I got 200 miles on my zzr 1400,and I really aint liking the downshift,clunky as fuk,with a big ol whack,
And it doesnt always shift down cleanly,maybe takes two attempts when going down quickly,
Any you guys find the gearbox the same?
If this is as good as it gets, im really disappointed

Dude, im shifting gears 24 years, inc two zx12,2 blackbirds, 1 busa,
Its the bike
Im also getting feedback from the lever, as it engages, its like a pulse, chain is perfectly adjusted, it aint drive related, its perfectly smooth when cold, my initial thoughts were this is the smoothest box ive owned, when bike is hot, downshift goes to shit

when was the last time you changed the oil?

He said the bike only has 200 miles.

Motero, have you ridden other zx-14's?

NINJA ZX-14 MotoVlog

* Last updated by: KoflaOlivieri on 5/22/2012 @ 3:05 PM *

Mine was stiff (haha Cody) too during break-in. Right before the first oil change (600 miles) i found a false neutral upshifting from
fifth to sixth on two different occasions. By the time it turned over 1000 miles things got better. Somewhere in this forum
there is discussion of notchy shifting as you approach your oil change interval. I have 4100 miles on mine right now and the shifts are almost buttery.

I would say take a mental snapshot of the gearbox performance as it is right now and then compare that to what you get after
you do your first oil change.

I use Mobil 1 in 0W/40... changed the oil at 600 miles and 3500 miles.

* Last updated by: hagrid on 5/22/2012 @ 3:13 PM *

nop aint tried other zx14, a mate has one, must try it, you are correct, 200 miles, i got some semi synth ill change and see how we get on, but theres such a bang as i downshift, people on the street turn around !!

last time i tried fully synth in a bike, clutch slip, so ill hold off for now

* Last updated by: motero on 5/22/2012 @ 4:07 PM *

Motero.. Give it time, was not thrilled with it at first.. Clunky, false neutrals, hard up shifts, etc
At 1500 miles now and breaking in in the right direction, smoother, quieter up shifts
I'm due for another chain adjust and a oil change I'm sure it will just get better from here on

Really? I heard this box is as good as it gets?

Mine has 7045 on it and it feels like it is still building HP but I noticed an occasional stiffness up and down miss shift between 3 and 4 gear. I last changed the oil at 630 miles and after the next ride I will change it again with the usual Amsoil 10-40. I will be looking for a difference. May be just sloppy shift on my part. Just tightened the chain a bit for the second time since my last oil change. I am going to AB a ride between my 08 and the 12 to see any difference.

I've missed more shifts than I want to admit. This bike finds N like butter still. Shifts as smooth as ever.

Same here..... But a little correction on my part (or any rider) resolves the missed shift syndrome
And yes agree with you 100% on this box finding neutral quite easily
one of the better boxes,(kawi in general)on finding N on a down shift while still moving on a slow down
From my recollection on previous bikes thay ive owned always had to go to first then N

Motero wrote:

"Im also getting feedback from the lever, as it engages, its like a pulse, chain is perfectly adjusted, it aint drive related, its perfectly smooth when cold, my initial thoughts were this is the smoothest box ive owned, when bike is hot, downshift goes to shit"

I had a similar experience just recently. 2300 miles on the bike, full synthetic Ams oil in the gear box, end of a truly vigorous ride where redline had been visited regularly tween curves, and during decel downshifting, the pulse was accompanied by nasty low cycle grinding sound.

What happened is the gear box had dropped into neutral, due I am thinking to light pressure on the lever caused by my inattention and my new shoes; upon discovering this I clutched and tried to continue going down to 1st gear while still breaking hard. That's when it refused to go and "kicked back". I cursed myself and tried to upshift into second still (braking)dropping speed; the same effect ensued; wouldn't engage second either. Gears were simply not meshing and the lever "pulsed" back at me.

After slowing to a crawl, maybe 30 mph, I again tried to clutch and get second; note the engine was not idling as I had the clutch disengaged fully and was blipping the engine trying to find a semi-compatable match. Gearbox at first resisted slightly and then clunked into second VERY hard.

