• Can't post after logging to the forum for the first time... Try Again - If you can't post in the forum, sign out of both the membership site and the forum and log in again. Make sure your COG membership is active and your browser allow cookies. If you still can't post, contact the COG IT guy at IT@Concours.org.
  • IF YOU GET 404 ERROR: This may be due to using a link in a post from prior to the web migration. Content was brought over from the old forum as is, but the links may be in error. If the link contains "cog-online.org" it is an old link and will not work.

New Rider - How to shift gears properly question

ramkumar999

Guest
Guest
I am new to my 08 Concours 14 and had question regarding the proper way to shift the gear on the Connie. I was looking at user manual and found the following info.

Shifting up
1st - 2nd  - 9 mph
2nd -3rd - 15 mph
3rd - 4th - 21 mph
4th - 5th - 27 mph
5th - 6th - 34 mph

These numbers dont make sense which means I have to shift a bunch of gears and be on overdrive gear in city riding., A lot of times, I am riding between 3-4-5.
I have noticed that at times, I dont have to fully engage the clutch to shift the gear., Infact I had the previous owner say that half pressing is enough and is the smoothest way to shift. What I have observed is that at times, from a full stop., when I shift from 1st to 2nd, the bike almost seems to have a jerky pickup almost like how you would feel when you down shift when in a higher RPM.
I have typically felt shifting smooth in other bikes should I wanted to get others advice on the appropriate way to ride this beast of a motor.
 
That chart is garbage, so disregard it. My normal shifting is usually between 4000-6000 rpm around town. Considerably higher when I am playing.
 
Chart I think is Minimum speed that you can shift to that gear and not have the bike die. 

You really can not/ should not shift from 1 to 2 when stopped.  It has a positive neutral finder that is suppose to make going from 1 to natural easier and going to second hard when not moving.

I up shift a lot without the clutch but most times down with.  Upshift somewhere before redline and down somewhere before 2k rpm or about 2.5-3k.
 
Hi,
        I try to run 3rd or 4th (30-60 MPH) gear around town.... ;D

The reason is to keep the gear down and revs up to get better pickup to MOVE.... :motonoises:

In case needed in a hurry!!! :-[
 

Attachments

  • tumblr_ocwm8hwmEp1uky12oo1_1280.jpg
    tumblr_ocwm8hwmEp1uky12oo1_1280.jpg
    113.7 KB · Views: 213
Ram, one of the best things you can do to your bike to improve the shifting and ride quality is to get Steve Sefsick's ECU flash. The stock fuel mapping on these bikes is terrible. Steve has transformed the usability and enjoyment of the bike with his genius. You will find a lot of threads on this forum describing the benefits of Steve's flash. His forum name is SISF, which stands for "Steve In Sunny Florida". His web site address is https://sites.google.com/site/shoodabenengineering/home.
 
Thanks for the input guys. I am not sure when was the last time the oil was changed, So I am getting mine changed to see if it generally improves shifting. I will go by RPM now until I develop the muscle memory for it.

The whole ECU thing is new to me so I should take a look into this thing and see how it improves.
 
Ram said:
I am not sure when was the last time the oil was changed,
So I am getting mine changed to see if it generally improves shifting.

Good, that's step 1 in solving most new bike shifting clunks. 
Step 2 is shifting above 4000 rpm; on our bike you'll find that 6000 rpm shifts are very fine - once the oil warms up, so after 5 minutes.
 
Just be aware the C14 is not as smooth shifting as others. My 40 something years old 900 shifts way smother and doesn't have the miles my Connie does. They have about the same clunk though. 
 
