smoother shifting trans

I did the 42k service on my '97 R1100RT this weekend....all the oils and valve adjustment. I switched from the synthetic trans oil that was in the bike and went with Valvoline Dino 75w-90.

Now the transmission is shifting noticeably smoother....not a little bit but like the difference between a Saginaw 4 speed and a ZF 6 speed.

I went on a 200+ mile putt afterwards and was amazed at the difference in shifting both cold and hotter than Hades...it was 103 out when I went.

I am loving it but just wonder if this an isolated instance or a normal occurrence.

And the small trans leak I have been tolerating, due to the magnitude of the repair job, has now stopped....Bonus!

I've only used synthetic, but when my clutch cable broke at 125K and I replaced it I noticed the same effect you did. Going up into third would always sound like I was banging two pipes together. Now as long as I preload when I shift, it is smooth as silk.

I don't recall any difference when I put synthetic in mine. Of course, the previous owner could have been using syn all along. But the tranny has always seemed agricultural. Doesn't keep me from loving the bike, but I do think about painting it John Deere green occasionally.

/5's were agricultural. that description really does not/should not apply to newer generation bikes.

and tobe honest, i really don't know what you guys are talking about, my R11S shifts like a dream. As long as i shift it like a BMW- ups wih preload, revs above 4.5, minimum. downs with a blip. buttah.

Maybe I'm just going batty....

John Deere green, huh?...... might look kind of hip.

I never missed or ground gears, it's just that the trans just seemed "agricultural" (I love that analogy) and now it's butter smooth.

Either way, the leak going away is the biggest benefit.