Re: [ST] gear box

["Brian D ." <brd@xxxxxxx>]

On Thu, Apr 10, 2003 at 06:02:10PM -0400, renellopez@xxxxxxxxxx wrote:
> I've got a '01 Brg ST that has 7k miles on it and it seems like
> there's something wrong with the gear box.  How is the gear box
> supposed to sound and feel when shifting?  Most times, shifting
> results in a notable "pop" when shifting about about 3-4k RPM though
> shifting at higher RPM's does not produce the same sound.  This poping
> noise is typical of 1st and 2nd gear for the most part.  As I down
> shift approaching a red light, the gear box pops from all gears going
> down.

(Most) Any bike will give a loud clunk on going down into 1st while
still moving.

Sprint gearboxes are clunkier than most, however.  They need forceful
shifts.  If you're coming off a silky-smooth, snickety-snick, shifts
with ease Japanese bike, it takes some getting used to.

> The dealer in the area says that this is typical and that 'I SHOULD
> be' shifting at higher RPM's. Any thoughts???

Sounds to me like maybe the bike wasn't broken in well.  During break-in
you need to run it up to the specified rpm limit every once in a while.
This helps the gears wear together.  If you've babied it with 3-4k rpm
shifts most of it's life (easy to do with the abundant torque), the
gears are still like new and don't mesh well.  Many find the gearbox
gets better after 5 or even 10,000 miles, takes a while to break in. 

> I'm also seeing a higher frequency of "neutral shifts".  It mostly
> happened during low RPM shifts and I had thought that I may not have
> shifted with confidence from 1st to 2nd when it ends up in neutral. 

My Sprint needed a firm kick going from 1st to 2nd.  As long as I made
sure to bang the upshift, it was fine.  I also saw some false neutrals
between 5th and 6th, so I made sure to bang it there too.

> Any thoughts on this?  Most motorcycles I've looked at for comparison
> on how the shifter feels during shifting are a GREAT deal more smooth
> -- "like butta".

Here's my thoughts.  The Triumph gearbox is sub-par.  Your dealer will
not do anything about it, however, if they deem it is "normal" or
"within spec", and ToA won't cover any repairs just because you don't
like the way it feels.  So, you're pretty much stuck with the situation. 

The good news is that I've never heard of a Sprint gearbox failing or
needing repair (or maybe that's bad news if you were hoping it would
grenade and you'd get a new one under warranty :b).  

Laters,
Brian
- -- 
Euless, TX
'97 VFR 750
'99 Sprint ST(black, RIP)

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