shake-n-bake

so i was cruising on the highway the other day and went to shift into 6th and couldnt. only time i hit that gear is when im on the interstate. i just took a trip up to jacksonville last weekend and cruised in 6th the whole time no problems. yesterday, couldnt even get a half a click in. it was acting like it was already in 6th gear but was pulling like 5000 going 90 if i remember right which was just too high for the speed i was going

JamieDaugherty

Assuming that you aren't having trouble in any other gear, that's really strange. It's possibly just your shift lever or the linkage is binding up. In the worst case it could be a bent shifter fork. Have you tried shifting into 6th at slower speeds?

FWIW - I use top gear any time I'm cruizing at a constant speed over 45mph.

shake-n-bake

tried it today going 55 and still nothing. and no other problems in any other gear. thats why i dont understand it

RWhisen

Try adjusting your shift linkage a bit to give you more throw.

Thumper

I rarely ever use 5th or 6th gears (stock gearing), i guess because i live in twisty road central.

Thumper

You mean less shifter throw at the tip i hope. More throw will make for less happy shifting. Many changed their throw to 3/4" over all from i believe nearly an inch stock to make the bike shift better in conjunction with the FactoryPro shift detent kit.

shake-n-bake

how do i adjust it for that? adjust the rod longer or shorter?

RWhisen

I don't think he has the pro shift kit or at least he didn't mention it.

Loosen the jam nuts on your linkage rod and rotate until you see your shift lever move up. Make small adjustments, perhaps a quarter of an inch at a time.

Thumper

Yep, just mentioning it was an available option in the past that help my VTR (especially)1st to 2nd shift much more solid.

JamieDaugherty

I suppose I would try putting it up on a swingarm stand and, with the engine off and the clutch pulled in, spin the rear wheel and try to shift it into 6th by hand. Sometimes doing that helps you to "feel" what is happening better.