grumpy transmission

[pensebete]

Hi everyone -

I have a 2001 GS500 with just under 1500 miles on it. It was bought new last summer and I'm the second owner.

Lately I've been having problems shifting. The first three gears are pretty hard to shift into. Shifting up from 1st, I get stuck in neutral all the time. Generally the gears don't grind while upshifting, but when I'm downshifting I sometimes get stuck sort of in between gears and I can't do anything without grinding gears until I've stopped and can shift back into first. I thought it might be a clutch adjustment problem, but I just had my clutch adjusted about a month ago. I took it back to the dealer who adjusted it yesterday and had them look at it. They think I need an oil change. The bike has already had two oil changes, one at the 600 mile service and one at the beginning of the season, according to the guy I bought it from. But when I checked the oil after trailering it home, there was barely anything in there, so I filled it up. Now I guess it's low again. There are no leaks that I or the dealer could find.

What's going on? Does anyone else have problems with their transmissions on the newer models?

[Bob Broussard]

The oil level is critical. So check it before you run the bike, daily.
Then check the clutch cable adjustment. There is probably too much slack in the cable. So it's not releasing the clutch completely.

[newtonent]

Put on centerstand ,unscrew stick ,wipe and check level by placing stick back in (not screwing it in).If oil is low ,dark,or smells burnt(yes smell of it) you should change the oil using proper weight.I prefer Castrol 10-40 GTX. I have found using a pint of Marvel Mistery Oil when changing makes m/c shift smoother. Always change filter! Check clutch cable for free play.Make sure nothing is binding up! Get a service manual! Read it and follow instructions. Piece of cake.

[scratch]

Welcome to GStwin!

I'll second everything that's been said, too.

Oil level is most critical, as our bikes are sensitive to that.

The Marvell Mystery Oil is a nice trick, too. Our bikes tend to eat oil through the valve guides and it's consumed in the cylinders.

[The Buddha]

OK OK what is this about marvel mystery oil for valve seals... Can I open the valve cover, yank off the camshafts, pull the buckets out and fill that valve pocket with marvel oil and let it sit for 3-4 days and then have seals re juvenated... as their ad claims... of course I can add a 1/2 can to the motor oil as well... Its basically a light oil, a penetrant, and a mild detergent right... Can it hurt anyhitng... how about one of these penetrating sprays or liquids, can it be used in smaller qty of course. People use marvel mystery oil to free up rings etc form motors that have sat for a while too.
Cool.
Srinath.

[newtonent]

Marvel Mistery oil is a well refined,free flowing penetranting oil additive that can be used in the crank case and in the fuel.It is a superb upper engine lubricant which reduces heat and friction reducing wear on most newer engines while improving ring seal and reducing frictional horsepower loss! (But it does't do much for cornflakes)

[pensebete]

thanks for your advice... i checked my oil yesterday and it's really clean looking and there's still lots of it. maybe the dealership was messing with me because i'm a girl and they thought i would just pay for an oil change without even verifying. and, when i went out on a ride in the evening, my transmission was shifting FINE. the bike has never felt happier. maybe it's just a temperature thing (i've been riding around 30-50 degrees; last night was 70).

i have two more questions though - my owner's manual says not to put the bike on its center stand while checking the oil, just to hold it vertically (i usually sit on it). do you think having it on its centerstand would affect anything?

also, isn't castrol gtx a car oil? i've heard a lot of yelling about how car oils are really bad for bikes.

[MarkusN]

Hard shifting definitely is affected by temperature. My GS is parked outside, and I ride her all winter. At freezing temperatures, shifting from 1st to 2nd is awfully hard when cold; she is extremely picky about shifting at exactly the right RPM in this condition.

Once the engine warms up, everything works smoothly.


Since the bike rests on the centerstand in a slightly nose-down attitude, and the measuring stick is quite a bit forward, measuring on the centerstand will give a meausrement that's a little bit on the high side.

