[ajspellm]

i have a 2003 zx6r with 2800 miles and it seems like the clutch and transmission is really clunky and loud. sometime i accidentaly hit the gear changer down when i am at a stoplight from neutral and it jumps into 1st gear. should it be able to do this? also i can shift without using the clutch. i am new to bikes and dont know if this is normal. thanks

 

[Nigel]

Yes, it's all normal.

The clunky and loud gearshifts are simply because you haven't developed a good shifting technique yet. I don't mean to offend you, but there are good ways to change gear, and not-so-good ways to change gear, and you're using the not-so-good method, simply because you haven't been shown (or found) a better way yet.

For example, I can change gears silently and so smoothly that I can't feel the gearshifts, but I can also get some very loud bangs and clunks out of the gearbox if I want to.

Practice will see you get better at changing gears.

 

[ajspellm]

lol. ok thanks. is it bad on it shifting so hard?

 

[Nigel]

Not really. A lot of people change gears roughly and never have any problems with the gearbox.

The biggest factors in changing gears smoothly are timing everything right (throttle, gearshift and clutch), and actual clutch control. Letting the clutch out smoothly is probably the most important part of a smooth gearshift.

Also, don't be slow when changing gears - that's a sure-fire way to get loud noises from the gearbox. You don't have to rush them, just don't be slow with them.

When you're changing down a gear, give the throttle a little bit of a rev just as you pull the clutch in. Don't give it a big rev, just a little one. It will make the downshift much more quiet and smooth, when you get it right.