Help, Is this transmission issue?

[tho9504]

I recently purchase 2012 FZ6R with only 650 miles on it. Driven it home on the highway and elsewhere perfectly fine. The last weekend, I did 2 things.

1) I did an oil change (Mobile 1 4T Fully synthetic & K&N Filter).
2) Installed a GiPro X healtec gear indicator.

Now when I try to shift the gear after 5k rev, the gear seems to drop down 1 or 2 gears down. For example, I am on 5th gear and soon as I rev it higher than 5-6k rev, the gear indicator drops to 3rd or 4th gear. not just the gear indicator, but the actual gear it self, because the RPM goes from 5-6k to 8-9k (high rev) because it went into lower gear. This also happens on 6th gear and after 5-6k, it drops to 4th or 5th gear. I try to shift it up again, but the gear shifter is already in the 6th gear position and I don't have anywhere up to shift it. I have to down shift it match the gear it's actually in by engine rev and then keep the rev under 5k for it to not drop gear down again.

Could it be because I used fully synthetic oil? I read elsewhere, synthetic oil causes transmission to slip in older bikes (but mine is 2012 with very low miles (750 miles). Should I try the Yamaha lube instead?

Or could it be because of the gear indicator I installed? I did had to tap into the crankshaft sensor?

I cant stand this because soon as I shift the gear above 5k rev, the rev goes from 5k to 7-9k because it drops 1-2 gears down, even though the gear shifter is in the right position (ie- if I am in 6th gear and when it drops a few gears down, I cannot shift it up because the shifter position is on the 6th gear and nowhere to shift up. I have down shift a few gears down and slowly shift it up all while under 5k rev for each gear.

 

[Marthy]

There's some recall on the 2015 but yours should be fine. I would have the stealership look at it.

Make sure that the shifter goes all the way up without interfering with the riser... if the position was adjusted too hi for riding with big boots by example the shift barrel won't turn and lock in position

 

[NMdesertracer]

Synthetic oil will not make your tranny slip. Now you have to watch out for "energy conserving" on the back in the little round marking. In wet clutches the EC is bad.

 

[mrollings53]

There is nothing wrong with the bike. You gear indicator uses engine speed and vehicle speed to determine which gear you're in. Because most vehicle shift at 5000 RPM, your gear indicator thinks you mashed the gas, and the transmission down shifted.

Follow these steps to reset and setup your gear indicator. This is straight from the user manual.

4. Setup
You need to set up this module after installation. It is recommended to perform
the setup procedure with WARM engine.
- Raise the rear wheel off the ground by using a stand.
(If you do not have a stand, or your speedometer is driven off the front wheel,
set up the unit while riding. Find a long, straight road with light traffic. The unit
does not learn the same gear twice, this makes it easy to set up on the road.
You can even shift down and stop during the setup if needed. Do not stare at
the display, watch the road and ride with extreme care as always!)
- Turn the ignition On. The display counts backwards (“ 6 to 1 ”)
indicating that the memory is clear.
(If the display counts upwards when ignition is turned on, the memory is not
clear. Perform the Reset procedure if you wish to set it up again.)
- The display flashes “L” (Learning) slowly.
Start the engine in Neutral, and let it idle. The display flashes faster for
a few seconds while the RPM signal is being received correctly.
- The display flashes “1 ” slowly.
At this point, wait until the RPM drops to the normal idle speed.
Select 1st gear, release the clutch and keep the engine at approx. 2-4
times of your idle speed (usually 2000-4000 RPM). The display flashes
faster while the SPEED signal is being received correctly.
The unit is now learning the gear position. Depending on the bike
model, the learning may take from a few seconds up to a minute.
- The display shows “n” (next) for a second, then “2 ” flashes slowly.
Select 2nd gear, release the clutch and raise RPM. Again, the display
flashes faster while learning the gear position.
Repeat this process until all gears have been programmed (5 or 6).
- In top gear, wait until “o” (over) is indicated and the display stops
flashing.
(If your bike has 6 gears, you will need to select 6th gear when prompted,
otherwise the unit will exit from programming mode in 5 seconds and you will
need to repeat the setup procedure.)
The unit is now programmed and should indicate all gears correctly.
Now, when ignition is turned on, the display counts forward (“1 to 5” or
“1 to 6”) indicating that it is programmed and fully functional.
Note 1: If you have a SpeedoHealer (or other speedometer calibrator) and you
change the calibration factor, probably you will have to reset the GIpro and
perform the setup procedure again.
Note 2: The unit stores all settings in Flash memory, there is no need to set it up
again if you disconnect or remove the battery.
- 3 –
5. Reset
If some gears are not indicated correctly, reset the unit and set it up again.
- Have the engine stop switch in OFF position.
- Turn the ignition key ON and immediately turn it off while the GIpro
display is counting up and is showing “ 3, 4 or 5”.
Repeat this step 5 more times.
- On the next power up, the display will count backwards (“ 6 to 1 ”).
The memory is now cleared and you can perform the Setup procedure.
Note: If you perform the Reset procedure, it will set the device to factory default
condition. The Shift Light and High Speed Warning features will also be cleared.

