Grn said; Anyone read my posts about an 'just off idle' "bog"?...
I already mentioned this as clearly as I could without claiming the bike was somehow 'not up to par".It's a VERY minor thing....virtually unnoticeable.I also said that my Guhl flash pretty much corrected this tiny characteristic."

I did not contradict anything that Grn said above; I only confirmed it. We both said it is a minor thing. He has remedied the situation with a flash; I said it was not an issue for me and I would not seek to "fix" it. No disagreement here between us. Ii is avoided by simply raising your take off rpm a bit toward the 3k rpm mark and slipping the clutch as necessary as you lay on the throttle. NOT that this is necessary unless you are seeking a "brisk take off. Yes it will sedately move off at near idle.

Grn and I really only disagree on the "clunk" shifting into first from neutral. I got it on my bike; he doesn't report having it. I qualified my description by stating above that it does not jerk the bike like it did on the old ZX 14; mostly just sound with no fury as the tranny strikes home. I also don't always have it; seems to be correlated to uphill position to some degree. It is a puzzle to me. Thought maybe some of you mechanical experts might have an idea about it to share but I guess not.

Dragking sums up my previous comments very well and yes, I have the intention of doing just what he suggests. After a season of riding, I may indeed put a set of pipes on it and have a flash on the ecu; for now there is no "big issue" to be remedied. Even the soft luggage off the 07 fits and looks better on the new R! I thought there would be a fitment problem with the big exhaust cans, but the difference in width and height of the tail section provides a nice lift to enable the luggage to sit just above and parallel to the pipe lines.

@Mark: I am 6'3' and 210-215 lbs, inseam is 33". So no, I don;t have a seating height problem at all unless the ground falls away below the bike (edge of a drive or a rise in pavement).

Mark, there is no bike without issues; if you are in the market for a hyper sport, this one is as issue free as you are gonna get and more likey to fit you than the Busa without modification.

I was only trying to contribute an impartial ride report and point out a few very minor detractors from what it is tempting to describe as the perfect personal rocket ship for people of larger dimension. Were I the size of my little brother ,I might opt for the Panigale or the BMW r1000 just for the tighter wheelbase and lighter weight; but certainly not for comfort on the long road.

"People of larger dimension"

I am sooo stealing that phrase Paul!

Ya...we all are in agreement...we are.The descriptions being layed out by us are really the same...just a slight difference in how we're describing it.That 'clunk"...mine has that as well...but NOTHING even close to the previous bike.And as was mentioned...it will come and go...but it's getting much less as time goes by.MUCH.I don't even notice it anymore.And I definitely couldn't say that about my 07.That clunk you're feeling on an incline...could be the way the oil is 'settling' in the case as she's idling like that...off horizontal.IDK.I know the oil doesn't actually 'settle',but...the amount being splashed around on the clutch deal...that could be causing your 'clunk' a bit more?

This bike is SO cool....everything about it is way bitchen to me.I love the way this baby rolls along in like 5th...at say 90 mph...and just hums.Quick little downshift...power on...she just rips and blasts right off...no drama.Fast as shit....till the next shift.Just goes and goes and goes...gobs of torque.You can really feel this motor pull nicely.Clutchless shifts like that are a dream.But I do give er a break often and still use the clutch mostly.The slipper is very nice....very.

I reset my suspension back to the 'std' setting(s) in the manual...then added about three clicks to the front rebound.10 on the compression.She's handling so nicely now...again.Had er up to over 150 in a couple of my favorite curves today...ones I had only nailed before with my 07 at around 135,140.At over 150....she just rolled so damn smooth and set....I could have ripped even more...but it's the street...so....I passed(today).6th gear.It would have been very easy to downshift at that speed into 5th,or even 4th,and layed on the gas....this bike is SO sweet!No wiggle...no wallow...no nothin...just solid feeling and planted.Hard to describe the smoothness of this bike at every speed and rpm.She's just totally fun.

* Last updated by: Grn14 on 3/26/2012 @ 11:10 PM *

Thought maybe some of you mechanical experts might have an idea about it to share but I guess not.

I'll take a guess at the WHY it will forever clunk [unless] one can stop the freewheel'R. To understand how parts are parts all tied together, here comes the whack:

Engine: Moves constant.
Primary chain: Moves constant.
Clutch outer: Moves constant.
Friction plate: Moves constant.

These are locked to the cranks idle. When you open your oil cap at the clutch cover, you can see the clutch outer and the frictions forked as high as that reach with the tangs around the friction plates. To segway a little, that is a huge bell, if you removed all the parts out of it. There is a bellow type noise you can hear from there. The change can be heard when you pull the clutch in at idle, the noise goes away some.

That primary chain is a cable line and can transfer each pistons fire output. If you are out of sync between cylinders, that primary chain just sent a throttle plate that was higher or lower than the other. It was not timed or as smooth as the other cylinder that fired. Since the frictions and steels are pressed to each other, it can clang the clutch outer, makes that bellow even louder than it is normally. One way of telling you need a sync.

To lower the odds of these misfire outputs, a throttle sync will eliminate the chain whipping that is occurring between cylinder fires. There is usually a base throttle plate you synchronize off of. The other 3 dial in, the whipping of the chain subsides, the basket sounds more quiet. This ends the segway, but now [hear] is where the knock of the bellow comes in. I'll walk you to the shift bang eventually.

