dcnblues
Registered
I've got a thread I posted about issues with the first gear, and essentially none of those issues were a design problem or Suzuki's fault but more that I am just an idiot.
Please don't bump that thread, just let it fade into obscurity or better yet if you are a mod delete it.
I did some research on fitting a motorcycle to you, especially because I'm tall, and got the brake and clutch levers angled as far down as they will go (which is not far enough because of the design of the fluid reservoirs, and I would like Suzuki to address that). Then I adjusted the rear brake pedal and gear shift lever.
Here's the problem: I had this mental image of the transmission only using one short click up or one short click down as it does in the upper gears once they are engaged. And this is not accurate. Once you are in neutral, you go down to the first click, but then the lever drops a whole other level to put the transmission into first gear. I had this mental image of the transmission failing when all that was happening was the shift lever was hitting the aftermarket kickstand (t-rex). And I kept screwing around with it trying this and trying that and having the same problem.
So for anyone adjusting ergonomics or playing with aftermarket kickstands, please put the bike on a rear stand, drop the kickstand, and see what the lever is supposed to do when it is free to move. *can't believe I bled the hydraulic clutch trying to fix this. I'm an idiot.
**I raised the shift lever back up to where it works and isn't too uncomfortable, but it's still not ideal. As well I put an aftermarket bolt and adjustment nut on that bolt to push the kickstand sensor pushrod in. I lengthened it enough (and secured it with the nut) so that it holds the kickstand away from the shift lever and is not allowed to retract fully. I also put a large o-ring on the shift lever pivot bolt to move it away from the bike and bent the lever itself outwards a bit. All of this is inelegant, and I would like a better solution but none of this was the fault of the transmission. Apologies to Suzuki and this forum for giving the other impression.
***Why doesn't motorcycle racing and the industry have a standard magnetic cup that would match with the end of the horizontal shift lever? Sometimes I simply push the shift lever with the side of my boot up or down and often that's all that's needed. You wouldn't have to move your whole foot around and below the shift lever or around and back on top of the shift lever. Yet I've never seen a boot with such a little cup right next to and just above the inside ball of your foot. This seems to me a no-brainer, but maybe there is something I'm missing...
****And why the f*** don't aftermarket kickstands have extrusions to make it easy for your boot to grab the kickstand like the stock unit? Now I have to look every time I use it. WTF?
Please don't bump that thread, just let it fade into obscurity or better yet if you are a mod delete it.
I did some research on fitting a motorcycle to you, especially because I'm tall, and got the brake and clutch levers angled as far down as they will go (which is not far enough because of the design of the fluid reservoirs, and I would like Suzuki to address that). Then I adjusted the rear brake pedal and gear shift lever.
Here's the problem: I had this mental image of the transmission only using one short click up or one short click down as it does in the upper gears once they are engaged. And this is not accurate. Once you are in neutral, you go down to the first click, but then the lever drops a whole other level to put the transmission into first gear. I had this mental image of the transmission failing when all that was happening was the shift lever was hitting the aftermarket kickstand (t-rex). And I kept screwing around with it trying this and trying that and having the same problem.
So for anyone adjusting ergonomics or playing with aftermarket kickstands, please put the bike on a rear stand, drop the kickstand, and see what the lever is supposed to do when it is free to move. *can't believe I bled the hydraulic clutch trying to fix this. I'm an idiot.
**I raised the shift lever back up to where it works and isn't too uncomfortable, but it's still not ideal. As well I put an aftermarket bolt and adjustment nut on that bolt to push the kickstand sensor pushrod in. I lengthened it enough (and secured it with the nut) so that it holds the kickstand away from the shift lever and is not allowed to retract fully. I also put a large o-ring on the shift lever pivot bolt to move it away from the bike and bent the lever itself outwards a bit. All of this is inelegant, and I would like a better solution but none of this was the fault of the transmission. Apologies to Suzuki and this forum for giving the other impression.
***Why doesn't motorcycle racing and the industry have a standard magnetic cup that would match with the end of the horizontal shift lever? Sometimes I simply push the shift lever with the side of my boot up or down and often that's all that's needed. You wouldn't have to move your whole foot around and below the shift lever or around and back on top of the shift lever. Yet I've never seen a boot with such a little cup right next to and just above the inside ball of your foot. This seems to me a no-brainer, but maybe there is something I'm missing...
****And why the f*** don't aftermarket kickstands have extrusions to make it easy for your boot to grab the kickstand like the stock unit? Now I have to look every time I use it. WTF?
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