New member with a question.

[jag]

I just purchased a used 02 Bandit 600 with 5,000 miles on it and I love it.  I have been riding for 3 years on a 97 GS500E.  I have a question regarding 1st gear engagement.  I did a search and found an older post dealing with oil and shifting smoothness. The only words I can use to describe it is that you can hear a "clunk" when you engage.  This happens shifting from neutral to 1st gear, shifting from 1st to 2nd gear and downshifting from 2nd to 1st.  Is this a normal "Bandit" thing?  

Thanks in advance.

[aussiebandit]

I don't know if it's so much a normal Bandit thing so much as a normal Suzuki thing.

I've had 4 Suzuki's and they've all experienced the CLUNK in to 1st at one time or another, usually when the engine/gearbox/clutch etc is cold.

However, it shouldn't be doing it all the time, if it is, get it checked out....

[mike]

Yup,  mines been that way since new...  It doesn't feel like a sledge hammer clunk, just a medium.

That being said, the Suzuki oil the manual reccomends is a rough shifting oil...  So,if the previous owners always used that....

Once you change your oil it'll improve some.  For a dino oil, Castrol GTX is a pretty good shifter, I tend to favor the 20w-50.

If you ever decide to go to Synthetic, I've heard it's even better.  Just be careful with synthetics, do a search for oil here and you'll get tons of info.

Many Bandit owners prefer Shell Rotella Synthetic..


Good luck, and as said, if it feels extrememely clunky or you want a peace of mind knowing nothng is wrng, have it checked out...

Mike :)

[B12Teuton]

Going into first from neutral it's normal.

Shifting to second, you may be letting the revs drop too much.  Try shifting faster.  The gap between gears is fairly small, so if the revs drop too much...CLUNCK.
Same goes for down shifting only backwards.  You'll need to give a very healthy blip of the throttle to match engine to ground speed for that gear.  

It's not anyting you are doing wrong or that's wrong with the bike.  You two just need to dance a little more to figure out what's smooth and what's not.

[rider123]

What's your idle speed set at? My bike's "official" idle is 1300 rpm but I set it at 1200 and it reduced the clunk considerably. Maybe your idle is set too high? Should be around 1200 +-100 rpm. Also if your clutch is dragging a little it produces a little more clunk. Does the clutch engage very close to the bar? You may need a little adjustment. Also with only 5,000 miles the tranny may still be a little notchy it will smooth out as the milage gets higher.

[jag]

Thanks for all the replies.  I do have the idle set at around 1,200 rpms.  I am also blipping the throttle.  I am barely getting used to riding an inline 4.  I have only had parallel twins and an L-twin in my garage.  I will be changing the oil this week just for preventive measures.  Do all of you replace the sealing washer on the drain plug at every oil change?  I don't live in a town that has a motorcycle shop.  Can they be purchased at an auto shop store?

Thanks, and I look forward to participating in this forum as I do on gstwin.com .

[mike]

replace the sealing washer on the drain plug at every oil change

I've never had a problem with mine....  A couple here have stripped out the drain plug overtightening, just get it good and snug, don't gorilla arm it...  Start the engine and do your leak checks like with all oil changes and you'l be fine....

[amboman]

When was the bike last serviced.  I have found that when my B12 gets due the gear changes get a little chunky.  New oil and its all smooth again.

   

[jag]

UPDATE:  I changed the oil this weekend using Mobil 1 MX4T 10W-40 and I can already tell the difference.  The shifting feels ultra smooth.  The bike still lets me know when I engage 1st gear from neutral with a louder "click" than I am used to (compared to my little GS500), but all is good.

Thanks for the help.