Re: [ST] I Need HELP Going from 1st to 2nd Gear

[Nicolas Nowak <nnowak@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I can off two bits of advice on the shifter problem... one is a major 
improvement, and the other is a minor improvement.

minor - Peel back the rubber booties that protect the ball joints on the 
shift linkage.  You should see a small hole facing you on the side of the 
ball joint.  Now you need three hands.... pull the ball joint towards you 
while holing the end of a grease gun against the hole and then pump away 
until grease oozes out the back.  If you don't pull the joint towards you, 
the ball inside the joint will seal against the hole and you won't be able 
to get the grease in.

major - Adjust your technique.  You need to preload the shifter before 
shifting.  When you are shifting up or down, there is a portion of shift 
lever travel that doesn't do anything.  When your bike is parked and 
stopped, you can verify this with your hands by pulling the lever up and 
down.  You will be able to move the lever a fair bit before you feel any 
serious resistance.  When you are riding, you need to lightly engage the 
shift lever to the resistance point BEFORE you pull the clutch or blip the 
throttle.  Then, when you roll off the throttle and pull the clutch, it 
will shift the rest of the way, and slide right into gear.  It will take a 
conscious effort to integrate into your riding, but after a while, it will 
become second nature.  After a bit of practice, you will probably realize 
that you don't even need to pull your clutch to shift into higher gears, 
just a slight blip of the throttle, and everything will shift like butter.

I hope this helps you, if it doesn't make sense and I need to clarify 
things, just let me know.  Preloading the shifter makes such a drastic 
improvement in shifting, that you will know the instant you get it right.

Nick
'00 yellow RS


>Date: Thu, 11 Apr 2002 18:46:48 -0400
>From: "Linda Combe" <lincombe@xxxxxxxx>
>Subject: [ST] I Need HELP Going from 1st to 2nd Gear
>
>I've been riding my new 2001 Sprint ST for about a 6 wks now.  It has 1300
>miles and has been through the first scheduled maintenance.  For the most
>part, I love the bike, except for one thing.  Every time I start it after
>it's been sitting awhile (like overnight or all day while I'm at work), I
>can't seem to get it into 2nd gear.  It goes easily enough into 1st gear,
>but when the revs go up to about 4-5K, I can't get it into 2nd no matter how
>hard I try.  I've even tried putting it through all the gears before I take
>off.   Nada.   I have to pull over to the side of the road (it's
>embarrassing) and work the gears until I feel more confident.  Once I am
>going and finally get it into 2nd, I have no further problems.
>One thing I noticed today:  if I slow down until the bike is going very slow
>(minimum revs) I can get it into 2nd.  Seems to be troublesome only when the
>bike has been sitting and when the revs are up.  Any ideas?  Any solutions?
>I'm desperate with DeSTiny.
>Linda in CT
>'01 Sapphire ST
>Pres., Triumph Riders of New England
>www.triumphriders.org
>AMA # 636165
>STOC #870
>My DeSTiny


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