Hello everyone! So I recently bought a brand new 2019 CBR 600RR, and it seems very difficult to “smoothly” shift gears (both up and down). I rode my buddies Yamaha XSR900 (which has 4000 miles on it) and I was able to effortlessly shift through his gears like butter without worrying about where I was speed/RPM wise and all transitions were “smooth.” He has aftermarket ASV levers, but I don’t believe that should make much of a difference? I’ve riden dirt bikes my whole life and my only “street” experience is with dual sports, but I don’t consider myself to be totally “clutch noobie.” So my question/concern is, are CBR’s typically difficult to smoothly transition between gears? Is there a break in stage for the clutch/transmission as there is with the engine? Should I be concerned and take it in to the dealer I purchased from? Thanks for the help

 

Hello and welcome!
So, I'm not an expert on this, but when i bought my 600RR 4 years ago (it had 17000 on it at the time) I was having a difficult time downshifting without hitting a 'false' neutral, and, at a stop, shifting from neutral to first felt like a train wreck the way it banged into gear. I, like you, had ridden dirt bikes my whole life. I jumped on a forum with the same concerns and was overwhelmingly assured that that's just how the Honda 600s are. One thing I found was that trying shift down through multiple gears while holding the clutch can often lead to being 'stuck' in between two gears. You have to be prominent with your gear changes, and if you find yourself between gears, let the clutch grab a little and it will pop into whatever gear you were headed to. I've since put 13000 miles on the bike and it's just muscle memory now if something happens to get it right.

As far as a break in for the clutch and tranny... I've never heard of such a thing, but I've never owned any kind of brand new vehicle.

 

Thanks for the response! I feel I may be just getting buyers remorse and coming up with problems that don’t exist.. I’ve just riden 2 stroke dirt bikes my whole life and any dirt bike I’ve ever hopped onto I’ve been to rip through the gears like nothing.

It also doesn't help that I have a few friends (all with completely different street bikes) that have never touched a motorcycle in their lives telling me their brand new bikes were “butter smooth shifting” right off the lot...

 

It's definitely a different riding style to dirt bikes. I grew up on 2 strokes too. I used to try to bang through the gears like I was at the MX track and kept screwing up my shifts. What I did, that may help you, was to consciously slow down the process and try to make each shift as seamless as possible. It helped me figure out exactly how each gear likes to engage. You'll really enjoy that bike once you get used to riding it! I've ridden a 959 and a 1000, and while they are stupid fast, the 600 for me is just where it's at. I'm a little jealous, I was looking at a 2018 earlier this year, red and black model. I just couldn't justify it when there's nothing wrong with my 06, and I absolutely love my Repsol livery!

 

I guess I’ll just keep practicing and hopefully get better. Thank you for the insights!