 

[tho9504]

There is nothing wrong with the bike. You gear indicator uses engine speed and vehicle speed to determine which gear you're in. Because most vehicle shift at 5000 RPM, your gear indicator thinks you mashed the gas, and the transmission down shifted.

......

I will re-program the indicator even though I never programmed the indicator to notify me when to shift (that option is available). BUT that is just a warning. It does not shift the gear for you but only tell you to shift by flashing "U" (upshift). I cannot see why the indicator would automatically shift for me? that is way too dangerous shifting the gear without my input.

 

[xorbe]

There is nothing wrong with the bike.

Re-read OP's first post!

:zombie:

 

[tho9504]

Another thing I wanted to throw in there was, if I accidently put too much oil, would that have the same gear slipping effect?

I went to my garage to check how much oil I have (on rear stand). I have ridden the bike an hour and half ago. When I check the oil dipstick, It was more than the top "x" mark. I have put in 2 full quarts of Mobile 1 4T fully synthetic and another bottle with only a few drops remaining in the 3rd bottle. Per manual, it says 2.96 quart (94.72 Oz). I took some pictures of how much I have remaining on the 3rd quart of oil after fill it. Did I put too much oil? I figured I have 0.04 Oz quart (1.28 Oz). Attached are some pics of how much oil I have remaining on the 3rd quart. Did I out too much.

I will definitely, reset the gear indicator, just wanted a plan B if that didn't solve the issue. SInce I did check the oil now and it was a little over the full mark, I figured, i'll throw that in here.

 

[tho9504]

pic of Oil remaining on the 3rd quart after filling oil.

 

[xorbe]

All the oil doesn't come out when draining ...

 

[tho9504]

I think, i am going to drain a little bit of oil out and see if it's slipping? I did change the oil filter and let it drain overnight before putting in the new oil, so i would've thought everything would've drained out. but based on the dipstick, i have excess oil. i am going to let it drain a little and take it for a spin and see if it mimics the same problem.

 

[Chucker]

There is no way the transmission can drop down gears when you are moving the shift lever up. However, it might be that you are missing the gears and getting false neutrals. It could also be that your gears are very square because they have not had the edges rounded by lots of shifting.

As Marthy said, if you wear big boots, it can cause pressure to remain on the shift lever, which will make it difficult to shift. You have to completely release the lever before it will shift properly next time.

I suggest you put on running shoes and take the bike to a long, somewhat straight road where you can run it through the gears at 5000+ RPM. When shifting from 2nd up through the gears, don't use your clutch. Just give a brief release of the throttle and shift (with decent pressure), and then get right on the gas again. Do this a bit and see if the same problem occurs. If not, then shift without your clutch from 2nd up for a while and it will wear the edged of the gears just enough to make shifts smooth. I had a similar problem on another bike and the dealer told me to do this, and it worked. Upshifting above from 2nd up without the clutch won't hurt anything.

