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"Clunk" When 2-1 Downshifting

Theo

Theo

Touring Panpsychist
So I'm not yet at the 600 mile mark and have been gentle with the RT, but I have noticed that downshifting to 1st gear produces a most surprising "clunk". Perhaps a better adjective would be a "shocking" clunk. I notice this as I slow down for stoplights and before I make a sharp slow-speed right to my uphill driveway.

I am new to the bike and have read most of the shifting-related posts (preloading the shifter, etc.) and find my upshifting is rapidly getting smoother and smoother. Starting out in 1st has actually been quite easy for me as I figured-out the brief FZ and throttle combo thing early. My downshifts seem smooth...except the 2-1 and, rarely, the 3-2.

In my past SCCA racing life, I learned to double-clutch passing through neutral to get the synchros going but I obviously can't do that on the RT.

What am I doing wrong? Is it the nature of the new bike? I feel like I'll soon be seeing gear teeth flying everywhere!

Yikes! :help
 
The "clunk" is normal. I was surprised at first too, but over time you'll develop different ways of making it a quieter "clunk".
 
And every RT owner can chime in here, and may, and we will all same the same thing - the clunk is "normal". I still find it disconcerting, but have learned to live with it.

Not sure why they don't add a 7th shorter gear (as first gear), and get rid of the clunk.
 
Yep, normal (2005 RT).

For me, I "solved" it by using 2d gear down to about 18 mph which is around 1800 rpm. If you gently apply throttle, the engine will lug a bit but quickly climbs over 3000 rpm. I prefer a little lug to a loud "clunk".

For slower turns, like entering a gas station from a road, I will go down to about 10 or fewer MPH before dropping down to first. If you wait for this lower speed, the tranny shifts quite quietly.

 
They've all had a massive clunk going into first since, oh, about 1923 :D

I tend to avoid the shift until the bike is stopped or nearly stopped -- the slower the rear wheel/driveshaft/tranny output shaft is rotating, the lower the forces in the tranny as your toe makes the shift mechanism slide the first gear engagement wheel sideways (to lock the first gear pair of gears to the shafts).
 
Last edited:
Low speeds feather the clutch in 2nd if needed, rarely downshift to first when moving.
 
On the way in this morning (34??!) I tried waiting until I was going <10 mph before downshifting to 1st. Much better...still a definite clunk...but a muted one. Sounds like a plan from now on.

Thanks to all for helping be get acquainted with this wonderful bike. I hope I can return the favor for all the knowledge you have been so kind to bestow upon this newbie. Perhaps I'll get a chance to catch up will some of you at the BMWRA event in Vermont this summer!
:bow
 
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tbryant said:
What neblett said!
Click to expand...

+2 - and you might be surprised - the R1200 series engines will pull very nicely away from a stop-sign/traffic-light in 2nd gear with a tiny bit of feathering of the clutch. BTDT more times then I care to remember (as I get older this seems to be a more frequent occurance, although I can also remember my '85 K100RT being great this way, and the '87 K75S being impossible to do this..)

Point being - you can go very slowly in 2nd gear before shifting into 1st. At lights I usually don't shift down (if I remember to..) until I'm almost at a dead stop. No big clunk that way. :)
 
Every multi-cylinder road back I've had had a major clunk when shifting from 2nd to 1st, unless you slowed to a crawl or stopped before downshifting. It's most noticeable on the RT. I agree that this is normal.

I also sometimes forget to shift down to 1st at stops and end up launching the bike in 2nd. This makes me fret about my clutch, but I think the fretting is probably totally unnecessary.

In the early '80's, I used to have a Suzuki RM465 open class motocrosser. It had a 4 speed gearbox. I used to do drag race after drag race with buddies, trying to improve our starts. I remember that in certain conditions, rutted sand I think it was, the best gear for launching the bike and getting a quick start was 3rd.
 
I get the same clunk sound on mine. I really have to feather the clutch when starting in second and try to avoid it. I do it all the time on my dirt bike, but my 1200rt seems to like starting in 1st. Maybe I'm not used to a street bike, but the 1200rt is not happy going slow. I almost always put it in 1st when I drop below around 10mph and it just seems much smoother.
 
GS Clunk

I have gotten the clunk on both my 1200 RT, my 05 GS and my 08 GSA. Does not matter going slow, fast, stopped, they all clunk. Like someone else said, at least you know your in 1st. By the way, my 1954 R25 clunks into first gear also.
 
Perhaps a dry clutch thing?

My Aero 750 (wet clutch) made a tiny bit of noise going into 1st but nothing like the RT. Of course, that bike seems a bit primitive now...different animal...but still primitive!
 
My 06 Gold Wing had a very loud clunk when downshifting. I asked the Honda dealer about it and he said they all do it and it is because the gears are "straight cut". Maybe this is the same on the RT?
 
After buying my '09 RT last year, the loud "clunk" surprised me. I don't know what I was expecting, but given the German reputation for precision engineering, design and quality, I didn't anticipate a BMW downshift to produce a thud like my dad's old Massey Ferguson tractor.

I would have expected BMW to address this by now, but they apparently don't see it a major issue. Anyway, I've learned to think of it as just one of those quirky things that make this bike what it is ÔÇö that and the stock windshield's resonant frequency that causes it to wobble like a bowl of Jell-O while idling.
 
loud gears save lives!

Since there is hardly any noise comming from the muffler, something has to alert pedestrians and other motorists that I am there.
 
THEO said:
Perhaps a dry clutch thing?

My Aero 750 (wet clutch) made a tiny bit of noise going into 1st but nothing like the RT. Of course, that bike seems a bit primitive now...different animal...but still primitive!
Click to expand...

Our 2 K12S's with wet clutches really pound a sound going into first gear...A lot worse than any of our Boxer models have ever made! My RT was whisper smooth in comparison:nod
 
When I said I shift to first at about 10 mph or below, I should add that I do this when I need first gear. If I'm stopping, I shift right about when I stop, 2 mph or so. Most of the time I will just lug 2d a bit.
 
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