I dont have much to compare since I was riding a C90 boulevard before this. Thinking back in the list of bikes I have owned, this is probably the 2nd sports bike the previous one being a 2006 Katana 600 that I had several years back.
I drove 1 hour in stop and go traffic yesterday evening for what was supposed to be a 25 mile ride. There were at times, I heard clunk as if I dropped something on the road but didnt come again when I was shifting. First 15-20 minutes of riding was fine after which the clutch lever hold started to frustrate me at every light or back to back traffic.
I am getting mine back from shop probably by weekend or early next week as I am getting my forks resealed as well. I will provide a ride report once it is back but as others have mentioned shifting between 1-2 is something I need to get used to. Same way, I was able to find neutral at times when I was shifting up from 1 to 2. when on a full stop after I reached one., I didnt know about the neutral finder thing until I read it up. I was trying to be gentle to get to neutral but hard tug down was needed to get the lever moving.
 
Ram--I don't think anybody else has mentioned it but I find preloading the shifter very helpful. This can help in a couple of ways. First, it can make shifting into the next gear much easier and faster and second, it should prevent an incomplete shift. For example, you mentioned going into neutral between first and second so assuming something isn't wrong with your gearbox, preloading should prevent that from happening.
 
Ram said:
Can you explain how to preload the shifter?

Sure...let's say you want to upshift from first to second gear. You get your toe under the shifter and apply some upward pressure, not enough to shift but enough to preload the shifter. When you go ahead and shift, you should find the shifter literally jumping into the next gear. Frankly, I haven't found this necessary on my C14 but for sure, shifts would be even better if I used that technique. I have owned other bikes where it was needed much more to make a good shift.
 
Got it. and do you fully pull the clutch to engage when you actually change the gear or just partial pull? I had tried both ways and havent found which one is better from smoothness perspective or from gear life perspective.
 
If you pre load, as he calls it, as soon as you let off the gas some and the drive power goes to zero it will just jump to gear.  No need for the clutch at all and it will not harm anything.  Or just use the clutch.  Using the clutch half way really is no benefit or harm.
 
Ram said:
Got it. and do you fully pull the clutch to engage when you actually change the gear or just partial pull? I had tried both ways and havent found which one is better from smoothness perspective or from gear life perspective.

There may be different ways to do this but I always use the clutch fully. For me, smoothness comes from how the throttle coordinates with the clutch. Also, I've found that too little throttle is worse than too much throttle when it comes to jerkiness.
 
Another thing to mention is rev matching on downshifting, a light throttle blip as you shift to match revs will go a long way to smooth out a downshift and decel.

This thing will upshift like a true sportbike, even though it's a touring monster. I'm another proponent of clutch use on upshifting, preloading is fun but the smoothness for me comes from throttle/clutch control.
 
Ram said:
Can you explain how to preload the shifter?

Preloading the shifter did miracles for my 02 Connie (previous generation). I never found my 2015 needed me to preload. However, after I got my "EVO FLASH" my 2015 shifts like a rock star. Not sure why it shifts so much better but it is extremely noticeable.
 
Ram I have about a year of riding on my 08 and about the only thing negative I have to say is the shiffting.
When I first got it I struggled to shift smoothly .
  If im pulling first gear wide open and running through the gears its a dream but to putter around town it can be a clunky mess.
  I have learned to be pretty smooth now but I still have to be very controlled in my shifting.
  One thing I do is get into 2nd a little quicker than think/feel i should. This (short shift) usually keeps my wife's helmet from smacking mine lol.
  Most people on here say Steves flash greatly smooths this out for em.
  I for one have held out long enough and im planning on emailing him tonight and get mine headed his way.

 
Fresh oil always helps. The C-14 seems to take longer for the shifting to get "clunky" after an oil change than a C-10, but fresh oil and pre-loading as said above (plus practice and staying above 3,200-3,500 rpm) helps a lot. That "flash" you read about? Makes it like another bike.
 
Hi, Ram,

My $0.02 on this is to just ride the bike, and you'll get the hang of what works on a C14 and what doesn't.  As long as you're not lugging it or being really rough with the clutch or gearbox, it'll be fine and you'll get smooth.  (I got my C14 last June and it took me a while to get in synch with the gearbox and the clutch, but then I hadn't been riding for like 10 years or so so I was doubtless pretty rusty.)  The techniques that people recommend here are I think advanced topics to a certain extent, and while useful to know and maybe adopt in time, my take would be to just work on getting smooth, and then that'll happen and you can work on the 'fancy stuff' if you feel like it.  Then again, I'm probably just an old slow shifter (no quicker than I need to be) :).

