of stamping on the heel pedal for the 1st to 2nd shift now, and use the toe pedal for the other up shifts (because I prefer it). So far, it's working fine, and is actually helping me to remember which gear I'm in too as I'm concentrating on it more, so a surprise added benefit! :cool:
 
#12 ·
Regarding grade of oil, I have no idea what's in there - it's only a year old and the Yamaha dealer did the servicing & oil change as part of the warranty agreement - I didn't have a say in what sort of oil to use. I trust they put the correct Yamaha spec oil in.
probably put in yamalube. you can request something specific during your next oil change if they have it, or you can bring in something you bought on your own and they'll put that in.
 
#13 ·
Well, I think I may have finally got to the bottom of it - took the bike in for its first MOT a couple of months ago (can't believe I've had it three years already!), and it passed, but the tester commented that the drive belt was extremely tight, so much so that there was no give in it whatsoever (there's supposed to be a little play), it was like a rigid steel bar and wouldn't budge. I got them to loosen it a little for me, and the shift problem hasn't happened since. Coincidence? I'm just annoyed that the place I bought it from who also did the 600 mile service for it didn't spot that, I guess all they did was an oil change. Will be taking it to my MOT garage in future!
 
#15 ·
5 minutes to change the oil? I would still be looking around the garage for my spanners, funnel, drip-tray, etc. - usually takes me at least an hour for an oil & filter change, then there's the cost of good quality oil these days, and disposing of the old stuff. Besides, it had already had the oil changed at 600 miles (at a Yamaha dealer, using Yamalube) and that didn't fix it. I know what you mean, it's an easy enough job, but a lot quicker & easier to check & adjust the drive belt. I changed the oil a couple of weeks after the drive belt adjustment as well actually (myself this time, with Halfords fully synthetic 5W/40), and I know you're going to say that's what fixed it, but I'm convinced it got better immediately after the drive belt retensioning. ;-)
 
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