If this doesn't work, take it to a dealer.

 

[tho9504]

Thanks Mike, will try your suggestion. Also, how do you adjust the clutch free play? Do i just adjust it at the lever or do i need to adjust down below where the clutch cable is connected to? How do you know what the correct free play is?

 

[Scott_Thomas]

Thanks Mike, will try your suggestion. Also, how do you adjust the clutch free play? Do i just adjust it at the lever or do i need to adjust down below where the clutch cable is connected to? How do you know what the correct free play is?

1/4-3/8" measured at the end of the lever. Use the levee adjustment unless you don't have enough slack.

 

[tho9504]

1/4-3/8" measured at the end of the lever. Use the levee adjustment unless you don't have enough slack.

Thanks Scott. I drained a few Ounces of oil to where the dipstick was just a millimeter below the top "X" mark. Also, i gave the clutch more freeplay (turned clockwise). I went for a ride and the shifting improved much better. The gear did drop down 1 gear once when i took the rev to 8k, but that was the only time it acted up. Before it was dropping gear every shift past 5k rev. I think i am on the right track. The clutch freeplay might have been the culprit. There was not enough freeplay.

Thank you all for all your inputs and help...

 

[Scott_Thomas]

Thanks Scott. I drained a few Ounces of oil to where the dipstick was just a millimeter below the top "X" mark. Also, i gave the clutch more freeplay (turned clockwise). I went for a ride and the shifting improved much better. The gear did drop down 1 gear once when i took the rev to 8k, but that was the only time it acted up. Before it was dropping gear every shift past 5k rev. I think i am on the right track. The clutch freeplay might have been the culprit. There was not enough freeplay.

Thank you all for all your inputs and help...

No problem, we're here to help each other.

 

[blkbrd]

The 'extra' oil in it wouldn't be doing this. I would check the shift linkages. Too tight? to much play? Also, without sounding like a smarta$$, make sure your boot/shoe is not resting on the shift lever while riding. Thick soled boots or shoes can leave you not 'feeling' the shift lever. When you shift it up, do not 'baby' it into the next gear. Shift it like you hate it!

 

[SixRFixR]

The clutch was slipping. The aftermarket gear indicator can only compare speed and rpm. Once the rpm went up, it thought you were in a lower gear and gave that indication. It didn't actually change gears. Adjusting free play had a positive effect. Get that to the proper spec and it should be ok.

 

[Scott_Thomas]

The clutch was slipping. The aftermarket gear indicator can only compare speed and rpm. Once the rpm went up, it thought you were in a lower gear and gave that indication. It didn't actually change gears. Adjusting free play had a positive effect. Get that to the proper spec and it should be ok.

Agree, 100%. I have the same gear indicator and my shifting and gear indication was spot on. Might need a bit more adjustment or like previous post stated, perhaps your boots/shoes are causing you to miss shifts.

 

[tho9504]

The problem seems to have been fixed after i adjusted the clutch free play. When i am cruising, i always move my foot to the side of the pegs rather than underneath the gear shifter. Yesterday, i took it on the highway (I-95 South) to South Philly to see if i could mimic the problem. but it never occured . The shifts were spot on and the gears did not slip at all. It all had to do with the clutch free play.

On another note ,This was my 1st time getting on a major highway and it was scary after 70 mph. I felt like the wind was trying to take me into the other lane. (even though much better than my old CBR 250). The little bumps on the highway literally lifted me off the bike each time. i had to hug the gas tank with both my legs and hold on for dear life...

 

[SixRFixR]

The little bumps on the highway literally lifted me off the bike each time. i had to hug the gas tank with both my legs and hold on for dear life...

What do you weigh and what's the rear spring pre-load set at? What's your tire pressure? Standard tire pressure is 33F/36R and I would stick with that. Is your gauge ok or crap? If you're around 175 lbs, I'd go with a pre-load of 3 or 4. I wouldn't go to 5 unless you're over 200 lbs. Whatever the wind has in mind for you, push for countersteer. Easy peasy.