I also endorse Steve's flashes (different ones available depending on what you want and what kind of exhaust system you have, stock or otherwise).   
 
Just to confirm the suspicions, the lousy shifting IS a result of the lousy stock tuning. If the tuning is right, you'll never notice the shifting, you won't have to work at it and you'll never think about it. Steve
 
Thank you for your suggestions. I definitely need to ride it out and find the sweet spot. Given the bike is new to me, it is going to take some time behind the "bars" to get it going right. I will take the lessons one  :beerchug: at a time!!  :)
 
It seems like the choices are clear:
Get SISF's flash and ride it like like a proper Gent or
Grab a lot of throttle and ride it like Kawasaki intended
:great:
 
When cruising I try to keep the engine at 3000 rpm minimum so that I don't lug the engine.  You will find that even at 3k if you need to maneuver that sometimes the 3 k is not enough and a down shift will be needed to get you closer to the power band.  With that being said, I am guessing that to shift at a low of 3800-4000 rpm min would land you somewhere around the 3 k mark.  Remember that these are minimums.

Fred
 
I'm surprised that no one mentioned that the shifter is adjustable, and that a little movement of it either up or down will help a lot.
 
Jim said:
I'm surprised that no one mentioned that the shifter is adjustable, and that a little movement of it either up or down will help a lot.

+1. If you are frequently hitting false neutrals, or missing shifts, it may be the shifter is adjusted too high for you. If that's the case then you need to lift your foot higher than is natural to complete the shift and therefore sometimes fail to complete the shift. To adjust the lever, loosen the two jamb nuts on either end of the aluminum shaft on the shifter linkage. That will allow you to spin the aluminum shaft thereby shortening or lengthening the adjuster linkage, which raises or lowers the shift lever.  Be careful to only move the shifter in fairly small amounts. A difference of a quarter-inch may be all that's necessary. Once you've made your adjustment retighten the jamb nuts so that the aluminum shaft is locked in place.
 
There's quite a few members in your vicinity that, I'm sure would be willing to help you learn how to work on and adjust your bike.  Check the COG Southeast calendar and try to make it to one of the monthly Rides to eat or come over to Jim's Smokin' Q in Blairsville, GA on May 20. There will be quite a few members at that.
 
shift points and speed to me are typically by feel, but when out for a rather relaxed ride it's always about 10x gear# which puts me in 6th from 60mph on.

If I'm a bit more aggressive, it's wherever I feel like being. 
 
Strum, what's Tony's last name? I've got his contact as 'Tony the Kawasaki guy." Yeah, I know.... :-[
Thanks.
 
Hi,
        Matt and I talked about this in a thread once, but....

It seems taller guys (bigger feet/angle?) have a bit more problem with the shifter position?

I actually had to reposition the splined knuckle, that holds the actuating rod, at the engine's shift rod!

May not apply here, but...

Just sayin!!! ;D
 

Attachments

  • tumblr_ohd477Y5MB1tk46tjo1_500.jpg
    tumblr_ohd477Y5MB1tk46tjo1_500.jpg
    139.6 KB · Views: 143
What haven't been mentioned is the Connie likes to be shifted quickly/aggressively.
I'm not saying to pin the throttle and shift at max RPM.
I'm suggesting; load the shifter, and then shift quickly as you accelerate.
ie; Don't let of the throttle/pull in the clutch/and then pull up on the shifter.
Do it all in 1 motion... smoooooothhhhhhh

Ride safe, Ted
 
strum said:
ron203 said:
Strum, what's Tony's last name? I've got his contact as 'Tony the Kawasaki guy." Yeah, I know.... :-[
Thanks.

