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2013 R1200RT Shifting problems...

Go back to the service department and see the service manager. He or she will set you up with their tranny specialist.
 
Go back to the service department and see the service manager. He or she will set you up with their tranny specialist.

guess you have not been reading the thread.....it appears it is the operator, NOT the RT................

wyman
 
Yeah, BMW's shift "clunky." Mine has almost 80k and it still makes a big clunk dropping into first. Sometimes it won't go into first right off the bat from neutral, so you have to let the clutch out ever so slightly until you feel it drop in. Once into second it becomes a lot more smooth if you preload the shifter and then upshift without using the clutch.

natrab:

I went to a tech session about these transmissions when i first got my '05 R12RT. They say there is a drag device or something to slow the gears faster so you can upshift faster than with the older bikes. This is a sport-bike trick that some of BMW's competitors use too. When you sit still with the clutch in, this gear cluster stops and when you try to engage 1st, it's luck of the draw whether it stops lined up with the 1st gear cog or not. The solution is to just let the clutch out in neutral for half a sec, pull it in and immediately change to 1st.

Doing it the way you're doing it can cause some surprises if you get it wrong. This way, it's always gentle on the gears and the bike can't lurch forward or stall. You just need to get that thing spinning. It doesn't stay spinning long, so you need to shift as soon as you pull that clutch back in.

Hope this helps.

My '05 is the 3rd RT I've owned. It's by far the best shifting of the 3, but it does have that trait where it won't shift to 1st after a complete stop sometimes.
 
yup, my clutch reservoir was quite full...actually very close to the top with the cover/expansive gasket removed....i removed just enough "blue blood" to get the level to the "max" line....

actually no help on the "problem"....the problem is the nut between the handle bars....LOL

wyman

Wyman:

Don't feel bad. BMWs are not completely intuitive, especially when new. It takes a while to know if something is "wrong" or if it's "OK". Even checking oil can be challenging. I still miss 2nd gear sometimes on my bike after 78K miles. Sometimes I get lazy and don't lift my toe far enough.

BTW: Clutch fluid level does not go up as the clutch wears...It goes down...but not much. High temps will expand fluid and that will make the level go higher...again, not much. This is why the MAX line on the reservoir isn't at the very top.

If the new bikes are coming in over-filled, it wouldn't surprise me. If I ever buy a new BMW bike again, I'll check the clutch fluid level. This thread is helpful!
 
Wyman:

Don't feel bad. BMWs are not completely intuitive, especially when new. It takes a while to know if something is "wrong" or if it's "OK". Even checking oil can be challenging. I still miss 2nd gear sometimes on my bike after 78K miles. Sometimes I get lazy and don't lift my toe far enough.

BTW: Clutch fluid level does not go up as the clutch wears...It goes down...but not much. High temps will expand fluid and that will make the level go higher...again, not much. This is why the MAX line on the reservoir isn't at the very top.

If the new bikes are coming in over-filled, it wouldn't surprise me. If I ever buy a new BMW bike again, I'll check the clutch fluid level. This thread is helpful!

I believe you are incorrect - clutch fluid level does go UP as the clutch wears. As the clutch plate wears the pressure plate moves the push rod further "back" pushing the fluid toward the master cylinder increasing the reservoir level.
 
I believe you are incorrect - clutch fluid level does go UP as the clutch wears. As the clutch plate wears the pressure plate moves the push rod further "back" pushing the fluid toward the master cylinder increasing the reservoir level.

...dan:

In my head, I was seeing the piston pushing outward farther as the clutch wears. You are correct.

Doh!

:drink
 
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