I've done around 6 trackdays on the bike now and i keep getting false neutrals! I'm getting 1 to 2 every session and it is mostly going from 5th to 6th. I've had a couple from 4th to 5th but that is literally a couple. There have been a handful going down from 3rd to 2nd also. I started with the shifter sensitivity at level 2 then dropped it to 1....which did seem to help a little. I've nipped the chain tension up a bit which has helped to a smoother change all the way up the gears until i get the false neutrals between 5th & 6th. I'm on standard size Supercorsa Sp's and the suspension is set in M1 using Ron Haslams settings he gave on Bennets bike social interview. P1 T2 E3 M1 I accept that there will be a few in there that will be from my own clumsy/lazy inputs on the lever at times but not as many as i'm getting. A fella in the garage next to me on my last trackday was riding a SP2 and he did say he had false neutrals until he put a decent set of rear sets on and changed it to Raceshift. Has anyone else done this and had the same result? Has anyone else had this much trouble and if so how did you solve it? cheers
False neutrals as in the transmission is freewheeling between gears or the gear indicator displaying a -. Quite an important distinction. Incidently, the 1, 2 & 3 are sensitivty settings with 1 beign the most sensitieand 3 being the least sensitive. The sensitivity relates to how quickly the Ignition cuts on up-shift after the QS switch senses the shift effort. It also determines how soon after the QS sensor detects your downshift it cuts power and autoblips the throttle. You still on stock sprockets? This is how smoothly the QS and Autoblipper should work under even the harshest load
Hi Thanks for the reply Yes it displays the - - and just revs it's tits off until I pull the clutch lever in or chop the throttle. After watching your video I would say its not quite as smooth as yours but it did help when I tightened the chain and set the sensitivity to 1. There was more of a surge between each change until I did that. The bike is a standard SP1 apart from the bodywork and yes the sprocket is standard. The bike had just over 2000 miles on the clock when I got it but was only ever used as a commuter bike in London. Not sure it was ever pushed up to the rev limiter before. I'm at the point now where I'm wondering if it will go into top gear. I would say this doesn't happen in the first couple of laps more when it's been running a while. Cheers
Should have said that when it displays - - it is actually free wheeling as the next gear wouldn't engage.
Hmm? Just wondering as free wheeling might mean you have engaged clutch which is not doing it right for QS up-shifts - we need to get used to keeping our grubby fingers off the clutch. The - means the bike has decided the that the criteria for cutting the ignition for the next up-shift have not been met - but the bike is still in gear, so just ride it out and ever so slightly unload the transmission by rolling the throttle off a hair and the shift will complete. If you are truly in a freewheeling neutral then get your gear box serviced as you may have a hard part issue to deal with. The following video was due to a bit of chain stretch creeping in and that was enough to upset the QS behaviour.
I bet if the bike has only been used in town it will have hardly been in the top gears, The drum at times is quite tight and needs running in, most of my issues were when the bike was new. I have done the gear shaft support and fitted needle rollers into the gear lever, the gear lever mod made the most difference which is maybe why fitting better rearsets improved the issue.
I hear what you are saying about the clutch lever but the only time I use it is when I pull out the pits and when I come into the pits. I watched your Video and your dash didn't display the gear from 4th but it kept pulling then 6th was displayed. Mine doesn't keep pulling... The revs are banging on the the limiter with no drive coming from the bike unless I pull the clutch in and try again. I'm pretty sure when I've just rolled off the throttle and gone again the bike has engaged 5th again rather than dropping into 6th. I've got a trackday next Tuesday at Snetterton so will have another go at it then but as you said I may need a gearbox service. Could it actually be a faulty shifter/Blipper?
Hi Thanks for that, it makes a lot of sense and gives me another avenue to pursue. Are you running stock, Rear sets, sprocket and tyres?
Mine is all standard, sprockets and tyres, but not the gear lever and the gearbox output support, I would not consider working on the gearbox unless you know exactly what the problem is. Honda gearboxes are crap and need to have plenty of running in, In my 35 years of bikes my blade has the worst gearbox. I have never had to think don't change up whilst overtaking as you may hit a neutral,When I have hit one I try to coast to a low speed as it sounds like it is going to strip teeth If I just kick it back in, I do not know if you just learn how to get round it or the bike gets better. I do know the gear lever mod this year has made a big difference
I've got a trackday on Tuesday (if it doesn't rain) and a mate is coming who knows his way around a bike. I'll get him to do a couple of sessions on it and hopefully he'll find what i have found or i'll have to sell the bike as i clearly don't know how to ride! I will look into those Mods you recommended. Cheers.
I wouldn’t beat yourself up buddy. Guy Martin can lap the IOM at 130+mph and a false neutral nearly killed him on the Blade. Seem to be a fair few reports regarding false neutrals and iffy quickshifters on the 17-19 Blade. The new ABS ‘issue’ perhaps?
Not sur ehwy this story keeps coming up as if it applies to the street bike. That bike was running a gen 1 HRC ECU and a modified gear box. The hardware has so little in common the street bike its not even a reasonable comparison.
I don’t have your knowledge of the engineering I’m afraid to say. Throw enough mud and some of it’ll stick though. I’ve read enough to know I’d never own one. Ignorance or intelligence, both I suspect.
Update Did Snetterton last Tuesday and decided not to go from 5th-6th gear and see how i got on. After 2 sessions of neutral free shifts the last 2 sessions i started getting them from 4th-5th! So the gear box will be coming out! (By a qualified mechanic...not me!) I'll let you know what is found (it can't be all be pilot error...hopefully?) cheers!
My prediction is the gearbox is going to be fine, but you will be encouraged to "upgrade it while its out" and a Nova beefed up 3rd gear will go in. If when you get the bike back you still see an issue it might just be technique. It may even be rider foot/ankle/knee fatigue if it is more prevalent at the end of the day than the beginning.
Do they need to pull the engine to get at the gearbox? I've got a non sp had same bother for a few gear changes last year, garage said they did some sort of reset/calibration when had it in for a service. Get the odd one now and again, my main concern now is have a whining noise when sat at 3500-7000rpm - horrific if sat at 50mph on a motorway stretch. Had it in a couple of garages and they said all ok. Just replaced chain and sprockets but that didn't make any difference either
I am hoping they do find something as i can't be that bad a rider! I hear what you are saying about technique but i'm getting 3-4 every session.....I've got a quickshifter on my R1 and i've never had this amount of aggro before. Let's see what they find but my pal did say it might be worth trying to get the standard gears undercut?.......not sure if Nova do it or they just supply their own kit?
