Downshifting Past First?!?

Hi Dominic, you need to get your test done and ride the bike instead of messing
You cant go below first gear ! there MAY be some play in the mechanism that feels like you describe. If in doubt about mods you made, you can always return to standard BUT you best try it (or let someone who rides try it ) Hope you soon get on the road !

 

Hi Dom, if your description is correct it sounds like there is something wrong.

Every bike I've ever owned or ridden works the same; going down through the gears to 1st, it should feel blocked like it can't go any further.

Are you doing this with the engine running, and are you sure you are getting into 1st?

 

Why did you change the linkage?
Is the set up now correct in terms of angles and lengths?
Are you preloading in some way the selector drum claw spring? This could possibly give you a springy and not firm position past first.

 

Can you start the bike and ride up the path or something just to check. My ZX7 woudl only engage 1st gear with engine off and no way any other gears even when rocking. But it worked great when running. As mentioned rather than try it with the bike off, start it up and ride a short distance. If ir works great - no need to worry ...

 

It sounds like your putting it into reverse.

 

Well, what was the outcome???

 

Back to normal?! It IS normal.......

The shifter is a springloaded ratchet that changes direction when you go down into first or up into top. You can tap away in the ‘wrong’ direction but are just bouncing on a spring. It changes less readily on a dead engine.

I suspect you are massively over thinking this.

 

Depending on the design of the shift mechanism, trying to change beyond first or top will either just be solid so the lever doesn’t really move, or the lever moves through normal range of travel without actually connecting to anything in the gearbox, although you might hear some mechanical noise due to the aforementioned shift mechanism. As I said, it’s just down to the shifter design.

Personally, I prefer it to not be solid which I find is impossible to distinguish from another gear being available. If the lever moves with no mechanical resistance, just a spring, that is easier to understand as no more gears to go.

I realise others may feel differently about which they prefer, but there are those 2 distinct shifter designs. Neither is wrong or right. They’re just 2 ways of designing such a mechanism.