2015 GS 1st gear “clonk”

[Bigjimknickers]

Hi all, I’ve recently put a few miles on my GS & really enjoying it now, my only problem is when pulling up at lights & putting it in neutral, waiting for lthe green light then…THAT 1st gear clonk!! Wow, I’ve tried doing it fast, doing it gently, doing it slow (twss)
Sooo- looking for tips from the experts! Bike is 30k fbmwsh, fresh full service last month.

 

[bosnjo]

99% of motorcycles do it. Nothing wrong with the bike. That's just the way it is.
Of arround 30 motorcycles I owned in last 40 years, I've never had one that would behave differently.

 

[leadfarmer]

Anything with a wet clutch does it

BMW boxers have klunky boxes, Hondas are as bad generally too

 

[Santa-2512]

Clonk , lol. Try it on a hexheads, it's like the gearbox is trying to detonate

 

[theoneandonly]

try ...
pulling the clutch lever in , count 2.3......roll the bike backwards , snick it into gear whilst rolling . works on my Sportster.

 

[Bigjimknickers]

Clonk , lol. Try it on a hexheads, it's like the gearbox is trying to detonate

I’ve had one, this is worse

 

[Bigjimknickers]

99% of motorcycles do it. Nothing wrong with the bike. That's just the way it is.
Of arround 30 motorcycles I owned in last 40 years, I've never had one that would behave differently.

I’ve had about 50 bikes, this is the worst I’ve ever noticed.

 

[Neil W]

Having owned a number of bikes including 2 x r1150gs, r1200gsa tc, x2 r1200gsa LC and a r1250gsa lc the gearbox on my late 2014 (technically a 2015 model year bike) was the worst gearbox on any bike I have ever ridden and that includes a couple of CZ's and MZ's .
Putting it into first gear was akin to hitting a bag full of random gears and metal parts with a hammer and deeply offended my mechanical sympathies . Unfortunately it seems to be a common problem on SOME but not all of the earlier 1200 LC models and in 32 months I never found a way around it

 

[Bigjimknickers]

Having owned a number of bikes including 2 x r1150gs, r1200gsa tc, x2 r1200gsa LC and a r1250gsa lc the gearbox on my late 2014 (technically a 2015 model year bike) was the worst gearbox on any bike I have ever ridden and that includes a couple of CZ's and MZ's .
Putting it into first gear was akin to hitting a bag full of random gears and metal parts with a hammer and deeply offended my mechanical sympathies . Unfortunately it seems to be a common problem on SOME but not all of the earlier 1200 LC models and in 32 months I never found a way around it

Well described!! It makes me cringe- I was hoping there was some kind of secret GS trick to learn!!

 

[clutchspring]

The GS trick is to get some good ear plugs

 

[bosnjo]

You can always try different oil to see if it makes a difference. My GS (2021) was always serviced by BMW dealer, while it was on warranty and they obviously used BMW oil, the one that is made of golden powder to justify its price. The clonk was just as on every other bike I owned, maybe just a tad harder.
Anyway, after the warranty expired I've done my own oil change and this time used the oil I've always used on my previous bikes, Motul 7100.
After the oil change, the gearbox feels smoother and the "clonk" is not that big anymore.
So, do you know what oil your bike has or you bought it and it still has the oil unknown to you?
If in doubt, I'd change the oil and take it from there.

 

[leadfarmer]

I also used Motul 7100 in my 1200, I found it quietened everything down a bit too

 

[Joca]

My 06 GS was very bad selecting 1st when I bought it.. As it seemed to be the norm looking at forums, I lived with it for a few years.
Then, while servicing the bike, I decided to change all oils.
While draining the gearbox oil, I remember thinking, this is a waste of time and money as the oil looked new.
As I already purchased the new oil and was draining, it was replaced with new and the gearbox is much quieter.
I do not know what oil was in it before but the one I used is way better.

 

[Bigjimknickers]

It came from Motoline, which is bahnstormers sister company so I’d imagine it has the bmw golden oil, I have the receipts here so I’ll check

 

[Bigjimknickers]

Tbh is so bad, I’ll change it anyway unless I can find proof that it was done recently with the motul oil.

 

[leadfarmer]

Tbh is so bad, I’ll change it anyway unless I can find proof that it was done recently with the motul oil.

The 7100 is red

 

[Bigjimknickers]

Excuse my ignorance but I take it it’s not a separate gearbox oil like my old oil head?

 

[leadfarmer]

Excuse my ignorance but I take it it’s not a separate gearbox oil like my old oil head?

Correct, shared engine and gearbox oil

 

[Joca]

My 06 is separate oil.

 

[Bigjimknickers]

My 06 is separate oil.

Yes, as was my 05- I now have a 15 plate LC