I had the shop check it out for me the next day while they were spooning on new rubber , Pilot Road 3's. They reported that the engagement lever was acting through a normal throw and that the transmission was strong enough to take my regrettable incident of unskillfulness. I'm chalking it up to pilot error(s) for now and blame my inattention partly on how well the tranny shifts most of the time. But it is interesting to note the similarities in our experiences and I will be mindful of making sharp and timely shifts in the future.

Didn't care for that experience at all and wonder if it might be partially heat related coming as it did at the end of an hours vigorous riding? Something I will be watching for in the future. Don't want to take the bevel off those polished gears if I can help it.

Motero wrote:"If this is as good as it gets, im really disappointed"....Your description of what's going on with yours is a typical Kawasaki shifting characteristic.IMO.You have minimal miles on your bike right now.Take it easy on trying to shift like you're at the track.Give it some time to work in some.It's actually NOT the same setup as the previuos models......"I got 200 miles on my zzr 1400,and I really aint liking the downshift,clunky as fuk,with a big ol whack"....timing...shift gear change timing...that's all it is.And I'm NOT saying you don't know what you're doing,okay?So that doesn't even belong here.

I've missed I'd say...four shifts like you're describing.IF you do not make the shift from one gear to the next quickly and sharply(new boots...I know that one)...it will miss and then slam.The trans is an excellent gearbox.It will shift all day long as you know nicely....without drama.But there are a few times that a guy can shift it 'not quite so briskly' and it will slam ya.I've done it...we've probably all done it.It just takes practice..that's all it is.The gearbox/clutch is fine.There's nothing wrong with it.Kawasaki upgraded this part for 'better shift quality'..and they've succeeded.It DOES shift better than the previous ones.Just takes a bit of 'getting it right'...every time...I mentioned before in another post somewhere on here...that a couple of those 'times'...I was able to recognize by sound(little more difficult with earplugs in)that it hadn't clicked in all the way...I think they were rapid fast acellereations and upshifting)...anyway...I was able to grab the clutch and chop the throttle so she wouldn't 'hit'.I 'almost' was able to...but not totally.So I think it's powering up,and shifting fast....and not getting it all the way in...just being too anxious instead of timing it just right and 'forcefully' clicking it in.There's a fine line right there.It's just practice...that's my opinion.I do a lot of shifting without using that clutch...that removes the 'time' it takes to get her into the next gear using the clutch...no matter how fast a guy is with his clutch hand.Timing....RPMs...engine load.It just takes practice.The bike is fine.

I try to always think...."my shifting is just like a quickshifter"...Barely chop power(like it would do with the electric shifters)and shift fast into the next gear.Just a blip really....the rpms don't even really drop.It's almost not even a concious movement with my throttle hand.But I don't shift that way all the time.If I'm criusing and shifting...I will use the clutch...but you can downshift/upshift this bike without clutching as long as the transfer is not too great..meaning...engine load/rpms/gear choice.It will shift nicely up and down...without clutching.It's definitely 'up to the task'.Just pay attention to what you're doing as you shift....if you're 'missing' the shift...find out WHY you're missing it.It's not shifting by itself

The slipper clutch is an excellent addition to this bike package.It will allow agressive up shifting and downshifting very well.I haven't had one instance of wheel hop yet...and I've downshifted at somne pretty good speeds and gearing combos.

I would have to say..I like the new gearbox and clutch action and all that.I had an Evo-Pro shiftstar on my 07...it did actually help the shift quality.THIS bike feels WAY smoother in the shifting department than my trans modded 07.WAY better.Just give it a break and let it 'work in'...it will.Change up your shifting deals...go clutchless once in a while...then use the clutch.Mix it up...there are sweet spots with this trans...you just need to find em...that's all.All I can say here is...my trans shifts VERY NICELY.I've no complaints at all.And I've missed a few shifts as I said.

* Last updated by: Grn14 on 5/23/2012 @ 12:59 PM *

I noticed after going to Amsoil full synthetic it got alot better.I been riding for over 30 years.I can rev it up and downshift without the clutch which I don't recommend.Mine downshifts fairly well.
Craig

Well, Swordirection... Like I said, NOLTT. No matter the brand, no matter the oil, no matter the upgrades, no matter using lever or not, have you figured out the bike is a precision machine and you need to shift like one? Takes balls to admit all those years of riding... might not be the bike.

