Need HELP with shifting gears on my bike.
 

Hey guys, I am a total new motorcycle rider. I have put about 400 km on my used 96 DR350 dual sport. For the first 200km I had no problems shifting through the gears either slowly or fast. The last 200km or so I am having difficulty going from 2nd to 3rd and sometimes 4th. It doesn't want to go in and when I release the clutch I find myself in the same gear and have to re engage the clutch a few times before it finally goes in. I have tried different footwear and no change.
The bike idles at about 2000 rpm if that is important.
Any thoughts or advice you might have?
Thanks.

I would consider taking it to a mechanic? Might have something to do with your trip to the sand pits?

Check clutch adjustment . If its cable one eighth inch free play . If its hydralic check fluid !

Idle set too high.
 

Pretty sure it is idling too high for starters....

No issues getting into 1st and taking off?

No issues at all going from 1st to 2nd. I am checking the clutch adjustment right now.

Check clutch adjustment as stated above, when is the last time it had the transmission fluid dropped and replaced? Do you use the clutch when you shift or just let off the throttle (other than from first when starting out)

I use the clutch on every shift. Clutch adjustment seems fine. This bike uses the motor oil in the tranny. No separate oil reservoirs. I did notice the shift lever left some gouge marks on the tranny case. I bent the shift lever away from the case a bit , maybe that is the problem. I won't be able to ride until tomorrow night so I will keep you posted.

Yup. Clutch. Sometimes when a bike has sat for a while before use is drops a tiny bit of fluid. As you use it, clutch doesn't engage quite completely.

Just top it up a bit if its fluid or adjust the cable if its mechanical.

AND RIDE !

Adjust your idle screw too bud. 2000 is pretty high.

That bike should idle at around 900 to 1100 rpm.

One of our dirt bikes had this issue. Bent the shifter back and problem solved. Not sure about the idle though.


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Just so you know . . .
 

Sitting Bull,

As a side note, lots of newbie riders are not aware of this ...

Motorcycles where the engine & transmission use the same oil, need 'Motorcycle Specific Oil'. Using regular auto oil will cause all sorts of problems.

Or maybe you know this. :)

Selkirk

new to me, and I've been riding for 55 years!

the biggest issue to watch out for with the oil is that the clutch is in the oil so if the oil used has too much friction modifiers in it , it can slip . the best policy is always use the oem manufacture recommendations . trying to save a few bucks by using off the shelf engine oil "may" end up causing more grief than its worth .

Looks like it was the shift lever. It was rubbing on the case so I gently pried it away a bit and took it out for a quick spin. The problem seems to have gone away. Went through all six gears with no issue.
Thanks so much.
I picked up a few bottles of the Suzuki 10-40 oil from the dealer today.

Was that you pulling into cooking lake yesterday looking like you had a problem?

Amsoil!!!!
Metric Motorcycle Oil
Ive used nothing else in any of my bikes.
For the extra little bit of money ($17ish a litre) its money well spent.
But really most bikes need 3 or 4.
In every bike ive put it in the bike has always run a few degrees cooler.
I just got rid of my factory oil in my cbr 1000 and replaced with Amsoil.
My temperature is on ave 5 degrees cooler, even on days like today.

Good to see you fixed your problem.
There’s a big difference between car and motorcycle oil!
https://husqvarnaoutlet.com/the_true...automotive_oil

Now that is it fixed, might as well ask how you like the bike? Pros/cons? In the spring I want to buy a something like what you have..

My old dr350 would sometimes get a bit fussy shifting when it got really hot. Might wanna experiment with oils till you get one that has the right feel. The motorcycle oil thing is an old wives tale to get you to pay 18 bucks a litre for some magical wet clutch oil. I’ve never had an oil in any bike perform better than rotella synthetic 5w40 heavy duty engine oil. If you’re still worried about wet clutch certification look for Allison C4 on the bottle.


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'Motorcycle Specific' Oil
 

That ^ !!!

It's amazing how many Ol' Schoolers still think it's a wives-tale, or a marketing ploy!

The times, engines, and oils have changed, boys ... welcome to the modern world! :lol:

Selkirk

If anything the old school mentality was never to use any oil other than mc oil. I’m sure everyone has a friend who’s grandma had a clutch slipping problem in 1972 when she used car oil. We’re talking about a 30 hp bike here that’ll be rode lightly, not a motocrosser. I’ve used hdeo (diesel motor oil) in all sorts of bikes up to 150 hp sportbikes (including many track days) and never had an issue nor have I ever personally heard of anyone having an issue due to not using crazy expensive motorcycle specific oil. If your clutch starts slipping and you think it’s the oil something is wrong with your clutch.

