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On Smooth Shifting....

Davey

New member
Joined
Jul 22, 2022
Messages
9
Location
NE Ohio
This may be very obvious to some.
I was having a heck of a time shifting smoothly on my Trail 125.
This helped me and may help others.

Originally I was
up-shifting:
1st gear to 2nd gear at ~18mph
2nd gear to 3rd gear at ~26mph
3rd gear to 4th gear at ~35mph

and down-shifting:
4th gear to 3rd gear at ~35mph
3rd gear to 2nd gear at ~25mph
2nd gear to 1st gear at ~15mph


I then read the manual, which states on page 30:
1st to 2nd at 12mph
2nd to 3rd at 19mph
3rd to 4th at 25mph

and

4th to 3rd at 16mph
3rd to 2nd at 12mph
and then blank, which I assume means I can come to a stop in 2nd gear and down shift into 1st gear before taking off.

This has made riding my trail exponentially more enjoyable and turning much less of a chore.
 

rightspy

Member
Joined
Apr 5, 2022
Messages
94
Location
Bay Area, Cali
You can push the 3rd to 4th a few mph but sticking to the downshift speeds will smooth it out. I shift into 1st right before I put my feet down at stop. No tire snag.
 

akirk626

Member
Joined
Mar 19, 2021
Messages
26
Is everyone letting the shifter out slowly or just lifting off? if you let out slowly its a much smoother downshift and if you work on blipping the throttle you can lift off pretty quick as long as the revs match the gear. Pretend its a car clutch pedal when you let off.
I let it out slowly. I assumed it was like feathering the clutch. It drives much smoother if you don't just smash the shifter.
 

Cpd419

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 16, 2022
Messages
538
Location
Kentucky
I’m struggling upshifting from 1st to second for some reason. Maybe it will get smoother it only has 80 miles.
 

AZ7000'

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 28, 2021
Messages
957
lol. the recall on the shift lever i did myself. I wouldn't trust those guys to do a single thing. besides, recommended maintenance doesn't void a warranty. and.. thats actually the law.
My dealer said no to the self shifter change. But I don’t like them anyway
 

Davey

New member
Joined
Jul 22, 2022
Messages
9
Location
NE Ohio
You can push the 3rd to 4th a few mph but sticking to the downshift speeds will smooth it out. I shift into 1st right before I put my feet down at stop. No tire snag.
Yeah I agree on 3 and 4. Especially to accelerate more quickly.
As for downshifting, sticking to those speeds has made significant difference.
 

Davey

New member
Joined
Jul 22, 2022
Messages
9
Location
NE Ohio
Is everyone letting the shifter out slowly or just lifting off? if you let out slowly its a much smoother downshift and if you work on blipping the throttle you can lift off pretty quick as long as the revs match the gear. Pretend its a car clutch pedal when you let off.
Yeah. For me blipping the throttle is a must. While coasting to a stop And when braking hard. I’m almost entirely eliminating the lurch when downshifting.
 
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