Shifting from 1st to 2nd

[deadant]

My 2004 1500fi Nomad with 21,000 miles doesn't seem to shift from 1st to 2nd smoothly. I hit neutral alot and sometimes even grind it a bit going into 2nd. I don't have any problems with any other gear. Is this normal? Is it time for a clutch spring?

I did ride my bosses 2000cc Vulcan and noticed the same shifting as my Nomad, so I'm assuming its a Kawa thing, but just wanted to get some other opinions.


My 1978 GS1000 and 1979 GS750 Suzuki's shifted extremely smooth. Weird how a 30 year old bike could have such a smooth tranny, and this almost prefect, modern machine seems to lack refinement in the tranny.

[AlabamaNomadRider]

Pretty much all of the Nomads have this situation.

The way I shift is to put gentle pressure like I am trying to find neutral and then keep putting the gentle pressure until it is in second. Most of the time it is smooth but occassionally I do have the clunk. Don't think you have a problem. Just the nature of the Nomad. I have practiced for almost 13,000 miles on perfecting my shifting method. It isn't foolproof, most of the time it works good but not always. Third gear is smoother, fourth and fifth are the smoothest. I think the problem with second is having to go from first through neutral and into second. I never do a shift to second like a speed shift. You have to take you time and let the RPM's die a bit.

[Jared]

Kawi has an easy neutral finder and because of it,it shifts a little hard between 1st and 2nd. Try using your heel shifter. It makes a big difference.

[Top Cat]

+1 on what Jared said. Heel shifter is much more positive once you get used to it.

[deadant]

I do use the heel shifter pretty much all the time. It does take some getting used to. The day I rode my bike away from the dealer, I pulled out of the driveway onto the street, and as I put my foot on the board, my heel hit the heel shifter and popped it into neutral without me realizing it. Kinda scared the sh*t outta me as I was in the middle of the lane with cars coming at me at a fairly high rate of speed, and all the bike did was rev without going anywhere. Didn't take long to learn the proper placement of the foot on the board.

[cajun2wheels]

I was having the same clunk until I started using the heel shifter and started shifting with a bit of authority.

[AlabamaNomadRider]

I always use the heel shifter. Got used to it on my Honda 1300VTX. When I tried shifting with authority I usually get more of a clunk. Gentle pressure works best for me.

[just call me Mr. Hibbs]

At the risk of starting yet another oil thread, perhaps you might try Rotella T6 5W-40 my 06 seems to shift smoother.

[classic1]

I usually wear steel toe boots when I ride. But if I have my tennis shoes on I sometimes have the same issue as you. I think that the softness of the shoe gives and I'm not used to raising my shifting foot that high. And with steel toe boots, I had to rotate the shift lever up one notch, which means I have to raise my foot even higher with other shoes on.

[ndbigfish]

Has the clutch spring been changed? I had problems with both Nomads shifting from 1st to 2nd when the springs where worn. Tired fluid in the clutch will cause poor shifting. Also, lubricate the piston in the left hand grip.

As stated by others, the synthetic oil also helped. Make sure the heel shifter is set correctly. I see lots of bikes with the heel shifter set so that the only way that it can be used is to lift your foot to shift. Set correctly the shifter is very close to the same height as the running board.

[schoeney]

I have a 2003 and use heel shifter like you but no problems. No missed shifts and it does not pop into neutral. The sound is clunky.

I recently switched to Rotella T6 from Mobile 1 but I think I will return to Mobile 1. Mobile 1 seems a little bit smoother to me but the larger (than a quart) is harder to find at a decent price around here.

[GIBBY]

Use the heel shifter and shift it like you was mad at it.

[VulcanE]

Like others have stated, when your oil starts getting tired, it does shift rougher. Kawasaki does have the positive neutral finder, and this is the cause of the different shift from 1st to 2nd.. New oil, and especially synthetic oil will make it shift smoother in all gears. Make sure your getting the RPMs up high enough (these bikes don't like the low RPMs too well), and when you shift, do it quickly and deliberately. Too easy of a shift can damage the shifting ratchet mechanism , or to hard of a shift can bend the shifting fork (this would take stomping on the heel shifter). Over-all, I would suggest to have the RPMs up (~2500) and to shift quickly and deliberately.

[ringadingh]

I use the heel shifter and give it a good crisp shift, not a slow sloppy one and it goes into gear nicely. If it seems to hang up between gears its usually a sign that your due for an oil change. Fresh oil makes it shift a lot better most times.

[tonik]

Originally Posted by deadant

My 2004 1500fi Nomad with 21,000 miles doesn't seem to shift from 1st to 2nd smoothly.

Shift it like you stole it. Run the rpm's up a bit higher...I don't shift from 1st to second until about 35 mph (don't quote me on that number, it has been a long winter of not shifting). Also shift it more aggressively, hit it pretty hard.