Changing down gears is like standing on a sponge...

Oh Board of Great Wisdom, I need some help...

Got the bike out this afternoon to make a short (3ish mile) journey, and it feels like the gearbox is playing up.

If I'm stopped (or travelling slowly, less than 15mph), whenever I tried to change DOWN a gear, it didn't. Pressing down on the gear shift (with clutch in), it just feels like I'm pushing down on a useless wet sponge. However, shifting up isn't a problem.

The problem is most notable in 1st, 2nd and possibly even 3rd (I can lose count when dodging idiots).

Example, I'm steaming towards a set of lights in 4/5 gear, and they decide to change, so I brake, and decide I'll change down when I'm pretty much stopped. So I'm finally slow enough to change down sensibly, pull the clutch in , down 1, clutch out, clutch in, down another, clutch out, in, try to go down again, sponginess, and no change. clutch out and in, try again, balls, same again... so I'm left in 2/3 to start off from the lights, so a careful bit of clutch / rev balancing and I'm off, and the gears work again...

Any ideas what could be up? I always change down with the clutch, though I'm starting to do the clutch-less up shifts from second upwards (don't trust myself yet doing 1st-2nd).

(BTW, 99 Curvy, if that helps...)

Cheers all

[fizzwheel]

OK some things to check.

1. Chain tension. Make sure your chain is clean and lubed and at the correct tension.

2. Engine Oil level is between the marks and not overfull.

3. Check the adjustment of your clutch.

4. Is the gear lever free to move. If its been stood for a long time or been ridden through a winter it might be that the gear lever is corroded to the shaft and isnt free to move. If its this take it off and give it all a good clean up, Sid Squid wrote an informative post as to how to do this ages ago it might be worth having a search through the forums for it as what he suggested fixed my problems.

HTH

Cheers

1) Chain is around about the suggested tension (tightened it last week)

2) Oil was topped up earlier this week, I might have slightly over filled it, causing other things like it not starting up without a good prod, I'll make sure its between the lines when I wake 'er up in the morning...

3) I'll check that... but it feels fine at the moment (the SV is my first bike, so I may get my brother to have a check)

4) Its been ridden all winter (including in the snow...), but the lever is free to move. I'll find the howto and give it a once over, just to make sure.

Cheers again

I've had the same the past few days, it just refuses to shift into neutral or first..

[Sid Squid]

Originally Posted by Me!

The problem is most probably the lever pivot being a bit sticky. The change mechanism isn't able to reset itself between gears, if you lift the lever with your foot between changes it should work fine.

To fix it properly:

Remove the lever from the footrest and remove the fibre bush from inside the lever *very carefully* - the bush isn't available seperately and it's easy to damage - if you look close you can see where the bush is split, gently get behind it and roll it up a little you'll be able to pull it out, if you look inside the lever you'll see where corrosion has built up behind the bush, expanded, and squeezed the lever onto the footrest pivot, causing it to drag, if you gently scrape away the corrosion smear the area with a little grease so it doesn't corrode so easily and reassemble it should be fine.

You can sometimes make things work better initially by squirting oil/chain lube/WD40 or similar around the pivot, but if what I describe has happened, and it's very common, then no amount of lubrication will fix it properly as the bush is squeezed onto the pivot and grips it quite effectively. The above is the only way to ensure it works right permanently.

Well.. Big brother.. from talking to you it sounds like it could be that the clutch cable is a little stretched...... Will give you a hand this week... If we dont sort it my bike is just sat there.. help yourself. (Brother only :P )