[b.pete]

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This may be an issue it may not be. I've only ridden it a bit and this is my first bike so I may just need to get used to it. The transmission is pretty load when up-shifting. It's not grinding gears but up shifts givea pretty good clunk and I have missed 3rd by not lifting enough on the shifter.

Down shifts are smooth, I just get what I would consider the normal sound of a ratchet shift system.

Is this an issue to be concerned with?

 

[mag]

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This is a wet clutch, so following oil change intervals of 2-5000 miles is recommended. It will help with the shifting. Secondly, the best technique is to 'pre-load' the shifter by putting pressure on the shift lever with your foot, just to the point of shifting, then pull in the clutch and continue the pressure to make the gear change. IT works wonderfully once you get the hang of it. I also suggest you don't downshift into first from moving, only after slowing to a stop, to avoid clash.

 

[axelwik]

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Most big bikes are a little clunky when shifting.

If this is your first bike I hope you took a motorcycle safety class. Highly recommended. They teach some great stratagies for staying alive. They say that 90 percent of MC fatalities involve riders who never took a class.

I'd sure hate to see you or your 'new' bike getting damaged in any way.

 

[rcmatt007]

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make sure your clutch is fully engaged, but as already said these bigger bikes can be cluny and you are not the only to get into the "in between" space when shifting. it often takkes a "firmer" shift which is a learned thing.

I too would recommend the MSF course if you haven't taken it.

 

[b.pete]

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Thanks for the replies. I have ridden before but never owned a bike. The first thing I did was take a safety class. The reasons were two fold.

1. I'm not young andfearless anymore so I wanted the training.

2. In AZ the certifiacte from the class got me my endoursement wiht no DMV testing.

I'm taking it in for smog on Saturday and hopefully next week it will be tagged and completely legal. I need much more practice before the wife and I take off somewhere. I want to be sure I'm not putting her at risk as a passenger.

 

[exavid]

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b.pete wrote:

I need much more practice before the wife and I take off somewhere. I want to be sure I'm not putting her at risk as a passenger.

Great idea! Get lots of practice at low speeds and in parking lots, that's the hard part and it's a lot harder with a passenger until you get used to it. At first there's nothing ore exciting that making a slow tight turn and have your passenger shift a bit, or just decide to look the other way suddenly. Very interesting...

 

[lrp52]

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I have a 75 which was a little testy when shifting. I replaced the swingarm with one that had the grease zerk in it and put it back together according to the manual, and now it shifts with very little effort. Food for thought. Larry:waving::waving:

 

[axelwik]

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lrp52 wrote:

I have a 75 which was a little testy when shifting. I replaced the swingarm with one that had the grease zerk in it and put it back together according to the manual, and now it shifts with very little effort. Food for thought. Larry:waving::waving:

Yeah, I suppose that if the splines or U-joint was worn it would clunk more from the rear end.

 

[Kendas]

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exavid wrote:

b.pete wrote:

I need much more practice before the wife and I take off somewhere. I want to be sure I'm not putting her at risk as a passenger.

Great idea! Get lots of practice at low speeds and in parking lots, that's the hard part and it's a lot harder with a passenger until you get used to it. At first there's nothing ore exciting that making a slow tight turn and have your passenger shift a bit, or just decide to look the other way suddenly. Very interesting...

Lots and lots of practice before taking wife... Phoenix traffic can be a real pain, downtown the lights are shortand the lines are long, I-10, I-17 and the loops don't have lights (except to get on them), but the lines are still long betwen 6 - 10 AM and 4:30 - 7 (been ther, done that... Survived). Most MSF course ranges are not used all the time so you could practice there as often as you want That is of course if it isn't a "private" range. Here in Tucson, Pima Comunity College teaches the course (MSF certified instructors). They have an agreement with Davis-Monthan air force base to use the range the base set up as long as they teach the military riders for free (class is required for air force personnel who want to ride a bike). Since I'm a retired GI (Any old GIs remember "SAC trained killer"?) I can get on base a use the range any time it's not being used. :cooler:. After you get comfortable on the range and traffic you can take the wife out to the range, show her what you are going to be doing with her on the back (demonstrate the exerzises(sp) while she watches first) Much better that you take the wife out in a "controlled" environment where you can "fall down" without have a to worry about traffic (hard enough learning how a bike moves with a passenger and then trying to teach her how to move with you and not against you. I know I sound like one of them MSF type instructors... I was one 25 years ago, along with air force driver instructor for everything from P/Us to 18+ wheels.

