Had to get up really early this morning to get to a meeting and it was 2C when I left. I noticed that the gearbox didn't like changing down, in particular into 1st. Is that normal when it's cold?

After the bike was warmed up it wasn't so bad, but a few times, I still had to release and squeeze the clutch again before it would shift down into 1st, when at traffic lights.

Well, I'm not sure. What grade type of lubricant do you have inside the transmission? I might think it should be 75W90 synthetic.
Also has the trans been out recently for lubricant of the clutch splines?.
I assumed it worked better after the gearbox warmed up a bit?
The only other consideration would be to be sure you have the clutch cable & push rod arm correctly adjusted so that you get advantage of the full travel of the lever when you pull it all the way back to the handlebar on gear changes.
regards, ibj...

didnt you guys have one of the coolest weeks for a while al ?

would make sence that it was all sticky inside

charlie99 wrote:didnt you guys have one of the coolest weeks for a while al ?

would make sence that it was all sticky inside

Your clutch/ input shaft spline needs cleaning and lubricating. The grease is most likely non existent of hard and sticky and wont let the clutch plate move freely on the spline so it still in effect is partially engaged.
Not a good idea to put it off for too long as they can wear out quickly and the first sign is that it tears the spline out of the centre of the clutch plate.

Hmmm....... Ok looks like its out with the tools again.

Lube, lube what was it Rocol 50 or something like that?

ROCOL GA50 You get it from Blackwoods well I do not sure if they are over in the west.

Cheers Rick.

Was it every ruled out that he may have too viscous of a lubricant inside the trans for the colder weather?
I'd hate to see him go through all that work if there's any possibility that a drain & refill might actually solve it.

Still wasn't good when warmed up and that is very typical of a dry spline.

Have Castrol 75/90W in there as recommended in the portal page. Fresh oil too. I suspect that it might be the splines as well as the bike has not had a spline lube as far as the PO can remember. Interestingly, when I asked BMW here, they said not necessary to do it till a clutch change!

Well there's lots of info on the forum on how to do it.
Points to remember are to tie the swing arm up to the frame before removing the rear shock to prevent the swing arm from falling down & tearing the rubber flex boot at it's forward end.
Once the final drive is off, the driveshaft can be "jerked" out of its snap ring groove with some pliers and removed from the swing arm.
By now you have the bottom of the engine supported on wood blocks or a suitable jack and secured from tipping over.
I opted to make a simple saw horse that was substantially wider than the bike & just high enough to support the entire thing.
I think you have to remove the starter.....it takes a big "tug" to get it out from its o-ring seal.
After unbolting the side fasteners from the trans housing, the swing arm is removed, followed by unconnecting the clutch actuating mechanism including the stuff for the kick stand pull up device.
then while having suitable support for the trans, unbolt it and slide it straight back & out.
You could do the lube only at this point, but you'll want to go ahead and disassemble the clutch assy and replace the big O-ring on the output shaft as well as the rear output shaft seal.
You need to paint mark all the pieces of the clutch assy so that they all go back in the same relative to each other for BALANCE.
There's lots posted about all the stuff you need, but you'll definitely need a new big nut and sleeve washer to hold the clutch basket on the shaft (not re-useable), new bolts & washers to hold the clutch cover on. You may want to get a tool to properly align the clutch disc to the center line of the transmission shaft.
You'll probably want to pull out the swing arm pivot bearings for service. Proper procedure to heat the swing arm aluminum will allow the bearings to almost fall out. Once the bearings are out, you can very carefully pry the neoprene lip seal out of one side of each one with a tiny pick tool.
After the seal is out the bearing can be cleaned inspected and repacked with bearing grease before pressing the seals back in. Then you just heat up the arm & drop the bearings back in followed by a gentle tab to secure that they are fully seated.
Be prepared to spend a couple hundred dollars if need be for parts and at least 2 days labor if doing the job for the first time. Also, you'll need to measure the friction lining thickness of the clutch disc to determine if you need a new one.
Also, pay close attn. to the tricky way the swing arm flex boot is retained on the inside bore of the forward end of the arm. There's a spring ring in a grove inside the rubber boot that holds it firmly out abainst the bore in the arm, kind of tricky.

Thanks for all that info, looks like I need to order all the bits first then pull it apart. In the mean time I will watch Chris Harris's "How to" on youtube over and over again.

Just as well it's cold and wet and it's going to get colder and wetter!

There's a problem ordering parts first. I just went in there to do mine and I found a leaky main seal, bad swingarm bearings and also the clutch plate was only about half a millimeter away from out of spec. If you can, look first and then order, saves on postage.

You will get a chance to paint the stand though

Guess that makes more sense, but it means a longer down time

My daughter is not going to be happy, as it is I am already riding here scooter more then she is!

That is why I recommended that he buy all those items before he took it apart.....save for the swing arm bearings.
I felt that if he took them out with correct procedures that they would likely be salvageable.
Still, you have a point......it seems that no matter how much stuff you buy ahead of time.....there is always at least 2 items that you need that keeps you from going back together before the overnight express courier arrives.
Maybe we should start a friendly little contest: where each of us prepares a shopping list for him of all the items he will need for this repair......just to see if any of us can get it all complete before he starts!!!!
(Maybe I just have way too much time on my hands????)

LOL you are funny Ibjman!

I think I will order all the perishable bits. I suspect the clutch plates itself will be still good, this K has only 37k km on the clock.

just an age and rubber thing i suspect al

good luck !

Ok some good news, I decided to try Ibjman's suggestion and adjusted the clutch cable as it was the least costly, I can do now option and it has helped the situation (but it could also be that it was a nice warm day today!), but still planning to do a spline lube when time permits.

Alheng wrote:LOL you are funny Ibjman!

I think I will order all the perishable bits. I suspect the clutch plates itself will be still good, this K has only 37k km on the clock.

Isn't this the same guy that was siting some jack rabbet starts of lifting the front wheel off the ground in one of his earlier posts?????? I can't remember, but someone noted some minor disaster having to do with intentionally (but blissfully unaware of the fragility) attempting to rip the center out of his clutch plate while learning the new machine??????
Forgive me please if I'm incorrect on this...:suspect:

??

I'm sorry....this was my error......it was someone else that I thought had an "issue" on their first ride.
Please forgive me
Regards, ibj...

That was Halo he learned the hard way.