is it normal for the shift from 1-2 and 2-3 to make a loud clunk sound. my friend can hear it when hes riding next to me when i shift.

 

mine does that occasionally....figured it was normal

 

I haven't noticed a sound but I've had problems with smooth gear changes. I have to really have the right touch for changing from 2nd to 3rd.......Anyone else????

 

Smooth shifts here but I only have 220 miles on mine. If you want to hear clunky shifts ride a Yamaha. My last 3 bikes have been Yamaha. I became accustomed to clunky shifts. When I got on my ZX6R I really thought something was wrong with it.

Is it during normal riding when you experience the clunk or are you riding pretty hard?

 

I've found that it's most clunky when I'm lazy about my shifting... If I'm actually paying attention to shifting, instead of just expecting my muscle memory to take care of it, it's a lot smoother.

Still a bit more clunky from 1-2 and 2-3 as the gear ratio changes are the greatest... but I'd bet that you could improve it quite a bit with technique. Experiment with using just a touch of clutch and rolling off the throttle when upshifting. If you pull the clutch in all the way, the engine speed vs. wheel speed difference can change a bit too much. So I'd say just experiment a bit and see how it goes.

 

do you roll off the throttle completly or just a little bit?

 

Try not using your clutch when upshifting from 1st to 2nd and 2nd to 3rd and so on. I only use the clutch to take off in first and to return down to a selected gear. To do this just roll off the throttle and apply pressure to the gear shift lever, once you change gears roll back on the throttle. It is easy. I hardly ever engine brake either, thats what bralkes are for. Worn brakes are cheaper to replace than a worn engine.

To answer your question about if you should roll off the throttle all the way or a little, you should be rolling off all the way. Once you get used to not using the clutch to up shift you will never go back. It is a unnecessary when up shifting.

 

I've done that too... Though I find that from 1 > 2 things are usually a bit smoother if I just tap the clutch... Again, lazy shifts seem to be more clunky than when I'm pushing it hard... I guess they're just made to drive hard!

 

I should have said it before but it is called speed shifting and its the only way to fly
I find it to be more comfortable and less movement, just cut throttle and shift up. Easy!
On the track, they teach you to hold pressure on the shifter and when you quickly cut the throttle, she just slips up one.

 

Whenever I am in the mood for some fast upshifting, I speed shift by just blipping the throttle and not using the clutch. It is perfectly fine on a motorcycle, that's the beauty of a shyncro-mesh clutch.

As for the clunky shifts. Check your chain slack, a chain that is too tight will put pressure on your gears as you shift into 1st and make the clunking noise. Don't just check the chain slack in one spot on a used chain, check it every 16" and move the bike forward and check it about 4 or 5 different spots.