VTR1000.ORG

Hi all.. just picked up a 97 VTR1000 for a mate of mine and it seems quite hard to select 1st gear? Did a search and can really find anything other than them being crap between 1st and 2nd.. which it is!!!

Just wondered if anyone had any experience of 1st gear problems?

PS.... always seems a bit silly but beers on me

Hi mate,
Welcome to the mad house!
Personally, the only slight difficulty I have with my bike is changing between 1st and 2nd.(especially at higher RPM) Don't have any probs actually engaging 1st gear tho.
Davie

Hi Moby, perhaps as already suggested the gear change lever has been moved making it more difficult, best check that, also if the tick over has been set really high may affect it, if any of those don't help then perhaps the clutch plates are sticking, (may be due to being laid up for a long period or the wrong engine oil) causing clutch drag (which basically means that the drive from the engine to the gearbox is not completely being broken when the clutch lever is being pulled in) or the master cylinder or slave cylinder is at fault causing the same which wouldn't be as noticeable in any of the other gears as the bike would be moving, to test to see if it is clutch drag start it up, select 1st gear on flat ground without any of the brakes on sitting on the bike holding the clutch lever in tight against the handlebar and if it is dragging the bike will start inching forward.

Chris.

Cheers for the replies chaps... I'm pretty switched on mechanically but just wondered if there were any known issues. Think I'll just try bleeding the clutch up... but I can select second with no problems. I do have to agree about first to second not at al nice.

I wondered if wheelies would have affect 1st.. But why would you want to when it comes up so easily in 2nd

Mine always crunches 1st to 2nd - and has done since new. Its smoother to change without the clutch.

I fixed it!!! Always the daftist things.... it was gear lever adjustment. I think the last owner set it too low and it was fowling the exhaust mount.

but of course I bleed the clutch before finding this


so next problem... how do I make it go round corners