Up-shift problem

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Sep 29, 2014
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Has anyone else experienced a reluctance of the 961 to up-shift after sitting for a day or two? My 2014 SF will shift pretty good from 1st to 2nd in the morning when I take off from home but seems to be getting more difficult to get to go into 3rd, 4th and 5th as the miles have added up. After I've ridden 10 miles or so each day there is no more problems and shifting becomes normal . The bike now has 2000 miles and I've noticed this for about the last 600 miles and it seems to be getting worse. Still loving my 961 !!!
 
Check the shifter mechanism and make sure when you upshift something is not hitting the casing. Hard to explain with only words but get your eyes down there and shift it up and down with your hand and see if there is something interfering. There isn't a lot of options movement allowed so if you or someone has had the gear selector off it may not be back on in the same position.
 
Here's a screen shot from my primary case manual. Hope this helps support what I was saying above.
Up-shift problem
 
Thanks Richard. After inspection the linkage , front (primary) and rear (pedal) all is working freely with no obstruction or binding. Of course I notice this problem each morning when I ride this bike to work and by the time I enjoy a spirited ride home each evening I've forgotten about it because the problem doesn't exist then. I'll check into it a little more in depth when I get home tonight and let you know what I come up with.
 
I'd check my fluid first thing. Not trying to sound too insulting or elementary, but if its low and cold, it might be stiff till the fluid heats up and expands, providing better lubrication. My tranny gave me a problem at 800 mi. after a 200 mi. pounding after getting back from its first service. I can't get out of the back of my mind that they may have not filled the gearbox. My dealership deals with mostly drain once fill once bikes. Not separate reservoirs. Whatever. Norton swapped it out. Took a while, but they honored their warranty.
 
From my recent experience with a clutch lever that had slowly been filling with air, I had a similar upshift issue. The lever pulled in quite a bit before it began to operate the clutch. After bleeding the lever at the top end (the bleed nipple actually on the Brembo lever, the external reservoir model), all is fine. Clutch lever free play is short, and the shifting is perfect. Check out the free play on the lever and at least rule that out.
 
Okay guys. First off, thanks for the advice, much appreciated. Sorry for not getting back sooner but I'm not satisfied with what seems to have solved the problem and I've been expecting it to reoccur. Being familiar with troubleshooting procedures, I started looking for the simple fix first and test each fix before moving on to the next. To make a short story short, I couldn't see the fluid level in the site glass on the master cylinder reservoir because the level was ABOVE the site glass. I removed the cap from the reservoir and the fluid level was about 1/4" from the top of the reservoir. Should be no problem but, I went ahead and added a few drops and brought the level to about 1/8" from the rim. This was enough fluid to cause it to run over when I put the diaphragm, cap and screws back in the reservoir. This bike does not have a top bleeder at the master cylinder, just a bleeder at the slave cylinder. I checked oils and looked for any leaks and everything seemed okay, so I thought I'd try that simple check before moving on. The next morning when I should've had the up-shift difficulty, it didn't happen. Every morning since, it's been fine. I do not have confidence in this "fix" and expect the problem back at any time. All I did was fill a reservoir that did not need fluid. I don't want to be an "alarmist" but I still think I'm going to change the fluid. Anyway, thanks.
 
Hello cehenard
Is your up-shift problem gone for ever?
I recognised similar problems recently and a few days after a strange noise was heard from time to time coming from the gearbox. I will go to the workshop next week to let open the gearbox and check what it is.
Since I had a similar case 2 years ago with 12000 miles less on the clock, I fear that it is the bearing of the snap link again which at that time was getting loose because of a broken welding seem...
It might be worth the 2 hours of work to check the gearbox, because last time this little bearing was doing quite a lot of damage in the gearbox!
 
Raphi, Glad you brought it up. The problem with upshifting on my bike was taken care of over the warmer months but now that it's getting colder the problem is coming back. I can't see what temperature has to do with the upshift difficulty but that is the only factor I've noticed that is different. After riding for a while it does fine. As of now I'm dealing with a flat rear tire on that bike so it'll be sitting for a time and I'll be riding something else ( with heated seat and heated grips). Keep us posted on what you find. Thanks, Charlie.
 
Little update concerning noise from gearbox:
The noise from the gearbox is not due to the snap link bearing but from the starter cogwheel which tries to come inside the gearbox from time to time even if starter button is not pressed and engine is already running. This gives a strange noise. Must be an electrical gremlin...

The upshift problem might have been due to a worn piece which was replaced today and shifting is much smoother now.
 
Cogwheel interference? Well that certainly doesn't sound good. Glad you have gotten that worked out before the serious damage arrived. These bikes are so worth sorting out. I still haven't found anything as cool to ride and to especially look at. IMHO of course.
 
Well, the electrical problem with the starter is still to solve. I don't know the source of it. The gearbox was repaired though. Something like the plate of the shift drum clip had to be replaced because it was worn and warped a bit.
 
I try to explain with 2 pictures.
In the first one you can see the snap link (black angled piece) from which the loose bearing (golden small disk on the right end of snap link) was the problem two years ago:
Up-shift problem


In the 2nd one you can see on the right side left of the snap link the part which had to be replaced this week, according to the service manual it must be the plate of the shift drum clip:
Up-shift problem


I hope this helps to understand a bit.
Raphi
 
Raphi said:
Little update concerning noise from gearbox:
The noise from the gearbox is not due to the snap link bearing but from the starter cogwheel which tries to come inside the gearbox from time to time even if starter button is not pressed and engine is already running. This gives a strange noise. Must be an electrical gremlin...

Here you can see the little cogwheel of the starter motor in the upper part of the crankcase which scratches from time to time the cogwheel of the primary gear:
Up-shift problem
 
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