Downshift Problem

[Ronda Rae]

Dropped my bike yesterday and broke the end of the clutch lever off and scratched up my pretty new chrome mirror. My question is, on the way home, the bike isn't shifting into first gear very well at all. Could this be a minor clutch adjustment? Or should I take it into a shop to assess the damage? Going to give it another try today to see how it handles.
Thanks,R

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by Ronda Rae

Could this be a minor clutch adjustment? Or should I take it into a shop to assess the damage?

Yes and maybe.

Could be that your clutch lever is bent so that it isn't pulling the cable as far as it is supposed to. Maybe that can be compensated for with the adjustments and maybe not.

Also could be that your shift lever got bent in the mishap.

Your idle speed didn't jump up after the drop, did it ??

While you are at the dealer ordering a new clutch lever, they should be happy to give it a quick look, for no charge, I would think.

Then again, maybe you are just paranoid after the "incident". That is a VERY common thing for riders after a drop; you hear and feel all KINDS of things that have always been there but you never noticed before. :roll:

[Ronda Rae]

Thanks. It's hard to say what might be bent. My foot peg was definitely bent and a friend fixed that with a pipe. I am a little paranoid that I've hurt my bike more than I can tell and I'm really mad at myself for it even happening. Comes with the territory I guess for new riders. Now I have to learn how to pick it up for myself.

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by Ronda Rae

Comes with the territory I guess for new riders.
Now I have to learn how to pick it up for myself.

Yes and definitely yes.
Happens sometimes to "old" riders too.
I discovered that the "back up" technique works on a bike you normally can't lift............yes, I dropped it in a parking lot.

[alanmcorcoran]

Don't overthink it Ronda. Most of us have dropped one bike or another and will probably drop one again in the future. The important thing is you apparently didn't hurt yourself. If you want to dwell on it, think about what led to the drop and resolve to try to not do that again. (I dropped my Strat twice in the early goings, two different mistakes, and had to rely on the kindness of strangers to get it picked up both times. The guys on here have given me all kinds of tips, even videos, but if you are on the edge of an on-ramp, on a steep slope with a curb and dirt right where you need to plant your feet, it just doesn't work like it does in the video in a flat parking lot.)

It definitely sucks when you bust up your ride - my recommendation is to get it fixed up quickly so you can put it behind you.

One last bit of advice - if you are a new rider I can assure you that your skills will improve dramatically over the first year by doing little more than riding the bike regularly. When I started out two years ago, I was very tentative in turns and my brain was full of "instructions" gleaned from the guys on here, proficient Motorcyling, the safety class, the Internet etc. Over time a lot of what you are thinking about becomes habit. I mostly got better just by riding. After about a year a lot of what you are "supposed" to do kind of comes naturally and you don't have to think about it as much, if at all.

Good luck with your repairs, sorry about your accident.

[Water Warrior 2]

RR, the first drop is always the most heart wrenching. Only took me a week to drop my Vstrom when I first got it. Still have some minor scratches and a story to tell. Consider your new baby finally Christened and ride on.

[patrick_777]

Scratches and dents mean it's ridden. It's a badge of honor to most actual riders. Remember that it's not what you ride, it's that you ride.

If the shifter is not obviously bent out of shape or being obstructed (which means it's bent) then you might have an "expert" take a look at it to make sure the shaft is not bent and rubbing around in the tranny. It's less likely though. The shifter and footrest would have actually snapped off before the shaft gets messed up, the minor parts are designed to be failure points in a layover to keep major damage from happening.

[Maggie]

Originally Posted by Ronda Rae

I'm really mad at myself for it even happening. Comes with the territory I guess for new riders. Now I have to learn how to pick it up for myself.

Hey, Ronda Rae! Go easy on yourself, it happens to seasoned riders too. I recently dropped my big heavy Silverado in a parking lot in front of a whole group of people. A couple of guys came over to help me pick it up and, seeing how embarassed I was, quickly told me about their parking lot drops! Think of it as a rite of passage. Anyway, here's a post with pics and a description showing a gal (wearing a skirt, no less!) picking up a beast of a bike (compared to our GZs). Hopefully you'll never have to do it again, but having an idea of how to do it tucked away in your brain's file cabinet isn't such a bad thing.

http://www.bmwlt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=40631

[alantf]

That's no gal. It's a Scotsman in a kilt! :whistle: :lol:

[bonehead]

Originally Posted by alantf

That's no gal. It's a Scotsman in a kilt! :whistle: :lol:

:plus1: