Fell out with my gearbox on recent trip

Stevie4scoops

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Last week I rode through France and into Spain before returning on the ferry but unfortunately had a few issues with my bike.

I didn't use any motorways in France, was mostly riding at slow speeds and for two days had problems with the gearbox which then disappeared.

The problem I had was that I was unable to get a clean change of gear in the lower four gears no matter how hard I tried. I rarely use the quick shifter because I find that unless you're 'gunning it' it doesn’t work well and you get a smoother change using the clutch. Changing gear was a really horrible experience and gave a very unpleasant bang/shock feeling through the gear change whenever I did.

In the end, I stopped trying to change gear smoothly and resigned myself to the fact that the gearbox was faulty, determined to eat itself and just hoped it would last until I got home.

Additionally, when stationary in traffic I stopped putting the bike in neutral which is the correct thing to do because selecting first gear created a real crunching. If I knew I would be stationary for more than a minute I switched off the engine and started it in first to prevent this.

When starting in first gear with the clutch fully in, the bike would move forward when the starter button was pressed which leads me to believe the clutch isn't always disengaging as it should.

As I said above, the problem lasted two days but on Thursday all was OK again.

Just a long shot but could altitude cause a problem? I can't see how it could but on the days I had the problem I was up in the hills and near mountains whereas on Thursday and Friday I was back nearer sea level.

Whilst I know a dragging clutch wouldn't have helped, even changing gear without using it still resulted in the 'shock feeling' through the gear change leaver which I'd not experienced before this trip or from Thursday onwards.

I know there have been lots of posts regarding bad LC gearboxes but has anyone got a gearbox with intermittent issues as described above?
 
check your clutch master pump's fluid level.

and perhaps bleed the clutch system.
 
No intermittent problems but persistent issues with a 2013 lc gearbox. The engine/box replaced due to corrosion in June 2014 similar problems still existed. I sort of accepted that this was how it was going to be.
However, I found out that a clutch pack is available which I've had fitted under warranty.
Massive improvement. Get to your dealer to get the pack fitted.


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Steve. What you describe happened to me on my MY13 LC. In addition it would drive on if started ,with the clutch disengaged , in first gear. I had to change gear at low revs and short shift. As the miles increased it became difficult to change down to 4th and 3rd at speed approaching bends.

Eventually I considered the bike dangerous due to its inconsistent and unpredictable gear change and the dealer told BMW UK. The dealer confirmed the clutch plates were warped. The engine, gearbox and clutch were changed for a MY14 assembly. The bike was then perfect.

The MY 14 engine casting is different to the MY 13 indicating internal mechanical change.

My guess is that warped clutch plates, evidenced by blue staining, is the root cause of the problem. That's a guess.

I now have a MY 15 bike and the gear change is fine irrespective of revs other than 1st to 2nd which drags at high revs. The quick shifter is better at higher revs up the box and inconsistent down the box.
 
Thanks for that.

Don't like to think I'm setting off on another trip not knowing what to expect ie what 'mood' the gearbox will be in.
 
Hi Steve

Glad you made it back home. Considering the problems you had, I think you took it all in your stride and fair play for still enjoying the trip.

Good to meet you on the ferry and if your over this way, offer still stands ....... Drop in.

Darrel :beerjug:
 
When it happens again, throttle blip on downshift will smooth things. Going up shifting too slowly will allow revs to drop and crunch the gears.
My hex head did similar stuff. New clutch slave cylinder no effect. Stripped and rebuilt master cylinder pretty much sorted it though still not perfect. I'm told a new master cyl "should" sort it but at £200 I'm not taking the gamble.
I also found a leak on slave hydraulics bug fixing it made little difference.
Make sure clutch reservoir level is correct. It rises as clutch wears.
 


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