'04 VFR800: clunky shifting

My '04 VFR shifts with a fair amount of clunk. There is no resistance to speak of, but it tends to get harder to shift as the temp passes 200.

I've changed the oil and the clutch fluid, but it hasn't made any difference. Does anyone have any idea what this could be or if it's normal? I was wondering if a loose chain could cause clunky shifts.

Thanks a lot!

 

Dino vs. Syth.

I bought my 95 a little over a year ago. Maintenance records from previous owner indicated use of synthetic oil for entire life of bike (minus break in period.) So, I ran sythentic in it also. (mobile 1)

Mid summer I had to repair the starter clutch, and since I was low on funds, I put Bel-Ray dino juice in it. To my surprise, it shifts much more smoothly with the dino juice.

Just a thought. Maybe some oil experimentation is in order.

 

+1 on trying a different type of oil. If you don't want to run full synthetic oil you can try a semi-synthetic. I've actually noticed smoother changing with semi-synthetic vs Dino oil.

Regards,
Rollin

 

So people think that synthetic oil is okay in the VFR800 VTEC? The owner's manual seems to indicate that Honda's oil (nonsynthetic) is the way to go. If no harm is done with the synthetic I'll give it a try.

Any thoughts on whether a loose chain can affect shifting?

 

I have the same problem with mine shifting like that. i have had mine for two months, had the oil changed but not the clutch fluid..No previous record of mine found..does it hurt if someone was using senthetic oil before i had without my knowledge and then i put normal oil when i had it changed? The guy that did mine said there was a reddish color when he changed it

 

Synthetic is fine. I use synthetic oil (Amsoil) in my 2004 VFR. But let's not turn this into a dreaded OIL THREAD.

 

My VFR starts to get notchy and clunky if I have not lubed and adjusted the chain (which I do frequently) for awhile.