Clunky transmission

[Paulio]

Can anyone help? I've recently got my XS (and joined the forum) and am very pleased with it. The only niggle is putting it into 1st gear, boy does it clunk, much worse than anything I've had before to the point I'm worried about damaging things. the clutch doesn't seem to drag.

Am I'm worried unnecessarily or is there a potential problem on the horizon?

Ta

Paulio

[81xsproject]

what RMP is the bike at when you are dropp'n' it in?
JC

[TopCatGr58]

Hey there Paulio,

Welcome to the group, there are several XS'ers down under, check out the other FORUM and search for Australia, you'll find the thread where folks have posted their locations!!

Next, YES, this tranny is VERY CLUNKY, and shifting into first is commonly found to be very hard! As 81XSProject stated, you should be only around 1K rpm, but also, you'll find it better if you hold the clutch lever in for several seconds first to allow the gears to slow down or stop spinning before engaging the clutch, and not be revving the engine!

Also, this tranny has a known weakness in wearing of the dogs and slots that are on the 1st and 2nd gears, and this hard shifting and clunking is part of what attributes to the wear! SO.. many other techniques have been recommended to avoid this hard shifting into 1st. One is to kill the engine, shift into 1st, then restart it! Secondly, once riding, down shift into first and keep the clutch pulled in at a stop vs. putting it into neutral, but if it's going to be an extended stop, then do as mentioned above and hold the lever a while before shifting.

Had a friend ride behind me for the first time and he thought he was going to see tranny parts flying out from under my bike because of the noise he could hear as I was shifting!!
Enjoy!

[MAXIMAN]

Ya know they ARE very clunky. Kinda like a truck transmission. But kinda like a truck transmission they are very durable. If you race a truck tranny you'll likely thrash it. If you use it correctly it will last forever.

I've had numerous people (people that know way more about bike than I) tell me they feel like the XS11 bottom end (crank through transmission/middle gear) is built like a tank. But if you have a poor shifting technique or race it you'll likely trash the trans.

just what I hear...

[Paulio]

Thanks for the advice - yes my idle speed is set at the top end of the range so i'll knock that down to the bottom, the irony is that the slightly faster idle makes for a smother ride in other respects.

I guess avoiding neutral with the engine running also avoids clunking the beast into first and I'd rather wear a clutch than trash the tranny.

Still a great bike and a lot more road presence than my old crotch rocket - sure turns more heads.

[MAXIMAN]

I dunno about your 11 but my idles very low when it's not fully warm. And it takes probably a good 15 minutes of riding before its full warm. In that time it will go from a loping idle of 8-900 up to a smooth rumble of 1100.

a lot more road presence than my old crotch rocket - sure turns more heads.

Ain't it the truth. I was with some of my "Harley" buddies recently. They were all bragging about how much $$$ they had "vommitted" up for their V-Twin junk. I sat there listening to their BS for about 10 minutes then I said "Yeah but my old 11 has something your bikes will NEVER have....CHARACTER."

They all just had a blank stare "like cows at a passing train".

[kennewick58]

troubleshooting

I have a 77 xs 750 and on that forum someone described the 2nd gear problem liken to a transmission full of ball bearings when it misses.

I have not heard this from the 11 but sometimes when I twist the wrist from second I get a slipping feeling then engage. No noise but the ass kickin roar of the engine. At first I thought mabey the ass end spinning but not so sure now. The tire was pretty bare when I got it. Is there some other possibuility I could consider? I got road kill half tore apart right now but this problem is bugging me.

I have heard about broken circlips and shafts that are out of place but I figure you guys could help me narrow it down.

[mason79]

i changed my cable and alot of the clunking went away

[kennewick58]

slippage

Yeah I have an extra one. It just doesn't seem like its popping out it really feels like slippage.

[pggg]

If a transmission can't take what's thrown at it then it's fragile junk. Mine was perfect in first gear until I changed the gearing and first gear promptly attempted to destroy itself, now, I can only limp half-heartedly in first gear between, say, 3000 revs and 6000 revs and definetly not at full throttle, but from 6000 to 8500 at full throttle still seems fine as long as the power's fed in smooth, when I stick on the downdraft R6 carbs and bump up the cam lift a bit more to compensate, the ported head is dying for more flow, the b**#* gearbox is gonna need beefing up for sure and I'm damn sure this things kicking out over 100 horses at the tyre now.

[TADracer]

Maybe I should knock on wood when I say this but I do much like TC says. I keep my idle RPM in the 1,000 to 1,100 range, hold the clutch in for a few seconds and then go into first with a firm foot motion. I keep it in gear with the clutch in at stop lights. I downshift in the sweet spots when coming to a stop light and when doing a high RPM downshift I try and keep the RPMS up in range with a small throttle blip. I keep my cables fresh and lubricated and the clutch adjusted. Another thing, even though these transmissions can be considered 'automatic' because you can upshift without the clutch, I do not make a habit of doing this. Also, I do not use baby feet when shifting. I make sure my foot motions are deliberate and firm....kind of like making sure it goes deeply into gear.

So knock on wood, I have not experienced any transmission problems at all. But damn, they are clunky!

[MRR046]

Clunk trans

Hi all,

I have recently got back into owning and riding after a ten year lapse (couldn't take it any more had to have a bike). I researched bikes for over a year and picked the 79 XS1100SF for reputation and mainly because they are easy to find and maintain.
The first thing I noticed was how clunky the trans was when shifting into first. My riding buddy has a 83 V65 Magna and his trans sounds almost as loud as mine. I have to agree with the last post when he says to "firmly" put it in first and second. I have found this to be the case with my bike. If I try to shift easy it clunks loudly but if I really put effort into it she shifts real smooth. Maybe they just like to be man handled a little.
Oh by the way, I love my XS more than my 87 GSXR 1100 which I plan on selling in the spring due to the fact that I like riding the XS more! And my riding buddy with the V65 couldn't believe he could not run off and leave me. On the curves in the mountain I ate him alive! He couldn't run off from me on the straight aways either!

[HobbyMan]

If you hold the clutch longer when shifting into first it will minimize the shock as said before. Definitely don't rev your engine when shifting. Also, when cooming to a stop, make sure that you shift to first before you stop moving. like everyone says, if it is a short stop, don't put it into neutral. I drove by my friend while going home from school and he was supprised at how loud my transmission was. Becuase the stock exhaust is soo quiet, you can really hear the transsmission.

[motoman]

Ironically guys, up-shifting the XS is the smoothest shifting bike there is, and alot of that is the 25+ years of riding one. My Honda ST1100 cannot be shifted as smoothly consistantly as the XS! The XS will up-shift at any given RPM with no noise or clunk that any passenger doesn't even realize the actual shift took place. Some of that can be attributated to the 20-50w Vavoline oil that does it's job, and trust me, or read the threads pertaining to oils. Found after changing from what I had always used(Castrol) that valve train noise and tranny wine all but dissapeared. The bike no longer has that constant wine on those long rides.

[chopwatchagot]

Really, to call the XS tranny "clunky", you have to compare it to something, Compared to my '72 BSA rocket three, the XS is "clunky"! But compared to my old '56 GMC one ton truck, the XS tranny could be called smoothe as silk!!!(lol)