R100R 1993

[Souljer]

Hi,

...it's just a matter of practice and getting used to how this clutch and transmission like to be shifted. I've found giving a little rev between down shifts as I approach a stop helps make things smoother.

Are you saying it's a bit hard to downshift if you don't give a little rev between down shifts? With that new cable and your adjusting the clutch play it should be pretty easy shifting. I'm just wondering. Hard to downshift sometimes indicates the need to lubricate the input spline. Just something to consider.

Sometimes, yes. Other times it's not so big a deal.
Every time? No, not every time.

I have noticed that it can be a bit clunky if I don't rev between downshifts. Sometimes I think it's me. I know I'm not an expert with this transmission yet but I've driven a manual car or truck my whole life. So the idea and paradigm of what to do is pure instinct but I fumble on the actual shifting and what gear I'm in. Sometimes I'm back to searching for Neutral at a stop, then realize I was in 3rd gear. I forgot to downshift before stopping and now I have to do it while not moving.

I just assumed it was my fault.

Keep those eyes peeled, trust no-one.

By this do you mean other drivers?

I have a fantasy of being the Governor of California and making the driving test the hardest test in the world. Literally that would be the mandate to the staff; find the hardest tests on Earth then make ours harder. I want it almost impossible to pass!
Some of my rides I've been video taping to critique myself and see what I missed or did good. A few times I've recorded other drivers doing careless things. I've lived and driven in Los Angeles my whole life. I'm pretty good at predicting stupid driving. Of course that's a tool, not a magic power. It only works if I'm actively paying attention.

The first few weeks I was mentally exhausted after a ride. Now I'm much better and able to enjoy the whole experience.
It's fun saving my own life!

Actually I should post some of the rides so you all can hear the motor. Lately I've been hearing a lot of "tappity tap" and I don't know if that's normal or the valves need adjusting or what?

[ME 109]

By this do you mean other drivers?

Yes.
Trust no one.
Ooh, or anything else.

Don't trust yourself either.

Don't trust kangaroos.

Keep those eyes peeled and always be ready to fire!

[Major Softie]

Don't trust anything ME 109 tells you - which was to trust no one.

On no, PARADOX!!!!

[Souljer]

Everything I say is a lie.
What I just said is true.


I've seen his video.
I believe the part of not trusting kangaroos.

[Ken in Oklahoma]

A prerequisite imo.
Any time you down shift on a light flywheel airhead. Prolly a heavy one too.

Quite so. About the only time I don't feel the need to blip the throttle downshifting is at walking speed.

War story: About ten years ago I refurbished a Honda Shadow for a friend and then taught her to ride. In fact she brags about what a good teacher I was. When she complained about the gear crunch I downgraded my own opinion of me as an instructor. I should have mentioned that. I patiently explained WHY she needed to blip the throttle, at least when coming to a stop or something similar. I explained that the next gear down required a higher RPM in the motor to match the ground speed. Also it won't "buck" you forward. Apparently she thought I was a good instructor except for that. She would never do it.

At low speeds blipping the throttle when downshifting comes automatically to me. Plus it's satisfying. It makes a person feel a little like Ricky Racer getting maximum performance from his bike when going into a tight corner hot. (Make that warm for me.)

I guess nowadays you don't have to worry so much about that with slipper clutches or double clutch paddle shifting transmissions.

Ken, shifty in Oklahoma

[khittner1]

Souljer: On the fuel tank cover, you asked, "What's wrong with buying a new one?" Nothing, though this proposal for profligate spending shows that you've clearly not completely adopted the "airhead way". Get cheaper, man---besides, you may have other things to spend real money on---like what follows:

Don't overlook Daz's suggestion concerning the downshifting issues you're seeing. If you didn't get any service records that show when/what mileage your transmission's input splines were last lubricated at, that's arguably one of the the most key baseline services to have performed on a new-to-you middle-aged BMW. You won't find the service specified in your owner's manual, but it's not just something that OCD airhead owners get sweatty-palmed about; it needs to be done at about 20K intervals. Notchy downshifting is a good indicator that the bike is ready for this service, but you understandably don't know "notchy" from "normal" from "newby shifting". A knowledgeable and not entirely self-interested BMW tech (an increasingly rare bird, and one that's at least 10 years older than your bike), or a similarly-experienced airhead owner, should be able to tell you whether it needs the splines lubed by a quick spin around a couple of city blocks. The task requires separation and removal of the transmission case from the engine case, cleaning any accumulated crud and corrosion from the transmission's input shaft splines and the clutch splines, and then dabbing a truly piddly amount of lubricating paste (I'll let others launch the string on which spline lubricant to use) onto said splines, and putting the whole shebang back together. It's the labor to get to the splines, and then reassembly, that'll require a radical cashectomy of your wallet---I think it flat-rates at a minimum of 4 hours at most shops. Some here will encourage you to do it yourself. I won't join them in that---you need to pull the swingarm off to slide the transmission out, and I'm guessing that the paralever may make that sub-task more complex.

But do it, or get it done by someone who you're pretty confident knows what they're doing. It'll keep that aspect of a transmission rebuild at bay, and after it's done, you'll know with confidence what the best performance of an airhead transmission feels like. Also to that end, and without starting a gear oil fight, I'd also put a brief plug in (no, I'm not a dealer) for Amsoil Severe Gear synthetic 75w-90 in your tranny. I'm not discounting a possible placebo effect, but my '84 RT does seem to shift a bit smoother with this lube, even in comparison to the Mobil 1 synthetic gear lube I used to run. I'm donning my Nomex underwear now to prepare for the flames . . .

[Ken in Oklahoma]

. . . I'm donning my Nomex underwear now to prepare for the flames . . .

How about a +1 instead?


Ken

[chasbmw]

If your gearbox gets difficult and noisey to change gear WHEN hot, start thinking about a rebuild of the gearbox.

[Souljer]

Hi,

Damnit!!

So now it's going to be a complete trans rebuild? Which equals a whole engine/drive-train rebuild...
I was looking at it last night, "That doesn't seem too big". It's certainly smaller than my old TR6 transmission, which I also had out and rebuilt at one time.

And then while it's out; might as well work on the engine, etc. etc. Oh, the paralever is off too? May as well rebuild that. May as well strip everything off at that point and powder coat the frame, etc.

I'm just getting the hang of this and now I won't be riding for months or a year. Unless I pay to have someone do it all for me, which will probably cost more than what I paid for the bike.

There is no easier way to do this?
I'm riding today and tomorrow to verify what you guys are talking about.

[ME 109]

There is no easier way to do this?

Yes.

Don't do it. Just ride it.

You fixed your clutch cable, and found that a little 'blip' of the throttle on down shift sorted your shifting issues.
I never downshift without 'blipin' it.

Ride that thing.