Grinding gears, clunking going into 1st.

[kjlittlefield]

Hello Everyone!

I've got a 47' EL and need a little help with clutch/linkage adjustments. I do have my manual and have been using it but having some shifting problems. My symptoms are : At idle, going from N to 1's there's a "clunk" and i can feel a small "lurtch forward", going from 1st to second you can feel the gears grind a little, same from 3rd to 4th, but 3rd to 4th smooth. Coming down from 4th to 3rd, they grind unless im below 20, same downshifting from 3rd to second.. The way I adjusted the clutch, heal down, fully disengaged, adjust my locknut to leave about 1/8th of freeplay in the lever, lock that in. On the foot control, i tighten that till the clutch rod hits the tranny housing and back off a touch. Ive also tried by backing off the pushrod lock 1/2 out from seated... Any ideas, hate feeling gears...

[Rubone]

Two things,
The clutch must disengage fully for smooth shifting, so a lurch indicates a dragging clutch.
Secondly, these are not synchronized gearboxes, but are basic crash boxes, so throttle control, clutch control, anticipation, and reading the power pulses are all means to achieve smoother shifting. They release best as the power drops and unloads the pressure on the shift dogs.
Think 1930's pickup trucks....

[dukekleman]

Verify proper idle rpm speed, adjust accordingly if necessary. Then fix your clutch drag issue that exist.
That is the cause of the clunk when placed in gear.

Once that is repaired and the clunk is none existent, change your shift rpm habits as Robbie stated.

In between shifts , pause a little and allow the rpm to drop prior to shift.
Basically find a good speed number for each gear (1-2 speed, then 2-3 and 3-4). The ideal speed varies from bike to bike based on gear ratios.
The ideal speed for each shift point will allow you enough pause time after clutch disengagement, shifting and re-engagemnet to NOT lug the engine in the next gear chosen.

First and foremost, fit the dragging clutch components or the rest is irrelevant. Hope this helps.
Duke

[kjlittlefield]

Ok, thank you both kindly for the help. I think what may be happening is the disc's were oil soaked and although I cleaned them, i think as it heated up it expanded and "dragged". Last night I placed the disc in some gasoline for an hour or so, scrubbed them, and have them in the sun... Hope that does it and big thank you for the RPM tips!...I usually do wait, feel the rpm coming down then slowly "feel" for the next gear before I try to grab all the way.. Hope that makes sense.