Shifting gears problems

[Tim Haas]

I'm new to forum. Hello to all. I just bought a beautiful 2000 R1100R (my first BMW) with1900 miles and I cannot ride it because it won't up-shift correctly. Down shifts are fine. I suspect I need to grease the driveshaft splines and when I pulled the differential boot back I found gear oil leaking. I have replaced all lubricants. Trans lube replaced twice. Also looking for a good shop manual as the Haynes manual is not so good.

I would appreciate any advice.

Thanks,

Tim

[Jim Moore]

Hi Tim,

 

If you're used to Japanese bikes you'll find the R1100 5-speed to be a little ... ummm ... agricultural, especially the 1-2 and 2-3 shifts. It helps to preload the shifter a little bit. 

 

Also, check your PMs.

[dirtrider]

5 hours ago, Tim Haas said:

I'm new to forum. Hello to all. I just bought a beautiful 2000 R1100R (my first BMW) with1900 miles and I cannot ride it because it won't up-shift correctly. Down shifts are fine. I suspect I need to grease the driveshaft splines and when I pulled the differential boot back I found gear oil leaking. I have replaced all lubricants. Trans lube replaced twice. Also looking for a good shop manual as the Haynes manual is not so good.

I would appreciate any advice.

Thanks,

Tim

Morning Tim

 

Your problem might be somewhat normal or you could have a problem. 

 

First off, you have a single track motorcycle so no differential as it only has one rear wheel so it has a final drive (no differential side gears).

 

On the gear oil in the swing arm boot?_  A LOT of older BMW 1100/1150 motorcycles have that slight pinion seal leak. It is a real pain to install a new pinion seal but can be done at home with effort. 

 

In a lot of cases just switching from a synthetic gear oil to a conventional (dino) gear oil will slow, or even stop, the pinion seal leak. You might also verify that your final drive vent isn't restricted or plugged. 

 

On the transmission upshifting, on the BMW 1100 5 speed transmissions there can be a learning curve to get them to upshift easily & smoothly. On some, just a little preloading of the shift lever slightly just as or very slightly before you start pulling the clutch lever in for the shift. Don't preload the shift lever too early or too hard before starting the de-clutch as that can wear the shift forks.

 

Try different shifting techniques as far as clutch pull-in, shift lever pre-load, throttle position, etc.

 

Two things you need to check are: there are 2 (ball & sockets) in the shift linkage (between the foot shift lever & the transmission short lever on the trans)  if those get dry & sticky then that can hinder smooth shifting, so you might pull the retaining clips on the ball sockets then clean & re-lube the balls to sockets-- see if this helps upshifting.

 

The other thing is that short lever on the transmission stub shaft. There is a pinch bolt on that short lever that holds it tight to the stub shaft. If that pinch  bolt backs out (not uncommon)  that not only limits a full shift stroke input but that backed out bolt can jamb up on the trans case therefore restricting a full shift stroke. 

 

You might also think about cleaning & re-lubing the foot shift lever pivot as those can get dry then make shift lever movement more difficult. 

 

If none of the above helps then you could have problems inside the transmission like worn bearings, or worn shift forks, or other issues. 

 

Also, make darn sure that your clutch (lever/cable)  is adjusted correctly so the clutch gets a FULL release during the upshift. 

 

With you being new to the BMW 5 speed, your upshifting issue could be that you haven't adjusted to the BMW tractor gear box yet, or it could be something sticking/tight in the external shifting parts, or you might have some internal transmission issues. You need to be deliberate on your upshifts, if you give it weak or partial foot inputs it can easily miss that upshift.

[strataj]

Be sure to let the shifter rest no pressure after changing gear, then as Jim says preloading with help select the next gear.

[JamesW]

I found that Motul 80w90 gear oil in final drive and transmission (see: Amazon) helped greatly and I've always short shifted into second gear.