2007 Yamaha FZ6 At times Grinding from 1st to 2nd | GTAMotorcycle.com

2007 Yamaha FZ6 At times Grinding from 1st to 2nd

Cha0s00100

Cha0s00100

Well-known member
Hey all,

I have made the move to a more practical bike for commuting a 2007 Yamaha FZ6.

Overall I am very satisfied with this bike. The power is there and its comfortable however I have one issue with this bike.

Shifting from 1st to 2nd seems to be problematic. Sometimes it shifts nicely and other times I get some vibrations in the shifter and the sound of grinding Mostly from 3-6k rpm.

If I match the RPM or granny shift ( Pull the clutch wait for 2 sec then shift ) its fine

I have made sure the chain slack and clutch slack is to spec and the bike only has 13k KM on it.

Through some research it seems to be a common issue or just the trait of this bike.

Wanted to get the forums opinion on it to see what people think.

Thanks all.
 
For bikes that have relatively highly stressed transmissions, the dogs on second gear can get worn out relatively quickly, particularly if the bike sees a lot of stoplight racing. Very common with mid 2000 600s, ZX7s, etc. Sometimes it just happens, though. If you hear grinding after a shift, you have not positively engaged the gear and you need to shift again, pronto. Can also be related to bent shift forks.

A band-aid solution (might work for you, since it sounds like it doesn't happen all the time) is to get a Factory Pro shift kit. It's not what the kit is meant for, but the more positive shifting action you get will be easier on the dogs. Otherwise the only real solution is to take the transmission apart.
 
When you shift from 1 - >2. Make sure you slam it in. Don't push it in like a girl. Grinds your gears
 
This actually gets the job done but I don't want to worry about it =/
 
No issues once the bike is in 2nd. Grind just happens while going in to gear or after a failed shift then the bike falls to Neutral. All other gears are fine shifting up and down from 6th down to 1st with no issues.
 
Preload the shifter before you pull in the clutch, smoothes out the shifts immensely
 
regder said:
Preload the shifter before you pull in the clutch, smoothes out the shifts immensely
Click to expand...

This definitely helps. So I guess its just the nature of the beast? All the other transmissions I have had to deal with have just been so smooth especially the zx6r. Was your FZ1 any better? Possibly my next ride :)
 
Cha0s00100 said:
This definitely helps. So I guess its just the nature of the beast? All the other transmissions I have had to deal with have just been so smooth especially the zx6r. Was your FZ1 any better? Possibly my next ride :)
Click to expand...

I'd say it's normal for the bike. To be honest, I never had too much of an issue with the FZ6 trans once I got into the habit of preloading the shifter. Now I just ride like that all the time, doesn't matter the bike. FZ1 trans doesn't seem any different in feel compared to the 6
 
regder said:
I'd say it's normal for the bike. To be honest, I never had too much of an issue with the FZ6 trans once I got into the habit of preloading the shifter. Now I just ride like that all the time, doesn't matter the bike. FZ1 trans doesn't seem any different in feel compared to the 6
Click to expand...

Im going to demo a FZ1 to have something to compare to.
 
Cha0s00100 said:
This definitely helps. So I guess its just the nature of the beast? All the other transmissions I have had to deal with have just been so smooth especially the zx6r. Was your FZ1 any better? Possibly my next ride :)
Click to expand...
Yep, and keep the clutch in for absolutely the shortest amount of time that you can, i.e. shift AS you're pulling the clutch in. Setting your freeplay to retarded high levels so the clutch barely disengages when you pull it right to the bar is one way to cure a clunky transmission. Lightning quick grind free 1-2 shifts. Really hurts the hand if you're stuck in traffic (with the freeplay set like that you're always holding the clutch at its stiffest position) as well as you have to have one of the brakes on when you shift from N to 1st because the bike will want to jump a bit, and finding neutral after can be difficult.

Contrary to what people say I've never seen it affect my clutch life. 42,000km's before writing off an 08 R6 that was set so loose from day 1 brand new that I basically pretended it didn't have neutral because it was impossible to find while the engine was running. 09 R6S three years like that, my current 07 R1 four years like that so far.

Another option is to try out GP/reverse shift :) It's 1 up and 5 down, so the motion of 1st to 2nd is just stomping on the shifter. All R6 and most R1 are super easy to convert to GP shift (just flip the shift knuckle around on the transmission shift shaft). Not sure about your FZ6.

Edit: Looks like it's not super simple, not sure what year FZ6 this is or if your stock shift rod runs through the frame like this guys: http://www.sportbikes.net/forums/fz6-fz6r/357465-fliiped-shifter.html

Ghetto way of doing it without purchasing rearsets:

Shifter.jpg
 
Last edited:
I rode a 2007 FZ6 for 2 years....1st - 2nd was always clunky.
 
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