Since you asked, follow the freewheelers and the sliding dog act:

Steel plate: Freewheels
Clutch center: Freewheels.
Main shaft: Freewheels.
Gears on shaft: Freewheels.

Here is the area where everything spins free from the engine. We are about to pull the clutch lever in. This is going to release the frictions from the steel plates. I have a gear that is splined to the mainshaft. It spins with the shaft and it also can slide down the main shaft. This says, the main shaft can slide a gear [dog] into a slot of a freewheeler.

This reverses the engineering, sends a sliding gear on the counter shaft in the opposite direction. You sort of have an idea how to join 2 shafts so they lock everything together. The drive chain is the next step out of the transmission and so on to the bang.

When you pull the lever in, this pushes the pressure plate away from the steel and friction. If that freewheeler can stop before you put it in gear, that says, ZERO BANG!

I would have to put my hand on my helmet, stab the clutch lever and foot at the same time = ZERO BANG! Now, I'd go up at the tree and RT some of that shit. Those are jackrabbit starts. Got those in your mental tool shed? With the rest of the dull tools? Yeah, that shed.

The key is to make that clutch center to stop spinning; before you stab the gear or else. BANG! That means some meguyveer move to touch the pressure plate as soon as you hit that scuff pad or stopper-guyveer. She click!

WHA? She click. I can't ear shit she click. That's what I'm saying. Is there a pad touching the pressure plates of the world? No. Are bikes still clunking then? D'uhh. Den, who can you listen to? D'uhidon't know? Eyes can sheeit from here, where are my boots?

* Last updated by: Hub on 3/27/2012 @ 12:25 AM *

no no no... clunkin noise bike to pricey to be doing that.

that stuff you write grn is just crazy man crazy !!

I dont hear any clunk when I shift... With the cans off you dont hear shit... By the way anyone know where I can get a good hearing aid?

Creeps..

Hub wrote:

"When you pull the lever in, this pushes the pressure plate away from the steel and friction. If that freewheeler can stop before you put it in gear, that says, ZERO BANG!
I would have to put my hand on my helmet, stab the clutch lever and foot at the same time = ZERO BANG! Now, I'd go up at the tree and RT some of that shit. Those are jackrabbit starts. Got those in your mental tool shed? With the rest of the dull tools? Yeah, that shed.
The key is to make that clutch center to stop spinning; before you stab the gear or else. BANG!"

Alright, thanks, Hub, for the stab at an explanation. The tools in my mental shed are not as sharp as they used to be and I don't have your mechanical experience; but you have given me some idea of the causation and some ideas about limiting and testing the effect. First and last sentence above make plausible sense to me and reinforce each other. I take it from the other's comments as well that my 'clunkiness' is to be expected and not to worry. Certainly it is not the hard hit that the 07 was want to frequently perform under the same downshift from neutral.

I appreciate the input. With slippery(er) synthetic oil would the viscosity be reduced enough to lessen fluid drag to the point of allowing the free wheeling to stop sooner? I would think this might be the case and will no doubt find out when I change to full synthetic in about 500 miles. That phenomena, if present, might validate Grn's supposition about the incline effect.

Interesting to speculate, IMO.

"I dont hear any clunk when I shift.."......I'd say...there's the BEST explanation anyone could give as to the severity of the 14R 'clunk'....PERFECT...Creeps doesn't HEAR it.Okay...good....BUT...notice....he never says "I feel it however".

EXCELLENT!!couldn't have said it better myself.The 14R has no 'clunk'....(okay...IMO)

I mean...if I were describing the 'clunk'...I would never say..."I don't HEAR it"...I'd say..."I don't FEEL it"....(and I don't)...but you get what I'm driving at,yes?

It may even be lessened with conventional oil....it's possible.I'm going to drain my oil again pretty soon...and I'll be putting 10/40 300v Motul in her...just this time.It's a dino oil,ester mix.Non synthetic.

* Last updated by: Grn14 on 3/27/2012 @ 10:59 PM *

grn did i read that right... you had syn in her now you are going back to dino..why.

last week on the yamaha did a oil change before the trade in runs... one of my best mixes that i like.

bike holds 3 qts

2 qts rotella dino 15/40 with one
1 qt rotella syn 5/40

this way i have the best of both worlds...5 wt syn on start up and then little thicker oil when she warms up...i have use this mix many times with good results.

Well like Green said can say I dont hear a clunk and Im not feeling much of a clunk. Its pretty smooth. I tend to get on the bike kick of the kick stand. And start the bike with it in 1st. Thats just me. Most of the time I tend to keep the bike in first anyways so when Im riding out there and something happens Im not having to get the bike in gear... Its there and Im ready hopefully.

Like I said with the cans off your not gonna hear much. Its too loud all those buzing sounds are bled away cause the bike is really loud and forget about hearing anything after 4grand. Its not gonna happen helmet or no helmet.

Most of the bikes Ive ridden all have some sort of noise when you shift from nut to 1st even more when the bike is cold.

Either way Im not a tech or mech so I wont talk about something I dont know shit about. I do what works for me and theres no reason for me to have to start the bike without being on it and getting my head in the game. When Im ready to go I release the clutch and go my merry way without hearing or feeling a clunk if I can help it..

Creeps.