BTW - does anyone know if the MSF still has the "Passenger" course??? There was one years ago that went along with the ERC on an "as needed" basis (read that as enough interest... Damned I wish I still had my books and range cards!).

Kenndas - "Old and one legged... But then again the 84 Wing isn't what it used to be either"

 

[axelwik]

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Kendas wrote:

(Any old GIs remember "SAC trained killer"?)

Hey... wasn't that TAC trained killer????

I'm retired Air Force too. Was an F-4, then F-16 crew chief. I remember the Air Force MSF courses. They wouldn't let us ride on base until taking the class... a very goodpolicy I think.

 

[b.pete]

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exavid wrote:

b.pete wrote:

I need much more practice before the wife and I take off somewhere. I want to be sure I'm not putting her at risk as a passenger.

Great idea! Get lots of practice at low speeds and in parking lots, that's the hard part and it's a lot harder with a passenger until you get used to it. At first there's nothing ore exciting that making a slow tight turn and have your passenger shift a bit, or just decide to look the other way suddenly. Very interesting...

Yep that's the idea. I have a hard time with the slow speed turns still. The bike seems to need a lot of turning room if you're up at self centering speed and it seems to get there pretty quickly. My biggest mistakes so far has been taking corners a little too quick and scraping the footpegs. Real slow speed turns are ok by myself but with a passenger it would be more difficult to catch the bike with my feet if it stqrted to tip. That motor is really wide.

I need to ride somemore to get a feel of proper cornering speeds but also we'll need to creep around in a parking lot together to make sure she knows what not to do.

 

[Kendas]

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axelwik wrote:

Kendas wrote:

(Any old GIs remember "SAC trained killer"?)

Hey... wasn't that TAC trained killer????

I'm retired Air Force too. Was an F-4, then F-16 crew chief. I remember the Air Force MSF courses. They wouldn't let us ride on base until taking the class... a very goodpolicy I think.

Nope. TAC never trained a killer... All they ever trained were parachute weights.

 

[exavid]

imported post

b.pete wroteMy biggest mistakes so far has been taking corners a little too quick and scraping the footpegs. Real slow speed turns are ok by myself but with a passenger it would be more difficult to catch the bike with my feet if it stqrted to tip. That motor is really wide.

You don't want to get into the habit of catching the bike with your feet. If the Wing ever goes over all the way you want to get your foot and leg out of the way and fast, many can tell you it isn't fun if a Wing decides to lay down on your foot, or traps your leg. There's no way in hell anyone is going to hold up one of these bikes if it decides to lay down. Usually it will only go down onto the crash bars and no damage will be done, but you don't want any of your anatomy between the bike and the ground. With a passenger aboard you have half a ton to deal with.

When I started riding my Wing I scraped the pegs a few times on corners. Now I can take the same corners faster without anything touching. Getting the right line through the curve, and your body position both make a big difference. When solo try leaning forward and inward on a curve while keeping your eyes focused well ahead and I think you'll see a difference..

 

[axelwik]

imported post

Kendas wrote:

axelwik wrote:

Kendas wrote:

(Any old GIs remember "SAC trained killer"?)

Hey... wasn't that TAC trained killer????

I'm retired Air Force too. Was an F-4, then F-16 crew chief. I remember the Air Force MSF courses. They wouldn't let us ride on base until taking the class... a very goodpolicy I think.

Nope. TAC never trained a killer... All they ever trained were parachute weights.

You know it's funny... just before I retired TAC and SAC combined to make ACC (Air Combat Command). So now they're one-in-the-same. Shared command and shared resources. They're even sharing bases now.

Oh... and SAC never trained a killer, all they ever trained were targets.

