Clunky shifting in 1-2-3 gears

[Lando6966]

Hello fellow busa riders, this is my first post. I recently bought a 2007 gen 1 busa with 20,063 miles.very clean bike seems to be well maintained. Only had it a couple weeks before I installed the carpenter clutch ring with springs and slave cylinder support bracket. And I started to notice that when I shift from 1to 2nd it clunks pretty good.( not buttery smooth like it should be) the rest of shifts are smooth. An I notice that after I tighten chain it gets better but not perfect.. but when chain loosens back up it gets worse.. I didn’t have a lot of riding time on bike before I changed the clutch ring so I’m not positive if that was the issue or not.any help would be greatly appreciated

 

[BigBSBusa]

First off, congrats on your first post! Gen1s are known for a clunky shift from 1st to 2nd. Change in oil or oil weight works for some, so ask what oil you are using? Also, some undercut the gears for 2nd to smooth that out, but not sure how far you want to go. Finally, how often is your chain coming loose? There may be some other problems going on. Others more mechanically inclined should be on to provide other/better support shortly.

 

[Hayabusa Wannabe]

Welcome to the forum.

 

[Bumblebee]

Welcome.....

I echo the thoughts of @BigBSBusa ........I've never had to adjust the chain on my bike in a few years...II check it often and it's in spec....

Did you just start to notice it after your clutch modifications?

If so, that's where I'd be starting.

 

[WuzzaCBXRider]

Well maintained with just 20Kon it? So what made you want to mess with the clutch? At that mileage it may have the original chain and Cush drive. Get a new chain and sprockets and Cush rubbers from Schnitz racing. Chains don’t get loose very often unless they’re shot. My 06 has four times your mileage and still has the original clutch. Oh, post some pics of your new bike.

 

[Lando6966]

Well maintained with just 20Kon it? So what made you want to mess with the clutch? At that mileage it may have the original chain and Cush drive. Get a new chain and sprockets and Cush rubbers from Schnitz racing. Chains don’t get loose very often unless they’re shot. My 06 has four times your mileage and still has the original clutch. Oh, post some pics of your new bike.

The bike was stock when I got it in Feb of 2023.. so I really only got to ride it approx 200 miles before I started changing the carpenter clutch ring an heavy duty springs and slave cylinder support bracket.. I had been doin research about the back torque limiting clutch an it’s inconsistencies, so I decided to try the clutch ring because it was cheaper then the Brock’s clutch mod.. and I installed a 10-14 evil swingarm with new sprockets,new chain an Cush drives from Schnitz. (Red ones).. and it was still doing it.. like I said when the chain gets adjusted tight it rides good for a bit but then starts again.. which I drive it rather hard. Spinning the wheel..( not dumping clutch.. jus throttle).. it’s a ek zvx3 530 chain with River link. All installed in july 2023.. but I’m not exactly sure on how the correct way to measure chain slack is.. do I adjust an measure from swingarm down an have a 1/2 down of slack an then push up an have a 1/2 up top of slack? Or do I measure down an jus have 1” of slack ?? Sorry for the stupid questions

 

[Hayabusa Wannabe]

Chain Slack | General Bike Related Topics

How much chain slack (play) are most people running with an extended swingarm? I have a +6 Arm and I still run what the manual tells you for stock believe it is 1" to 1 1/4". For some reason it seems kind of tight. Just trying to to get an idea what other people are running.

www.hayabusa.org

I see some opinions on extended bikes here.

 

[Kiwi Rider]

You should try bleeding the clutch and flushing the clutch hydraulics fully just as a starting point.
If no difference, retrace your steps with the clutch work you did,
Possibly sounds like the clutch plates are not fully disengaging and this can cause a clunky gear change.
But start with bleeding the clutch.
As far as chain slack goes, when you're sitting on the bike with it in neutral you should have half an inch to one inch of slack in the lower section of chain in the middle.

 

[Lando6966]

You should try bleeding the clutch and flushing the clutch hydraulics fully just as a starting point.
If no difference, retrace your steps with the clutch work you did,
Possibly sounds like the clutch plates are not fully disengaging and this can cause a clunky gear change.
But start with bleeding the clutch.
As far as chain slack goes, when you're sitting on the bike with it in neutral you should have half an inch to one inch of slack in the lower section of chain in the middle.

I have blead the clutch system starting at the master cylinder moving to the line at slave cylinder then to slave cylinder..I’m going to take the clutch back apart an take the carpenter clutch ring out an see if that makes a change.. an measure the clutch plates to see if they are in spec.. hopefully that will do the trick. I won’t have time to do it until maybe next weekend .. but I will let you know.. any other suggestions I’d be happy to hear..

 

[Berlin Germany]

@Lando6966

hey dude
you ever tried to bleed the sleeve and entire clutch system other way around , like i described it here at my homepage?

for now felt as eternity i do this way at all hydr. clutches - even at my over 30 yearold fj1200 - with allways full success.