A quick question

[stevend135]

Hi, I have 94 suzuki katana 750 and when I shift into second gear it makes a clunking sound, it doesn't in any other gear.
Is this normal or something wrong?
thanks.

[zukibud600]

you are about to lose 2nd gear!! Very bad about doing this!!

[AKA AllyKat]

When upshifting from 1st to 2nd this is normal. All you need to do is work on the "snappyness" of the shift. The "throw" from first to second is further since it has to past through neutral hence it needs a quicker and more firm shift than 2-6.

I have found that on my 05 750 if I shift from 1-2 with the RPMs at about 6-6500 or better the shift is smother as opposed to shifting at say 3000 RPM

[AKA AllyKat]

True the Kats do have issues with 2nd gear and a search will bring up many recommendations from adjusting the clutch to needing to replace the gear.
However The CyberPoet put it nicely in this thread

http://www.katriders.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=29753&highlight=shifting

Posted: Wed Mar 28, 2007 3:13 am Post subject:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BlackburnD wrote:
My has only about 750miles on it, and it's actually a little over full. Thanks for the help, and anymore advice would be appreciated.


Your what only has 750 miles on it -- your bike, your chain, your what?

ZukiFred wrote:
Could also be that you are canging gears to easily, It should be done fast and hard.


Great point, Fred. Unlike car transmissions which reward slower shifting (allowing planetary gears to spin up), the transmission on virtually every motorcycle ever built (including yours) is a sequential-shift system with no planetary gears. What that means is that you need to make all your shifts very firm and fast, with a single hard snap of your foot. The system punishes those who don't shift with a single hard, fast snap, by causing gears to dance off each other (which can cause secondary damages to the gear teeth and potentially to the shift-forks as well).

The correct way to shift up on your bike:
Clutch in, release the throttle (RPM's now dropping -- they need to drop about 1k before the next steps), slam the foot shifter into the next gear up, add a bit of throttle and release the clutch. Failing to release the throttle & let the RPM's drop before your foot starts moving will make the gears have a very difficult time meshing properly. Once you've got the motions in the right order, you learn to do it faster and faster until it finally becomes second nature as the process is turned into muscle memory movements.

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet
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[The CyberPoet]

Re: A quick question

Hi, I have 94 suzuki katana 750 and when I shift into second gear it makes a clunking sound, it doesn't in any other gear.
Is this normal or something wrong?
thanks.

As I was quoted (above), a fast, hard snap should suffice, and a klunk isn't unheard of -- as long as the klunk comes while your foot is still moving upwards (not after you're done moving your foot).

I do sell an aftermarket shift-indent spring kit that requires more force to start moving the shifter out of gear, but rewards the other side of the equation with a more definitive snap into the next gear -- installation of it normally eliminates most of the ways a newer rider can mangle 2nd gear (one of the few "common" failures on the Kat, and always blamable on poor shifting habits, such as shifting back into 2nd gear at too high a speed). Check my KR Member's Specials Thread for more details, or drop me a PM if interested.

You might also want to take the time to read this thread:
LR - FAQ Forum - CyberPoet's Q&A for Newbies *Must Read* Thread.

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet