first time doing an oil change (changing gears now easier)

[dimmers]

On the ride in to work this morning, i noticed that my bike now shifts from 1st to 2nd so easily, prior to the oil change i really had some trouble getting it in to 2nd. I thought this was probably down to my riding as the bike is not even 2 years old (and has been serviced by Honda since new), but i'm guessing now that it had something to do with the oil?

Does anyone know why that would cause shifting problems? Too much oil perhaps?

[Rik398]

Im not quite sure but I believe that some bikes use the same oil for gear changes as they do engine oil?

Either way, it is not uncommon for a bike to shift better once the oil has been changed.

[dimmers]

well whatever has happened, it feels so good shifting from 1st to 2nd smoothly!

[Fozzie]

Changing gear being easier is common with tightening an overly slack chain or changing the oil after a lot of miles put on it without change.

This is because oil can build up deposits, it breaks down through too much use and as a result it changes slightly. The bike is designed to run on nice newish oil, not old broken down oil. It has to lubricate the clutch the transmission and the top end in a motorbike unlike some cars.

This is why new oil gives an easier change though as its essentially what was meant for the bike in terms of its design and in its new state it isnt broken down so has more qualities to allow gears to slip in and out better.

If you leave the oil unchanged for long enough the deposits eventually screw up the transmission. I knew a bike that wouldnt go any higher than 3rd. Flushed out the old oil and a lot of crap apparently came out. Worked like new after that

Hope that helps

[dimmers]

cheers!

[Colin the Bear]

And you can't change it too often.

[Tango]

As fozzie says, the viscousity of the oil changes as it ages and this change can cause clutch drag where the clutch doesn't disengage fully when changing gear. Poor gear changes are often due to badly adjusted chain, clutch cable not adjusted correctly and oil change due.