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First gear clunk after neutral stop?
- Thread starter tronic16
- Start date
alegerlotz
Member
completely normal.
My first car had a 4-speed manual transmission with synchromesh only in gears 2-3-4. And that was the trick when at a stop in neutral with the clutch engaged: depress the clutch, stab into 2nd, and then into first. Wow, you brought back some distant memories.
Yep nothing wrong.
Not a issue for me as in 45 years I never have stopped ANY manual transmission in neutral at a stop light or stop sign.
A guy I used to ride with always stopped in neutral and it actually hurt my ears and was embarrassing when he clunked into first and we took off from a stop. Really great advertisement for BMW motorcycles.
Not a issue for me as in 45 years I never have stopped ANY manual transmission in neutral at a stop light or stop sign.
A guy I used to ride with always stopped in neutral and it actually hurt my ears and was embarrassing when he clunked into first and we took off from a stop. Really great advertisement for BMW motorcycles.
My left hand gets tired squeezing that clutch......therefore in neutral !
when at a light.
lkraus
New member
It helps if you minimize the time between pulling the lever and kicking the shifter down. Put some light pressure on the shifter, then continue the shift as the clutch is pulled in. Pulling in the clutch, waiting a bit, and then shifting will produce a clunk every time.
The transmission gears are spinning even when you are in neutral. As soon as you pull the clutch they begin to slow down or even stop, so when you do shift into gear moving bits get slammed into slow or stopped bits. If you clutch & shift nearly simultaneously, the gears will be at matching speeds and will mesh smoothly. When I get it right, I need the gear indicator on the dash to know I've completed the shift because there is no noise or motion.
The transmission gears are spinning even when you are in neutral. As soon as you pull the clutch they begin to slow down or even stop, so when you do shift into gear moving bits get slammed into slow or stopped bits. If you clutch & shift nearly simultaneously, the gears will be at matching speeds and will mesh smoothly. When I get it right, I need the gear indicator on the dash to know I've completed the shift because there is no noise or motion.
WalterK75
Active member
When stopped in neutral I find that pulling in the clutch and pausing to let the gears slow down a bit reduces or eliminates the clunk. I don't think this is just a BMW thing as my friends seem to have the same issue. I often hear a clunking sound when they go into first from a standing neutral.
You are getting different opinions on this, so you may have to experiment.
You are getting different opinions on this, so you may have to experiment.
marcopolo
Active member
Yes, a "clunk" is certainly noticeable on my 2015 GSA, when shifting from neutral into 1st.
That aside, I'd add a comment on being in neutral at a red light. In 2007, I rode out to California, and while there, I went to a BMW dealer for an oil change. Turned out that that dealer serviced a lot of California Highway Patrol BMW's. I ended up talking to two CHIP officers, while we all waited for our bikes. I asked for any tips they had for riding in busy LA traffic, or any riding tips generally. One piece of advice, among others, that they both gave me was to always leave it in 1st, when stopped at a light etc. They said I should always be ready to escape - quickly - if ever I needed to. They also combined this with a recommendation to always plan for an escape path, before I ever come to a full stop. Among other things, that means I never stop too closely to the vehicle in front of me, and I always have my bike slightly angled to the right, or left, side (whichever offers the better escape path). I've done that ever since.
That aside, I'd add a comment on being in neutral at a red light. In 2007, I rode out to California, and while there, I went to a BMW dealer for an oil change. Turned out that that dealer serviced a lot of California Highway Patrol BMW's. I ended up talking to two CHIP officers, while we all waited for our bikes. I asked for any tips they had for riding in busy LA traffic, or any riding tips generally. One piece of advice, among others, that they both gave me was to always leave it in 1st, when stopped at a light etc. They said I should always be ready to escape - quickly - if ever I needed to. They also combined this with a recommendation to always plan for an escape path, before I ever come to a full stop. Among other things, that means I never stop too closely to the vehicle in front of me, and I always have my bike slightly angled to the right, or left, side (whichever offers the better escape path). I've done that ever since.
tsconver
Hooligan
Great advice, never put it in neutral, may need to get out of the way quickly if someone is not stopping behind you.
brookscooper
New member
YUP. Been doing this for 20+ years. What would be a fender-bender rear ender in a car could easily be a meat sandwich even for us. No thanks.
clunk into 1st
wet clutches by default are in a liquid medium - oil. As the engine part of the clutch turns (with the lever pulled in) it spins the oil and the other half then turns and gets the gears moving. It is worse when cold and the oil is thicker. In a way wet clutches act like a torque converter so their is always some pressure to turn the non-engaged half. Have worked on vehicles were we had to turn them off in order to attach externally driven devices due to the pressure created by the spinning oil.
wet clutches by default are in a liquid medium - oil. As the engine part of the clutch turns (with the lever pulled in) it spins the oil and the other half then turns and gets the gears moving. It is worse when cold and the oil is thicker. In a way wet clutches act like a torque converter so their is always some pressure to turn the non-engaged half. Have worked on vehicles were we had to turn them off in order to attach externally driven devices due to the pressure created by the spinning oil.
ashevillert
New member
I hadn't ridden my Speed Twin in a month or so and went on a ride this AM. Click going into gear from neutral, click into second. Click back down to first. Snick, snick, snick everywhere. No special memory needed to know which gear works and which doesn't.
BMW's new and old, while reliable, have clunky unpleasant transmissions.
BMW's new and old, while reliable, have clunky unpleasant transmissions.
ashevillert
New member
I had read the 2017 propaganda. My 2017 clunks. The 2020 GS I've ridden a fair amount clunks.
Love BMW's though.
Yup that's exactly what happened to a co-worker on a sport bike
He saw the car coming up behind him too fast and didn't have time as he was in neutral.
He flew 20 some feet and was lucky to be uninjured...his bike was NOT so lucky!
