Chris that's completely normal of the unsynchronized transmission nearly all motorcycles use. What shifting normally with the clutch in what happens when you change gears is the mainshaft is forced to suddenly spin at a different speed because two gears of a different ratio are being locked together. Most Semi-Trucks use a similar transmission design and under go the same process when shifting. This works because the shifting teeth (called dogs) are strong and springy enough to absorb the shock of the shaft suddenly changing speeds, even in a Semi. The thing with motorcycles is the motor has far less rotating mass than a Semi engine but the gears are very nearly as strong (it's more complicated than that but that's the general idea) allowing the gears to absorb the shock of the entire engine changing speeds as well as the mainshaft. This would strip out a Semi transmission quickly if you can even convince the gears to mesh. A lot of Semi drivers actually shift this way, the difference is they match the output of the engine to the next gear they're selecting to lower the shock to levels that won't do damage. It's a difficult skill to learn and you can ruin a transmission quickly if you do it wrong. I can do it but I still shift with the clutch 99% of the time motorcycle or car.
A failing wet clutch will usually do one of two things, slip under high load or remain locked even when the clutch lever is in. The former is difficult to test, trying to stall it against a wall works but can be dangerous. My preferred method is to do a hard launch in 2nd gear. If the clutch doesn't lock immediately under high throttle as soon as the lever is fully out I would consider it suspect and try to loosen the cable first. This loads the clutch about as heavily as you can and if it doesn't slip here it's unlikely to be an issue. The other usual failure mode is when the plates get old they will stick together. This is easy to test, ride the bike for a bit to warm it up and then get it up on the center stand in a parking lot. Put it in neutral and fire it back up, hold the clutch lever in and kick it down into first (be ready on and ready for the bike to take off just in case). With the lever held in and the clutch cable properly adjusted the rear tire will spin a little bit and then stop or will spin slowly. You should be able to stop this by lightly rubbing your boot on the tire, if hard to stop you may have a problem. I would put the bike in neutral at a light and when I tried to engage first it would grind because the clutch wasn't releasing. Matt -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Nighthawk Motorcycle Lovers!" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/nighthawk_lovers?hl=en.