[newtonent]

Thanks for asking! Because of an aboundance of testoserone men feel they need to embellish their knowledge when confronted by an intelligent  female. (As proved by the first sentence)!    The best way I have found to check the oil is to put the bike on the center stand, unscrew the stick,wipe it off,sit it back in the hole(with out screwing it back in )and then checking the level.The repair manual also suggests doing it this way!     I have had quite a few motorcycles and I have found that Castol GTX 10-40 does well for my needs.I also add a pint of Marvel Mistery oil when I change my oil.(Good stuff)You can buy it at Walmart,eTC. With out going into detail any high grade oil will work.With wet clutch M/Cs you should (not) use (other) oil additives. Synthetics work well(but) they are expensive and the only advantage in general use would be to extend the intervals between services.(From 2500 miles up to 5000 miles. The key is this! Change oil regularly with filter using the same oil.(Now you know more than most (experts)!! Good luck

[Rema1000]

Car oil is OK.  But on a motorcycle, the clutch plates are covered in motor oil, so the oil does double-duty.  Some people worry that oils labelled "Energy Conserving" have friction modifiers, which may allow the clutch to slip.  Actually, almost all oils have some kind of friction modifier in them.  But generally, stick with something like a 20w50 oil and it will probably not be labelled "Energy Conserving".

Hey, my Wal-Mart just quit stocking their house-brand 20w50 in the $4 gallon jugs .  But they still have a good deal on the Mobil1 20w50, which is what I use if I'm planning to leave it in for a while.

[Wrencher]

As stated car oil is fine, but not the Energy Conserving type. The oil is labeled with a little circle emblem from the EPA that states if its Energy Conserving oil.

The Energy Conserving additives are much different than the additives in "plain" oil. I have changed the clutch plates on a bike that was broken in with regular oil and then switched to the E.C. type at about 1500 miles. Lots of material left on the plates, but they wouldn't grab at all, VERY slippery.

There are extremely few (if any) oils in 20W-50 that are E.C. at least I have never seen any. Finding "car oil" in 10W-30/40 that is NOT E.C. is getting harder and harder. There is also not alot of need for 10W-30 motorcycle oil in Arizona.  

[The Buddha]

Thanks for asking! Because of an aboundance of testoserone men feel they need to embellish their knowledge when confronted by an intelligent  female.

Oh yea that is the difference between me and other men... I feel the need to spank an intellingent woman... which I do quite often when I manage to get the baby off to bed and the wife out of ear shot of aforementioned baby. But anyway... soaking the valve seals by pouring it in the buckets... would that do any good....
Cool.
Srinath.
PS God I hate that guru thing in the title... cos no one answers my stupid questions... somehow I am now not capable of being stupid... dammit its a birth right  :mrgreen: , and I will always be stupid at will....

[Wrencher]

Kinda sounds like somebody is asking for a change in his title.    

Pouring oil in to soak the valve guides/seals would only be usefull if the bike wasn't run on a regular basis. If a seal is deteriorating already then its only going to get worse but a seal is good condition could be kept in better shape during its down time by doing this. If it leaks already, obviously there is just going to be more oil/mystery oil/snake oil for the motor to burn.

[scratch]

But anyway... soaking the valve seals by pouring it in the buckets... would that do any good....
Cool.
Srinath.
PS God I hate that guru thing in the title... cos no one answers my stupid questions... somehow I am now not capable of being stupid... dammit its a birth right  :mrgreen: , and I will always be stupid at will....

Don't feel bad, being the new King doesn't get my scepter any shinier. As for asking questions, I haven't really used Marvell, but I am impressed by what the label reads. If I wasn't so lazy and cheap I'd buy a little squirt can of Marvell and try it out. I do not mean this to be offensive: Being the punctual/literal type, I'm used to seeing question marks, when a question is posed, otherwise I assume (sorry) it's rhetorical, unless I actually have a knowledge/experienced based answer (which I hardly ever do, I've only had the bike for what a year now). <--(rhetorical).

Edit-P.S. should I change my sig (below) to Retardadly, scratch