It’s your money guys. Spend it how you want. Better yet, educate yourselves and I’m certain you’ll start saving a lot of money on motor oil.

Well , as 57 year old beginner rider, I can't tell you to much as I have nothing to compare it with. I wanted a dual sport in order to explore a bit of highway, forestry roads and easy back trails. I have no interest in motocross type riding with jumps and aggressive riding as i am not in the greatest shape and have knee issues and such. Just want to ride casually at my pace.
I decided to buy a used bike as I was not sure if I would even enjoy it and that way I was not into a $6000.00+ unit. It was hard to find a reasonably priced bike, but I ended up with this 1996 Suzuki DR350ES. So far it has been a joy to ride with great fuel mileage. A bigger tank would be nice! My bike runs great so far. The only issue I have, is with me and my lack of experience and confidence in riding on gravel roads or soft sand/dirt. I don't understand how the bike reacts and I want to tense up and hang on for dear life in those conditions even when going slow.I'm scared to fall and dump the bike and get seriously injured. I know most would probably say If I am that scared or uncertain, I should not be riding. I am good on pavement, just the other stuff is the issue.
Anyway I love my bike and I will keep trying at my pace until I understand how to ride in those conditions.
Thanks to all that have guided me in my purchase and the shifting issue.

I think that you should cut yourself some slack, you're only 400 KM into off-road riding. There is a big difference between being scared and being cautious. With a top heavy bike it may take a little while to gain confidence, but it will come. You are doing the absolute best thing by learning at your own pace, and riding within "your" comfort zone. A lot of guys that I rode off-road with would throw caution to the wind (myself included), and sometimes end up wrecking their bike, or worse, seriously injure themselves.

Also, don't be afraid to go riding with other more experienced off-road riders. The majority don't care about your skill level and are more than willing to offer up advice/riding tips, and are an invaluable resource should you run into mechanical issues on the trail.

Its never to late to start riding
The biggest piece of advice I would give? Relax. Dont tense up. If you are nervous, slow down. Practice. You will only get better and in turn your confidence will build.
No bikes are made for gravel roads. Period. None

I had an Acerbis tank on my dr350. I can’t remember how much gas it held but no matter how hard I tried I could not even get close to running out of gas lol.

The gravel road feeling is hard to get used to. Some people never do. For me I didn’t care so much about the rear end floating around but I was worried the front would wash out. Just took practice and eventually the feeling became normal. Try to look way ahead of you and not at the front fender or just ahead. Relax your grip a bit too and let the bike do it’s thing.

When I got the old Yamaha I figured I'd give it a treat and put in synthetic oil. Not good. Clutches slipping. Washed it out and went back to Yamalube. Later a parts man told me Valvoline motorcycle oil was good for clutches. Nope. Some slippage there too. Back to the old fashioned non slippery Yamalube for $10 a litre. Not really complaining, the old machine is a 1986 and running quite well! LOL

That doesn’t make any sense unless your clutch is so worn out that small differences in oil cause it to slip. A lot of bikes come with synthetic and friction modified (no real rule as to what that even is) oil in the motor as the initial fill.

The only issue I have, is with me and my lack of experience and confidence in riding on gravel roads or soft sand/dirt. I don't understand how the bike reacts and I want to tense up and hang on for dear life in those conditions even when going slow.I'm scared to fall and dump the bike and get seriously injured.



i've had a bike of some sort since i was 14 . 45 years later gravel and sand still scare me so dont get down about it . as mentioned before , the throttle is your friend . you have way more control under power , trouble is , at some point you have to slow down ....

Suggestion . . .
 

A tip on where to buy MC (Motorcycle) Specific Oil . . .

Years ago, the only place you could buy MC specific oil, was at MC dealerships. Their prices were ridiculously high, And Still Are!

Fast-forward to today, and things are a LOT Better! Good quality MC Specific oil can be found at many places now ... Napa, Parts Source, Canadian Tire, etc. I just wait for their sales, and stock up for the year. Prices during their sales are usually less than half of what they charge at the MC dealerships.

As long as the MC Specific oil has a JASO rating of 'MA' or 'MA2' (it will say on the container), you're good-to-go! I run Lucas brand MC Specific 10W-40 Synthetic MA2 Oil in my air cooled dual-sport (Yamaha XT250). It works Grrreat, and it shifts 'smooooth as butter'. :)

Selkirk