Ron its Tony Gaisford

Thanks. (small hijack- Strum are you going to be at the RTE on 5/20?)

Now back to Ram's question - Sorry Ram.  ;D
 
connie_rider said:
What haven't been mentioned is the Connie likes to be shifted quickly/aggressively.
I'm not saying to pin the throttle and shift at max RPM.
I'm suggesting; load the shifter, and then shift quickly as you accelerate.
ie; Don't let of the throttle/pull in the clutch/and then pull up on the shifter.
Do it all in 1 motion... smoooooothhhhhhh

Ride safe, Ted

An exciting alternative is to preload the shifter and let the rev limiter do the shifting for you.  ::)
 
Thanks guys. I got my bike back from oil change and its indeed a world of difference in shifting now. I also liked the idea of jumping to 2nd quickly. I tried preload couple of times and need to get a hang of it., it looks like the previous owner probably did 6K miles between the last oil change and now its butter and I am able to find neutral and other gears rather smooth.

ron203 said:
strum said:
ron203 said:
Strum, what's Tony's last name? I've got his contact as 'Tony the Kawasaki guy." Yeah, I know.... :-[
Thanks.

Ron its Tony Gaisford

Thanks. (small hijack- Strum are you going to be at the RTE on 5/20?)

Now back to Ram's question - Sorry Ram.  ;D
 
connie_rider said:
What haven't been mentioned is the Connie likes to be shifted quickly/aggressively.
I'm not saying to pin the throttle and shift at max RPM.
I'm suggesting; load the shifter, and then shift quickly as you accelerate.
ie; Don't let of the throttle/pull in the clutch/and then pull up on the shifter.
Do it all in 1 motion... smoooooothhhhhhh

Ride safe, Ted
+1 on this!! :great: ;)
 
I just came back home after a nice 130 mile ride to and from North Georgia Mountains and all I can say is this preload ingredients the gear has worked like a charm now.
The ride was awesome with intermittent rain but this bike didn't sweat at all.
 
with my legs being as long as they are, I find myself finding N instead of 2nd every once in a while.  I should probably look at adjusting the shift lever.  How much adjustment is there?  I'm pretty pigeon towed on this bike, and is there the same amount of adjustment on the brake side? 
 
There is quite a bit of adjustment on the shifter, plus you can remove and reposition the component's to get more.
Sound to me that you need to move it down...
Brake has some adjustment, linkage can be modified if needed. (I think by removing the nut)

Be sure to also readjust the brake light switch...

Ride safe, Ted

 
GIant81 said:
with my legs being as long as they are, I find myself finding N instead of 2nd every once in a while.  I should probably look at adjusting the shift lever.  How much adjustment is there?  I'm pretty pigeon towed on this bike, and is there the same amount of adjustment on the brake side?

Lots of adjustment on the shifter side, not so much on the brake side. I ground the brake actuator rod down and removed the nut on the brake assembly and still am having trouble finding room for my feet with the kneesavers. Be careful not to twist the wires to the switch as you turn it. They're easy to get off, a pain to get back on.
 
Probably what my weekend will entail.  adjusting the shifter, and bleeding the clutch and brakes out. 

I know I need rear pads very soon, will probably put a full set on for good measure. 
 
Just to chime in....  My only complaint with my 2012 Connie is the shifting.  Steve's flash greatly improved it, however I still don't think it shifts great.  Switching to synthetic also helped some.  Like has been said, it shifts fine if I'm at full tilt shifting at high RPM.  When riding at normal speeds and 2up, I've learned to preload the shifter and use just a short pull on the clutch lever.  This coupled with Steve's flash makes it a lot better.  However, I'm always conscience of it and I'm constantly having to think about shifting smoothly which is something I never had to do on any of my other bikes(Mostly Hondas).  That said, it's my only complaint.  I still LOVE my Connie and would highly recommend Steve's flash. :great:
 