Ok hub, in the words of your esteemed compatriot,bite me!!
I shot out ofthe gate???? Are you insinuating I imagine it?
Video my clutch/gearshift technique, ye right
And Grn 14, who and where did anybody mention shifting like im at the track?
Im running the engine i, not trying to blow it up,, I have owned many kwack,suzook,honda,a few yam
And nothing has behaved like this, you guys have all solved an issue to aproblem I dont have,knowing how to change gear,well done

Grn14, I had aslipper clutch in 1992 on my zxr750k1
can we put aside the how to change gear manuals, my question was simply has anybody else got any similar traitswhen downshifting :)

2K miles on mine and it's closer to perfect than any other bike I have ever owned. Have the dealer check it out, I would guess maybe some air in the line. On the 06-11 the clunk was quite a bit more predominant, but on the 12 it is almost non existent.
Have you let anyone else ride your bike who noticed the same thing? If you hold the clutch lever in for a few secs before you shift, does it diminish?

Hub questions if I have balls, you keep mentioning trannies...

Nop Seno, nobody ekse has rode it yet, im gonna drop the oil, and bleed the master cyclinder see how we get on after that
Ive held lever in for longer, ive shifted clutchless, ive done it slowly and fast, makes no difference,
Thinking bout it,i dont have any clutch issue, so bleeding prob not necessary,

* Last updated by: motero on 5/23/2012 @ 2:27 PM *

I shot out ofthe gate???? Are you insinuating I imagine it?

Grn14, I had aslipper clutch in 1992 on my zxr750k1
can we put aside the how to change gear manuals

Last time I opened a gearbox,it mostly looked and operated like the last one,but ya got one thing right, between 4-3 is the worst feeling shift

I do not think you have a clutch issue, but bleeding will rule out a clutch issue. Well maybe not rule out a clutch issue but a "full engagement or disengagement issue". On my 07 I was having what I thought was a clutch slippage issue, changed fibers and metals although the stack height was damn close to spec. It turned out to be a lever issue. Since that issue, I try to rule out anything that costs me nothing but a little time.
On the first gen 14's there was a noticeable "clunk", but on the 14R you are the first one that I know who has that issue. Hopefully it is something simple that will not tie your bike up at the dealer for an extended period of time.
Good luck!

I'm not about to do the math with the gearbox ratio between 3-4. If we are not in a closer ratio, I'd have to agree with you, not too much has changed last time I've seen one either. Now, back to our ankle yank. If I could get a young charger on this toe jam business, see if s/he can keep from slamming that clunk, I don't know if we are in the same boat. This old goat is losing all the hand/eye, so this is my attempt to shift the bike. This is my 3-4-4-3 kind of up-yours, Motero. Come out the gate with the 3-4 lip service? If I'm in the 3-4-4-3 quite an number of times, I did mention first post it was your ankle having a problem... But around here... NOLTT

If you don't miss a shift, that is a darling transmission. Can't limp wrist dis and walk like a trannie then point finger at her box. LOL

http://youtu.be/pRipvnuUwmc

* Last updated by: Hub on 5/23/2012 @ 6:55 PM *

@Hub: i cant see your fingers in the hand-shot. I like watching the AFR meter though.
Maybe next time zoom out (will your cam do that?) on the AFR shot... i can almost see your fingers there.

My,we're touchy aren't we.You're quite experienced...fix it yerself.It's fucked up...there....happy now?

And Hub..again..couldn't help himself bringing me to the party...he even took the time to repost thisLMAO!!!!
"Grn14, I had aslipper clutch in 1992 on my zxr750k1
can we put aside the how to change gear manuals"

I gotta ask...hey,Hub...you bring in some Troll recruits around here?

* Last updated by: Grn14 on 5/23/2012 @ 11:35 PM *

That meter can tell you a lot. I tuned the bike differently, so I had to check the AFR reading. Made sure I wasn't going to lean her out too much. Wasn't thinking about the hand moves with the AFR. However, at the end of the vid, I had this cable all pulled in like a hair trigger. This was me trying to make it a cable type feel. Since it would slip no matter were I set this adjustable lever pull, it was aborted as I broke the wire off the lever so I had a stock pedal again. I was able to adapt to a liquid lever on the second bike. The hand shot inserts are from the first 14 I totaled.

I think I shifted up and down in the 3-4 combo to point out to Motero, 'Where's the beef?'