Hello,
Finally got the FZR on the road a few weeks back so a huge thanks to all on the site for their wisdom and cheap parts. My face aches from grinning and I'm pretty sure the fly population of hertfordshire has taken a serious kicking.
Apart from the leg cramps (six foot two) the only thing I need to get my head round is getting into second a bit more consistently. Although she sounds lovely screaming away in neutral I'd much prefer to actually keep going forward! Is this me being fat footed or could I tweak something?
Enjoy the weather chaps

Hi Rev,

great forum this isn't it? full of nice, ego-free, helpful people.

Glad to hear you've got your little fizzer on the road.

So - gear change issues - the simplest things to check for your hitting neutral issue are :

1. Chain adjustment - make sure it's properly adjusted, even small amounts of slack in the drive chain can feedback into the gearchange. A drop of good quality lube will also help this along.

2. check the gear linkage - especially the union between the gearbox change splined shaft and the clamp that connects the rod to the change mechanism. these can get baggy over time, and are often poorly adjusted - does your foot actually fall into the right position to get a full action on the gearchange? if you cannot generate a full and firm stroke because of the gearchange lever being too high or too low, then adjust the clamp and pull the gearchange into the right position.

If the spline and the clamp aren't solidly joined than again, make them so - any play in this means your lever movement isn't making it into the gearbox. If the spline on either part of this is looking out of sorts, then packing with something that can crush when clamped will help - in the past I've used both paper clips and aluminium tinfoil to do this, but both were stop-gaps!

Look for anything else in the change mechanism that causes slack or lack of translation of the gearchange movement to the shaft.

3. once you've ruled these basics out, then you're into the gearbox, or maybe even clutch innards, and I'll defer to those more experienced in those matters to talk you through that. Fingers crossed you've got a problem in 1 or 2 above though!

let us know how you get along.

regards

toosmooth

Great to hear you have got the FZR on the road.
It is always a good feeling when you finish a project and get to tear up the road on the results of all the hard work.
As for the gear changes i have to agree with Toosmooth's point about the gear lever position. Make sure that the gear lever is angled correctly with the natural position of your foot so that you are not having to lift your foot into an akward position to go up the gearbox.

Yes good news that it's on the road.

I'd say you probably need the lever to go down a touch

Spot on as usual people ,
had a look at the lever and it looks like its taken a knock at some point. I'll have a play at the weekend and then operation 'knee down' can commence.

a couple of important things to consider with gear changes, as the boys said about the gear lever position, make sure you can get a good clean full action at the lever.

i would say the oil can always do with a change but the most over looked one is as paul says, the chain lube and tension. i was thinking i was low in oil or something today and looked at the chain and it was getting pretty dry looking, gave it a spray and it was back to its good old self