 

[hockeydad33]

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Doesn't hurt to train the rider too. The more comfortable I got with the Wing the faster I took corners and the further I leaned the bike in the corners. When we first started riding my wife leaned into the corner but as my experience grew I exceeded her comfort level in the corners and she started to counter my lean in the corner and almost put us into a guardrail. At first I thought I had a tire going down but after another corner I figured it out. We sat down talked it over and we are good to go again. She knows she has to lean with me and never against me. We are on the road and safely riding again (or will be as soon as the Wing is back together with a new stator)

 

[b.pete]

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Well the tipping I'm talking about is at speeds where the bike is not self centering. You know like creeping at a couple MPH in a parking lot or coming to a stop. Catching the bike at speeds any faster would not happen.

The foot peg thing is only happening around turns not really in curves. Turning corners on a side street is the only time it has happened. I'm not nearly comfortable enough to lean it that far at speeds over 10 MPH.

 

[axelwik]

imported post

b.pete wrote:

Well the tipping I'm talking about is at speeds where the bike is not self centering. You know like creeping at a couple MPH in a parking lot or coming to a stop. Catching the bike at speeds any faster would not happen.

The foot peg thing is only happening around turns not really in curves. Turning corners on a side street is the only time it has happened. I'm not nearly comfortable enough to lean it that far at speeds over 10 MPH.

Practice, practice, practice. Pretty soon the sparks will be flying as you dive through the twisties at ever faster speeds!

 

[twisty]

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b.pete wrote:

Well the tipping I'm talking about is at speeds where the bike is not self centering. You know like creeping at a couple MPH in a parking lot or coming to a stop. Catching the bike at speeds any faster would not happen.

The foot peg thing is only happening around turns not really in curves. Turning corners on a side street is the only time it has happened. I'm not nearly comfortable enough to lean it that far at speeds over 10 MPH.

B.Pete, that bike is capable of turning multiple circles with the handlebars turned tight (I meantightly clamped to the locks) to the steering locks.. My Wing will do U-turns on any 2 lane secondary road with room to spare.. The secret is related to the riders head & where the rider is looking & concentrating..

To turn a heavy Wing at slow speeds the rider MUST look completely over his inside shoulder (I mean ALL the way back around).. That bike will basically go where you are looking so don't look at anything but where you want the bike to end up, keep your head & eyes up (don't just look at the ground in front of the bike) & look at (above) the point that you want the bike to end up at (not just where it is traveling)..

To control the bike in a s-l-o-w tight turn use the throttle as a balance control & ride the rear brake (drag it a little).. You will be very surprised at just how tight that bike can turn with proper head control, proper throttle control & practice.. Evey day that I park in a parking lot I do a couple of tight-to-the-lock turns in both directions between the yellow parking lines just to improve my low speed control. Proper body control can also be used to help balance the bike & moving your butt over on the seat can also decreasethe turning radius.. I personally use a lot of upper body movement but do to my age have a hard time sliding my buttover very far..

Another thing to practice is to stop in traffic (I mean actually come to a complete stop) without putting your feet down.. I practice that daily & can usually stop for the count of 5-10 before either moving again or putting a foot down.. The secret here is looking straight ahead & up (don't look down).. With proper head controlyou will be amazed at how balanced that bike feels..

Twisty

 

[wingwarrior]

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twisty
You are so right on the head control I to can stop with out putting my feet down and make a slow turn with in a small 2 lane road

 

[b.pete]

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Good advise and a reiteration of what is taught in school. I guess I'm a little afraid of it as it is so heavy. The bikes in class were little 300cc bikes and were easy to get control of. Although there were many experienced bikers there that had a hard time with some of the stuff, I was able to do slow tight turns with the bars locked. Coming to a stop for a10 count didn't happen but I did get better at completely stopping for a 2 count before I put a foot down. I also was able to lift my feet before taking off. That might sound silly but I see lots of folks on the street that drag thier feet. I just need to remeber these lessons and PRACTICE.

I was hoping to have my helmets by this weekend but it looks like that will not happen. I don't know if I can talk the wife into not being mad if I ride it down for smog without one. I need to get the check done so I can get the plates and start practicing. Right now all I've been doing is short little runs to check the tune.