Now this might sound odd to you guys but as I havent ridden for years Im not sure if this is right or not. Generally changing up there is not noise from the bike but changing down I sometimes get a sort of clunk with the clutch pulled in, its not loud but I notice it. Should a bike be silent (gearbox not revs obviously) when changing through gears?? Also was wondering on how people rate the 250 gearbox, is it generally a little hard to work with?
Most of the gearbox noise is dependent upon the type and condition of the oil used in the bike. I find that for the first 3000km's after an oil change it's silky smooth and not clunky at all, then if i leave it much after that it starts to get quite heavy and noisy - which in my mind means it's time for an oil change. If there's more noise when shifting down i'd firstly make sure the clutch is fully disengaging. Check the tension of your chain (it does affect shifting!). Perhaps it's just your perception of the noises your bike is making; being that if your slowing down then your bike is comparatively quiet engine-noise wise.
Could be that you are downshifting too quickly, especially going from 2-N-1, at a higher rate of speed than you need to. Has to do with constant mesh, syncronized trans and engine speed. Pull up a sit down and I'll give you my take on it.... I'm going to use generallities for ease of use. Let's say the your redline is 16K rpm, and the grin factor (real power*) kicks in around 7K and goes to 15K. At the same time, sensible riding has you shifting gears 6K so at what ever speed you are at, @7K (in 1st, 2nd, and sometimes 3rd) you are NOT going to down shift from 3rd to 2nd, or worse 2nd to 1st UNLESS the rpm's are over 7K. This means bliping the throttle on downshifts. Otherwise you'll experience clunky shifts and potential rear wheel lock-ups. Oh, and save heavy engine braking for the twisties and the track. Theres no need for it in everyday riding. Just more wear and tear. Emergencies excluded of course... * the power on my 1000 really starts happening around 6.5K rpms and in any gear, other than getting on the freeway, is just a ticket waiting to be served. Yes it does happen, a lot. Not the ticket part.
