Modern Buddy

I have 650 miles on Stella.

The shop told me that I would likely need to adjust the clutch and shift cables to accommodate the stretch in new cables- I'm wondering if I'm at that point. They made it seem like it would start to be hard to go into gear.

I'm not having any difficulty changing gears- my concern is how EASILY it is shifting. A few times I have been riding, accelerating in second, with the clutch out obviously, and it has shifted to nuetral using just the force being used to steer the bike. I'm really surprised this is even possible- it should be pretty difficult to slip it out under power, but it has with LIGHT force.

The gears still seem to be lined up on the shift indicator, and I have no problem working through the gears, or "finding" certain gears. I'm just a little concerned that the shift seems to be a lot easier than it was when new. just normal break in?

it actually sounds like your clutch cable might be a little too tight, rather than too loose. BUT. you can shift without using the clutch at all, if you time it right. so it's not completely out of the ordinary. sometimes i'll pop in to neutral briefly. just remember to ease of the throttle before you pop it back in gear, or it could wheelie on you.

Your gear cables shouldn't stretch. One of the biggest tips I can give people is to NEVER try to turn the shifter unless your clutch is pulled in and you are rocking the scooter back and forth or rolling it forward. Its all mechanical and if you have to force the shifter you are putting too much strain on the cables and eventually they will start slipping from their cable stops.

Tall and big guys have a tendency to put more pressure on their handlebars when they ride. Pressure forward or backwards on the shifter at the right rpm will result in a downshift or upshift. Take notice to how much pressure you place on your handlebars when you ride and adjust accordingly. Smooth shifting is what you want but dropping into gears unexpectedly kills cruciforms.

Thanks. I think I'm just hitting the "perfect storm" moments where speed and RPM sync the gearbox and it slips out. I know not to put pressure on the shifter- either it goes or it won't, don't force it.


And I know the clutch is grabbing- this bike can launch pretty hard.

Baldjohn wrote:Your gear cables shouldn't stretch.

One of the biggest tips I can give people is to NEVER try to turn the shifter unless your clutch is pulled in and you are rocking the scooter back and forth or rolling it forward.

no and yes..

the cables will stretch over time and will need adjustment. That is why there are adjusters at the selector box. This is normal.
During rebuilds I usually adjust the box with it off the motor to make sure the selector seats in the detents, but there are several ways to do adjustments. It is relatively simple to do.

And I absolutely agree with the not turning the shifter at a standstill. Have the engine running or at least roll it into and out of gears.