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Rough Shifting

Discussion in 'Motorcycle Tech Talk' started by ringo42, Aug 18, 2011.

  1. ringo42

    ringo42 New Member

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    I have a 98 Suzuki Intruder 800. Going from Neutral to 1st or going up from most gears is rough. Not always, maybe half the time. Is this something I can work on or should I take it to a dealer. I'm not a mechanic at all but I can follow instructions if it might be a simple fix. The local shop has a 2-3 week wait just to look at it.
    Thanks
    Ringo
  2. JohnnyBiker

    JohnnyBiker Well-Known Member

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    I have a 98 Intruder 800 too! Change the oil. I had the same problem then I went from conventional oil to AmsOil and it was a huge difference after I did it..
  3. ringo912

    ringo912 Active Member

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    When was the last time a clutch adjustment was performed?
  4. ringo42

    ringo42 New Member

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    I bought the bike a couple months ago. When I bought it I was told it had just had an oil change and the clutch hydraulic box(not sure what it is called) had been rebuilt. IT had 6900 miles on it then and 8900 on it now. So I have no idea if the clutch has ever been adjusted. I'll change the oil this weekend, that sounds like it should be easy enough to do. I have a manual at home but have not opened it yet.

    Is adjusting the clutch something covered in the manual that I can do, or would that be a dealer thing?

    I know I can look it up when I get home, but if someone can tell me the oil capacity of the bike I'll pick it up on the way home. I'm assuming there are not any special tools I'll need to change the oil.
    Thanks
    Ringo
  5. JohnnyBiker

    JohnnyBiker Well-Known Member

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    You have the factory Service Manual?? If you do hang on to that thing for dear life. They are hard to find. The oil is very easy to change. The drain plug is under the bike about in the center. Oil capacity is about 3.2 quarts with filter change. Not sure if there are specialty tools needed or not. Make sure you use 10/40 MC oil. Are you going to use AmsOil???
  6. ringo42

    ringo42 New Member

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    It is an aftermarket manual, Clymar (spelling) I think.
    I'm reading online that a lot of people use regular oil and not Motorcycle specific oil, is there really a difference. They also talk about using a Fram oil filter from walmart instead of a suzuki one. Any opinions on these 2 things? I don;t know much about amsoil, opinions are all over the place from what I read.
    Ringo
  7. Fatboy128

    Fatboy128 Well-Known Member

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    Like JB said. You will find that the wet clutches on a Japanese bike can be affected by the type or brand or age of the oil (this is the engine oil in case you didn't know that). Then do your clutch adjustment. I found on my Japanese bikes even fresh Valvoline made the clutch work like crap. Do as JB says!
  8. ringo42

    ringo42 New Member

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    ok, amsoil it is then. Any comments on the filter?
    Ringo
  9. ringo42

    ringo42 New Member

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    Next question, what weight of oil do I buy? I'm in Atlanta where it is at least 90 every day right now. Is weight the use based on local conditions, or bike specific?
  10. JohnnyBiker

    JohnnyBiker Well-Known Member

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    Yes, it can be but since the oil that is required for this bike is thin the way it is, just use what is recommended for it which is 10-40 weight. I wouldn't go any heavier than this because this bike is liquid cooled. The heavier weights are for air cooled engines, this and the oil pump may not like the heavier weight as well. Mainly bike specific oil weight to answer your question, but everyone has their opinions.
  11. JohnnyBiker

    JohnnyBiker Well-Known Member

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    Who cares? No big science involved there. Buy what you like.
  12. ringo42

    ringo42 New Member

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    Cool, thanks for the help. I'll change it out with the amsoil this weekend and see if it helps.
    Ringo
  13. JohnnyBiker

    JohnnyBiker Well-Known Member

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    I noticed a huge difference when I switched it to AmsOIL. Please let us know how it turns out.
  14. JohnnyBiker

    JohnnyBiker Well-Known Member

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    I wonder how this turned out???????:D
  15. ringo42

    ringo42 New Member

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    I went to my local dealer and they don't sell amsoil. So I bought regular oil, filter etc. Then I realized I don't have a filter wrench. THe dealer was out of them as well but they are on order. I just borrowed one but have not had time to use it. So hopefully this weekend I'll get the oil changed with regular oil. I'm not sure where to buy amsoil.
    Ringo

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