Who knows how to avoid the CLUNK shift?

[82ndCowboy]

My klunk is not as bad as it used to be, after 13,000 miles. Plus I noticed after this last oil change, I went with thicker Yamalube because of the heat here in Florida traffic, I noticed the klunk is pretty much non existent except when I go from neutral into 1st gear at a stop.
But unfortunately the thicker oil took away some of it's peppyness and it runs a little warmer, so I'm going back to the thinner oil next oil change.

 

[4gasem]

My klunk is not as bad as it used to be, after 13,000 miles. Plus I noticed after this last oil change, I went with thicker Yamalube because of the heat here in Florida traffic, I noticed the klunk is pretty much non existent except when I go from neutral into 1st gear at a stop.
But unfortunately the thicker oil took away some of it's peppyness and it runs a little warmer, so I'm going back to the thinner oil next oil change.

Yeah... Just change it more often as it will lose its viscosity over time...

1500 miles on Dino oil!

 

[partenr]

This discussion has really been educational for me. "red98VMax" has solved my problem. Putting pressure on the shifter prior to shifting alleviates most of the clunking. I was skeptical at first, but I kept an open mind and it works!

And this is why it works, IMO. It seems that the VMax has a longer throw gear-to-gear than many bikes I've owned. It felt strange to me so I was trying to "take it easy" on everything; by that I mean PULLING IN THE CLUTCH, LETTING THE ENGINE RUN DOWN, THEN PULLING IT UP INTO THE NEXT GEAR. Which was wrong. In reality, it seems that that allows a bunch of slop to build up in the drivetrain.

By preloading the shifter, you are setting up what is nearly a cluthless shift - like some of you talked about. If there is already pressure on the shift fork, then the very instant the clutch disengages at all, it pops into the next gear. It doesn't have a chance to relaese enough pressure to create the "lash" that makes things clunk.

I really appreciate all of the feedback that helped me figure this out, I don't like feeling like I'm abusing a piece of machinery as nice as a VMAX. Hopefully someone else gleaned some helpful insight from all the discussion as well.

 

[4gasem]

This discussion has really been educational for me. "red98VMax" has solved my problem. Putting pressure on the shifter prior to shifting alleviates most of the clunking. I was skeptical at first, but I kept an open mind and it works!

And this is why it works, IMO. It seems that the VMax has a longer throw gear-to-gear than many bikes I've owned. It felt strange to me so I was trying to "take it easy" on everything; by that I mean PULLING IN THE CLUTCH, LETTING THE ENGINE RUN DOWN, THEN PULLING IT UP INTO THE NEXT GEAR. Which was wrong. In reality, it seems that that allows a bunch of slop to build up in the drivetrain.

By preloading the shifter, you are setting up what is nearly a cluthless shift - like some of you talked about. If there is already pressure on the shift fork, then the very instant the clutch disengages at all, it pops into the next gear. It doesn't have a chance to relaese enough pressure to create the "lash" that makes things clunk.

I really appreciate all of the feedback that helped me figure this out, I don't like feeling like I'm abusing a piece of machinery as nice as a VMAX. Hopefully someone else gleaned some helpful insight from all the discussion as well.

Glad you got it sorted!:thumbs up:

 

[Boondocker]

Exactly! When I get that coveted Perfect Shift it sounds like my Cohan Racing 700R4 with the shift-kit in it. Lightning fast with no mechanical noise at all.

Music to my ears.

This would be shift nirvana. I'm in the quick shift camp on this subject. The slower and more deliberate I shift, the clunkier it is. When I'm on it, accelerating through the shift (using the clutch), it's very smooth and linear, you barely notice the dip in rpm.
I'm not skilled enough to do this all the time, and riding in traffic, not usually in a position to accelerate through each gear change. This tells me that the tranny was designed to shift optimally under acceleration. Shifting in cruise mode is a battle against rotating mass.