Gear Shifting Very Difficult

[flyingcbf]

Hi Folks,
You've probably come across this a lot. My suzuki is notorioulsy bad at changing gears. It's very difficult to shift from Neutral, to 1, then to 2 and most of all I can't get it into 3rd gear! After struggling it finally gets to 3rd gear!
I don't really have any clutch cable free play. The bike only has under 8000 miles!
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2019 Suzuki V-Strom 250
2020 Cb125F @ 5k miles and going up!

[stinkwheel]

How's the chain tension? Over-tight chan can make for terrible shifting.
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Easy-X]

This any help?

https://www.v-strom.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=21656.0

From recent experience a new clutch cable can do wonders if the various adjustment points have already been tinkered with.
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Husqvarna Vitpilen 401, Yamaha XSR700, Honda Rebel, Yamaha DT175, Suzuki SV650 (loan) Fazer 600, Keeway Superlight 125, 50cc turd scooter

[flyingcbf]

[stinkwheel]

Be interesting to look down the oil filler hole with a torch and see what sort of clutch plate stack seperation you're getting when you pull the clutch lever.

How far away from the lever is the bite point in first?

It almost sounds like you aren't getting good stack seperation. One possible reason for this is a notched clutch basket but that would be odd with only 8k miles, it would probably indicate a very ham-fisted use of the clutch or downright abuse. If there's notching, you might even be able to see it with the afore-mentioned torch.

If the bite point is very near the bars with no free play or you're not getting much movement of the clutch plates, it would probably be worth having a good look at the clutch, check for notching, worn friction plates, buckled slipper plates (put them on a piece of glass to check flatness) and any issues with the release mechanism. Also free and smooth cable movement.

One trick is if you lean the bike way over to the left side, you can usually remove the clutch cover without dropping the oil. You will amost certainly need a new cover gasket though.
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Easy-X]

Pretty much any cable driven clutch should had a touch of play at the lever. You say you're pulling the lever all the way to the handlebar. If you also have a lot of play in the lever I'd suggest fiddling with the cable adjuster and taking out the slack. On the other hand if there's no play you might try adjusting at the clutch end, I think you'll find it in the centre of the clutch basket. (Parts 22 & 23 here) And then as I said, try a new cable if you've done all that.
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Husqvarna Vitpilen 401, Yamaha XSR700, Honda Rebel, Yamaha DT175, Suzuki SV650 (loan) Fazer 600, Keeway Superlight 125, 50cc turd scooter

[MCN]

TLDR

There's another interesting cause of tight shifts.

If the cage is worn the plates are not free to separate.
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Disclaimer: The comments above may be predicted text and not necessarily the opinion of MCN.

[flyingcbf]

I've screwed it up even more!
It's now stuck at 3rd gear and won't shift up or down. Looks like I'll have to strip her down.
I'll try and do a video if I can...

...After some YouTubing, appears I need to check the Shift return spring.
____________________
2019 Suzuki V-Strom 250
2020 Cb125F @ 5k miles and going up!

[flyingcbf]

Hi Folks,
OK, So i;ve got a quick video of the issue.
The bike is stuck in third gear and will not shift up or down. I've held in the clutch lever but not joy. Rear wheel in continous spin. I hope someone can point me in the right direction...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMKuzvWgRAQ
____________________
2019 Suzuki V-Strom 250
2020 Cb125F @ 5k miles and going up!

[stinkwheel]

Hmm. Sounds like it may be something more fundamental then like a bent or damaged part in the selector mechanism or even a bent rod or selector fork in the gearbox.

I'm in no way familiar with your bike, never really worked on Suzukis. Some bikes have an external selector mechanism you can get at without splitting the engine. Gearbox internals are usually an engine out and bottom off job unless they made 250 v-stroms with a casette gearbox.
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[bypass2]

is your gear lever slipping/loose on the spine. have you checked that. maybe the clutch cabble has stretched/worn

[jeffyjeff]

Your clutch is not releasing. Notice how your rear wheel spins regardless the position of the clutch lever. That is not right. It may spin slowly with the clutch released, but not like that.

Inspect and repair your clutch before you condemn transmission internals.
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History shows again and again how nature points out the folly of men - BOC

[stinkwheel]

Regardless of what the clutch is or isn't doing, It should still pop out of third gear when you push down on the lever with the engine idling and the wheel turning. I've ridden a bike hundreds of miles with a broken clutch cable.

Looks like there is a complete lack of resistance on the gearshift, nothing to feel when you push it up or down? That would suggest something wrong with the selector mechanism to me.
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[flyingcbf]

[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

Will the bike come out of third with the engine off?

May need to be rocked but should shift if not running without needing the clutch.
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My Flickr

[Bhud]

[flyingcbf]

[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

[flyingcbf]

Ok fellas.
I'm not sure if I was to blame for this. I feel like a right lemon for doing this. When I got the bike, I thought I'd give the front and rear sprockets a clean with parafin (kerosine). I took off the front sprocket cover and sprayed a liberal amount of parafin. After a couple of minutes, I used a jet wash to wash it down. Both the front and rear sprocket.
Is it likely that the parafin ad water has gone into the gear system?
____________________
2019 Suzuki V-Strom 250
2020 Cb125F @ 5k miles and going up!

[stinkwheel]

[flyingcbf]

I've done the same exact with my Honda CB and no issues with that. In fact, I would do the Parafin and Pressure washer wash every 1000 miles. This has not affected the other bike.
____________________
2019 Suzuki V-Strom 250
2020 Cb125F @ 5k miles and going up!

[bypass2]

dont no nothing about your bike. do you take the gear lever of to take the sprocket cover of. if so have you put the gear lever back on in the same position.

[flyingcbf]

[flyingcbf]

Can I re-use the cluthc gasket if i open her up? It's 8000 on clock on a 2019 plate. Gasket itself is 50 quid!
____________________
2019 Suzuki V-Strom 250
2020 Cb125F @ 5k miles and going up!

[stinkwheel]