Hit a bump, lose the gear?

[Lucas]

I have a strange gremlin that I cant replicate over and over. Sometimes when I hit a bump kinda hard, the bike seems to go out of gear and I have to futz with it to get it back in. This is usually accompanied by the Gear indicator being blank.

Seems if I upshift things go back, but if I downshift its grindy (like trying to go into 1st too soon if you know what I mean).

It's only happened a few times though, and really has to be a pretty good bump. At first I thought my foot was just jamming the shifter, but would that cause the indicator to go out??

 :falldown:

[CRASH]

Make sure your shifter is adjusted correctly and that you are going ALL THE WAY into gear on your shifts.

[Lucas]

Make sure your shifter is adjusted correctly and that you are going ALL THE WAY into gear on your shifts.

I'll assume adjustment is covered in my Clymers, but how do I even know I am going all the way into gear?

[Scott_]

It's only happened a few times though, and really has to be a pretty good bump. At first I thought my foot was just jamming the shifter, but would that cause the indicator to go out??

Yep, it sure can. I've done it many times.
I haven't had it come out of gear, but I have had "lazy" shifts and end up between gears and the gear indicator display goes blank.

[Lucas]

It's only happened a few times though, and really has to be a pretty good bump. At first I thought my foot was just jamming the shifter, but would that cause the indicator to go out??

Yep, it sure can. I've done it many times.
I haven't had it come out of gear, but I have had "lazy" shifts and end up between gears and the gear indicator display goes blank.

I'm not sure it was completely out of gear since I don't know the bike all that well yet. It's was weird and wouldn't seem to downshift. But good to know that it happens.

[CRASH]

Normally you can feel he difference between a clean shift and a lazy shift.  Just pay closer attention when you shift and make sure it is a complete shift each time and see if you keep having issues.  I had to screw with my shift lever - cut, grind, reposition, JB weld ... it was quite a mod to move the shifter so that a human size foot could use it.  I think that BMW uses giants for seeing if you can flat foot at a stoplight, and a midget to see if the riding ergos are right.

[Scott_]

Normally you can feel he difference between a clean shift and a lazy shift.  Just pay closer attention when you shift and make sure it is a complete shift each time and see if you keep having issues.  I had to screw with my shift lever - cut, grind, reposition, JB weld ... it was quite a mod to move the shifter so that a human size foot could use it.  I think that BMW uses giants for seeing if you can flat foot at a stoplight, and a midget to see if the riding ergos are right.

My regular riding boots don't give me any troubles with up-shifts.
From time to time if I make a quick run to the store or something I may grab my tennis shoes, or lighter boots that aren't as thick on the top side of the toe. That's when I may have the occasional lazy shift. Yea, I know I need to be more persuasive and give it a sure, and solid shift. If I really think about it in the front of my head, it doesn't happen.

[Lucas]

I don't really have a problem with lazy shifts in general. My Honda has an occasional slip from 2nd to Neutral that was solved by shifting up with authority and holding for a split second, which seems to be the sort of way that the K likes to be shifted on a normal basis.

So I tried hitting a few solid bumps, but removed my foot from the shifter and haven't had any lazy shifts, so I'm guessing it really was just my foot tapping the lever.