Hard to get int 1st gear?

[beemer]

Hi guys,my 65LS is hard to get into 1st when she is cold,clutch seems free,and had recent oil change,is this a common thing for these bikes?

[tagordon]

Beemer
BMW bikes are notorious, I mean famous, for the smoothness with thich they shift.
This makes it a bit hard to determine if there is something wrong.
I know from my experience that they do not like to shift properly if everything is else not as it should be.
The transmission can be fine and will seem strange if another aspect of the bike is amiss.
So my question is, do you notice any other symptoms?
And does it only shift funny going into first?
Also is there any difference between an up shift vs a down shift?
Please give more information.
Troy

[Ed Miller]

Without the information tagordon requested, all I can suggest is that sometimes mine doesn't want to go into first, though the clutch works fine and the shifter pedal feels like it's going down.  When that happens, I hold the shifter down and very carefully let out the clutch a little; the bike shifts into first.  If you let the clutch out too far you'll jerk forward, of course.

[nhmaf]

When you changed the oil, did you also change the oil in the gearbox ?  If so, was the drain plug just a bit "fuzzy", or did you notice any chunks ?
Color of gearbox oil that came out ?

These bikes do not shift with the slickness of practically any Japanese bike, but they do generally pretty well, given they are rather overbuilt in most aspects.
Like Ed mentioned, sometimes if my bike doesn't drop into first I let the clutch out a bit and pull it back in again - seems to get the shafts/gears aligned and then it clunks its way into 1st without much effort.    I find riding an airhead that shifting is best done more slowly deliberately, and while moving - shifting down into first while completely stopped at a light is always a bit harder than while still rolling into the the stop.

[montmil]

Hi guys,my 65LS is hard to get into 1st when she is cold,clutch seems free,and had recent oil change,is this a common thing for these bikes?

Confirm the proper adjustment of the clutch release arm to clutch rod... down on the aft end of the clutch housing. Start adjustments at the bottom and work up to the handlebar adjustment.

Monte

[beemer]

Beemer
BMW bikes are notorious, I mean famous, for the smoothness with thich they shift.
This makes it a bit hard to determine if there is something wrong.
I know from my experience that they do not like to shift properly if everything is else not as it should be.
The transmission can be fine and will seem strange if another aspect of the bike is amiss.
So my question is, do you notice any other symptoms?
And does it only shift funny going into first?
Also is there any difference between an up shift vs a down shift?
Please give more information.
Troy

There is no difference when shifting up or down when the bike is warmed up,it's only when it's been standing that it's hard to get into 1st gear,the gear oil was not to bad when i changed it,and i didn't see any metal bits or anything strange in the old oil,and the clutch seems to be fine and adjusted ok too,i will have to go over it again as soon as we get some decent weather here,thanks,Julian.

[tagordon]

Based on your last post, your shifting sounds normal.
This is a "characteristic of the vehicle".
When starting after the bike has sat for a time
use the clutch a couple times then try your shift into first.
As mentioned it gets the parts moving and they will line up to allow a shift.
Take a good look at how the transmission parts are designed.
And it may make a lot more sense why this happens.
Reading this information a few times helped me.
At first I was sure I had a trashed tranny to rebuild.
So look here:
<http://www.gadgetjq.com/transmission.htm>
and here:
<http://micapeak.com/bmw-gs/trans.html>
HTH
Troy

[beemer]

Based on your last post, your shifting sounds normal.
This is a "characteristic of the vehicle".
When starting after the bike has sat for a time
use the clutch a couple times then try your shift into first.
As mentioned it gets the parts moving and they will line up to allow a shift.
Take a good look at how the transmission parts are designed.
And it may make a lot more sense why this happens.
Reading this information a few times helped me.
At first I was sure I had a trashed tranny to rebuild.
So look here:
<http://www.gadgetjq.com/transmission.htm>
and here:
<http://micapeak.com/bmw-gs/trans.html>
HTH
Troy

Thanks for the info Troy,Julian.

[MrRiden]

What monte said and...Last spline lube done when?
Just my 2¢
rich

[beemer]

What monte said and...Last spline lube done when?
Just my 2¢
rich

Just a couple of month's back,J.

[msbuck]

This has always been a problem with mine.  I simply rock the bike back and forth a little until it drops into gear.  I think it's a matter of the cogs not quite lining up properly when standing still and the rocking gets them moving until they line up and it drops into gear.  

I never expect mine to go into gear from the get go until I give it a rock - it's part of my standard starting procedure now.  This is not a problem except for the very first time I start the bike - not when I'm at a stoplight, etc.  

My  [smiley=2cents.gif] [smiley=2cents.gif]

[beemer]

This has always been a problem with mine.  I simply rock the bike back and forth a little until it drops into gear.  I think it's a matter of the cogs not quite lining up properly when standing still and the rocking gets them moving until they line up and it drops into gear.  

I never expect mine to go into gear from the get go until I give it a rock - it's part of my standard starting procedure now.  This is not a problem except for the very first time I start the bike - not when I'm at a stoplight, etc.  

My  [smiley=2cents.gif] [smiley=2cents.gif]

Sounds just the same as mine!!

[Justin B.]

One must realize that the BMW transmission is technically a non-synchro transmission.  The gears have "dogs" on the face that will mesh with "dogs" on another gear.  If a shift is attempted when the "dogs" are lined up with each other then nothing is going to move/shift.  Pre-loading the shift lever and slipping the clutch will get things inside the transmission to rotate and the gear "dogs" will then pop into mesh.  This is very common/normal at any temp if you are at a dead stop and try to shift from neutral to 1st gear.

[chrisr65ls]

My LS does the same. I usually roll it forward with the clutch in and my foot on the lever a little and it clicks into first.

[beemer]

My LS does the same. I usually roll it forward with the clutch in and my foot on the lever a little and it clicks into first.

Thanks for all the info,it's great to get so much reponse on this site,it's certainly put my mind at rest,cheers,Julian.