Gearbox!

[pjh]

Just picked up new 1200 GS today and its beautiful in every respect. Apart from....... cannot select the next gear sometimes!
Is this normal? gets quite embarrassing when one can't upshift in the middle of a slip road.
Tell me its just a running in thing!

 

[Brian ROSEN]

No, it is not normal

Well, not in my experience anyway. It does get smoother, that's true but mine was pretty good from day 1. Your clutch may be the problem? I would take it back ASAP. (On reflection, have you had a shaft drive BMW before? You cannot hurry the gearchange. Remember that the whole box is revolving much faster than a chain driven gearbox. There is a technique but it is nothing like as critical as it used to be.)

 

[GSmonkey]

You need to adjust the lever so it is as low as it will go without snagging the sidestand - assuming you're using normal boots.

The 12's box also responds very well to clutchless upshifts.

 

[Gipsy]

If you're used to slick gearchange such as on sportsbikes then the BM is quite different. IMHO it takes a good prod both up and down to ensure you engage gear. If you have been giving it such a prod then I would suggest a visit to your dealer is in order.

 

[pjh]

Think I will have it looked at on the first service,its pretty bad imho and also dangerous.Thanks for the feedback

 

[Geordie Steve]

pjh, don't know whether it's any help but when I got my 1200 one of the first things I did was mess around with the span adjusters on the levers. Funnily enough the next time I rode the bike I couldn't select gears easily - particularly finding neutral and engaging first gear from a standstill.

It eventually occurred to me that I had overdone it with the span adjusters so I backed them off a bit. The gear change went back to normal and it's been fine ever since. I've also read on other threads that the clutch can drag slightly if the hydrualic reservoir is overfilled, so it might be worth checking. Hope you get it sorted