Okay you motorcycle guru's, I've only put about 100 miles on my bike so far because I don't have any cold weather riding gear just yet. I noticed after the first 10-15 miles when I shift gears it is pretty rough. If I am at a stop and in neutral, then shift into first it clunks into gear. Also when I am shifting through gears during acceleration, although not as bad as going into first. Any ideas as to why this might be happening?

My brother tells me that it probably has the wrong and cheap oil which would not provide enough lube to the gears. I'm open to other suggestions although I will be changing the oil tomorrow with synthetic 10w-40.

 

The clunk into first gear is normal.

 

Oil can make a difference to a point. If its only the first 10-15 miles though, its hard to say. Its possible the previous owner put in heavy oil, like 20-50, which in colder weather, really needs time to warm up. also, its very important, especially in cooler weather to let the bike warm up properly. if you have a temp gauge, let it get to about 140 deg's before you hop on and go. If you don't have one, 3-5 minutes of idle should be ok. Just start the bike, take your time putting on your gear and you should be good. Just don't start it and take off without any warm up time. This only applies to the first start of the day though. If the bike is still warm from riding, you can take right off.

If your going with new oil, make sure its the proper oil. No energy conserving automotive oil.

Also as said, the clunk into first is normal to a point. If its really bad, make sure your rpms are not too high. 1200 is about where it should be at. A few hundred more can make a small normal clunk into a huge loud not so normal clunk. but, Honda's tend to clunk into gear a little harsher than other makes. They also tend to have a little more lash in the driveline. Such as if your on-off throttle, it may not seem as smooth as other makes.

Another thing to consider would be the drive chain tension. If its too loose, the bike will clunk as the slack is taken out of the drivechain. This will also be an issue while your at speed.

And finally, make sure your clutch is adjusted properly so your getting a full release.

 

I hate to sound like an ******* but there's probably nothing wrong with the bike, it's you. You're not used to the bike, yet. No matter how much experience you've got, when you get a new ride it takes a while to get used to it and shifting can get pretty clunky for a while. Also you might need to adjust the shifter to fit better. After a while it'll get better.

 

+1 on the idle RPM. Try to back your idle screw off a bit and see if there's a difference.

 

I changed my oil and that seems to have done the job. Took it for a 25 mile test drive and she was shifting like a dream. The oil I drained was really dirty so I'm guessing the previous owner didn't keep up on the maintenance.

 

Hopefully the problem is solved then. You're sitting on top of the transmission so of course you'll hear noises. If you keep up the maintanence and don't abuse it then the only time you should worry is if you lose power or there is some serious noise like grinding. Enjoy your new bike.