Ram, one of the best things you can do to your bike to improve the shifting and ride quality is to get Steve Sefsick's ECU flash. The stock fuel mapping on these bikes is terrible. Steve has transformed the usability and enjoyment of the bike with his genius. You will find a lot of threads on this forum describing the benefits of Steve's flash. His forum name is SISF, which stands for "Steve In Sunny Florida". His web site address is https://sites.google.com/site/shoodabenengineering/home.
I second bigfoot_16, I just got Steve's ecu flash for my bone stock 2008 c14 with 15k miles, and no joke, night and day difference. I rode 240mi in the past two days after work just to get used to it, and it' was so natural. I had it dialed in in 5 min. I shift while barely moving the throttle and clutch now and it makes the stock bike seem ridiculous. Plus, I actually get an avg of 2mpg at 90, I bet it's much better at 70, but I've been having too much fun.
 
I am new to my 08 Concours 14 and had question regarding the proper way to shift the gear on the Connie. I was looking at user manual and found the following info.

Shifting up
1st - 2nd - 9 mph
2nd -3rd - 15 mph
3rd - 4th - 21 mph
4th - 5th - 27 mph
5th - 6th - 34 mph

These numbers dont make sense which means I have to shift a bunch of gears and be on overdrive gear in city riding., A lot of times, I am riding between 3-4-5.
I have noticed that at times, I dont have to fully engage the clutch to shift the gear., Infact I had the previous owner say that half pressing is enough and is the smoothest way to shift. What I have observed is that at times, from a full stop., when I shift from 1st to 2nd, the bike almost seems to have a jerky pickup almost like how you would feel when you down shift when in a higher RPM.
I have typically felt shifting smooth in other bikes should I wanted to get others advice on the appropriate way to ride this beast of a motor.
I do not yet have my ECU flashed so I find it best to rev out a bit for the first two gears to avoid lurching. Usually go at least 5k to bump to second, at least 4K to third. Rapid up shifts after that for 2 laners, longer revs for freeway on ramps. This will change as I plan to send the ECU to get the famed flash from Shoobaden Engineering. Might even bolt on a Delkavic slip on as well.😀

The Concours is the best bike I have ever ridden and I am so glad I bought her this spring. There are many days I leave for a “short ride” that ends up lasting 6 hours. Once we get in the zone together, it is hard to stop. Enjoy!
 
You should make sure the throttle cables (there are two...for open and close) are adjusted properly as it plays into shift quality. Excessive play leads to jerkiness.
 
With the stock ECU the C14 shifts like do do. My 1975 900 shifted smoother before the 14's ECU was flashed. No more helmet bumping. Shifting gears is done when I feel like it and I try to keep RPMs above 2500 or there abouts.
 
I will now explain proper clutch operation.
(Guaranteed to prevent stumble/jerkiness while pulling away from a stop)

Pull in the clutch,
put it in gear,
give it a lot of gas,
"let go of the clutch".
Yeeeeee hawwwww...
Each time you hit www,,, "Repeat process".

Continue process until;
,,,you run out of gears
,,,you run out of road
,,,your wife smacks you on the back of the head
,,,the local constabulary sees you
Or, your eyes start to bleed

Ride safe, Ted (Glad I could help)
 
Last edited:
Nobody can shift a stock c-14 cleanly using low rpms and light throttle. You know, those little snick-snick- shifts and now you're going 30 mph in 3rd gear, just easing out of your neighborhood? Not happening, unless you're really working at it, and who wants to do that?

The reason is because of the secondary throttle mapping in the ecu. When we unload the transmission with the tiniest bit of closing throttle, the ECU shuts the secondary throttle blades, then snaps them back open. Now think about it... imagine if you were to fully close the throttle then snap it back open on each shift... it would be just like what you experience from a stock ECU.

Some may say that it's due to fuel cut in the ecu, but it's not. Open up the secondary throttle and even leave fuel cut enabled, and the light throttle shifting is fine, all the helmet bumping goes away.

Plainly, the issue isn't the rider, it's the stock tuning in the ecu. Fact.

Steve
 
Last edited:
Top