22 FC350 Hard to Shift??

mikejones202
Profile picture for user mikejones202
Posts
194
Joined
12/3/2016
Location
Wrightsville, PA US
Fantasy
3505th
mikejones202
Hey everyone....my 22 FC350 has 30.4 hours on it and it is hard to up shift under load (revved out in the higher rpms) from 2nd to 3rd gear. It almost feels as if it is as hard to up shift when the bike was brand new. Anyone else seem to have this issue? Or anything I should look for?
|
Jesseb663
Profile picture for user Jesseb663
Posts
65
Joined
6/24/2018
Location
Elizabeth City, NC US
Jesseb663 9/15/2022 10:01am
9/15/2022 10:01am
Under a load I have to engage the clutch lever its full travel to shift smoothly. Was like this for me on my 2020 FC350 and my 2022 MC350F
1
MX558
Profile picture for user MX558
Posts
1869
Joined
4/1/2008
Location
US
MX558 9/15/2022 8:28pm
9/15/2022 8:28pm
My 22 KTM 350 shifted like shit. I was running the motorex oil and switch to motul and shifts way better. Still not as good as the Japanese brands but a lot better.
cwel11
Profile picture for user cwel11
Posts
1908
Joined
12/4/2019
Location
Orangeville, PA US
cwel11 9/16/2022 2:27am
9/16/2022 2:27am Edited Date/Time 9/16/2022 2:32am
mikejones202 wrote:
Hey everyone....my 22 FC350 has 30.4 hours on it and it is hard to up shift under load (revved out in the higher rpms) from 2nd...
Hey everyone....my 22 FC350 has 30.4 hours on it and it is hard to up shift under load (revved out in the higher rpms) from 2nd to 3rd gear. It almost feels as if it is as hard to up shift when the bike was brand new. Anyone else seem to have this issue? Or anything I should look for?
Have no issues with mine at all or my 21 before that. Running motorex, changing oil every 10. But I’m slower than you are, so that could have something to do with it ha!
wrc777
Profile picture for user wrc777
Posts
2501
Joined
5/21/2020
Location
Greenwood, IN US
Fantasy
64th
wrc777 9/17/2022 8:58am
9/17/2022 8:58am
Belray thumper oil shifted better for me than motorex but it wasn’t a huge difference.
1

The Shop

See All »
Rider 5280
Profile picture for user Rider 5280
Posts
2234
Joined
11/9/2011
Location
Denver Metro, CO US
Rider 5280 9/17/2022 12:44pm
9/17/2022 12:44pm Edited Date/Time 9/17/2022 6:34pm
I've experienced huge improvements in shifting with Maxima Maxum 4 Extra and Pro Plus. Previously I had been running Pro Honda oils as well as Belray Gear Saver (which was quite good).

I also find that in all my bikes, at 5 hours I can notice a definite degradation in shifting performance.

Oil is a "wear item" after all, so it definitely feels different as it "wears."
antgazz
Profile picture for user antgazz
Posts
5
Joined
7/6/2021
Location
Jackson, NJ US
antgazz 9/20/2022 7:49am
9/20/2022 7:49am
At about the same hours on my 19 FC450 the shift star bolt was backing out causing the 2-3 shift (and other gears) to be extremely hard to achieve. Not necessarily just under load but for a while this was somewhat common so not sure if this was sorted from the factory over the last few years.
1
CarlinoJoeVideo
Profile picture for user CarlinoJoeVideo
Posts
7418
Joined
11/30/2013
Location
Portland/Los Angeles, CA US
Fantasy
2561st
CarlinoJoeVideo 9/20/2022 8:08am
9/20/2022 8:08am
My 19 350 never shifted well under heavy load. Even with Hinson clutch.
skyrebel88
Profile picture for user skyrebel88
Posts
150
Joined
1/29/2015
Location
New Fairfield, CT US
skyrebel88 9/20/2022 9:02am
9/20/2022 9:02am Edited Date/Time 9/20/2022 9:03am
I had the same issue. After asking Keefer (which he confirmed was the issue) and googling a bunch (look up youtube videos on hard shifting KTM's) I was able to confirm it is the internal shifting mechanism that moves the shifting star in the motor. You had to take the clutch basket out to get to it. It is connected to the rod from the shift lever you use with your foot. The hump that is in the middle of the "fork" needs to be filed down and maybe widened a lil bit. I took mine out and filed it down, put it back in and would play with the shifting until it felt about right at which point i left it. Anyways after this my shifting is perfect.

**While your in there, there is a recall on one of the plastic gears. You can replace that as well if need to. I think after 2020 they fixed the issue. Dirt bike tv / Jay clark has a video on this.
1
mikejones202
Profile picture for user mikejones202
Posts
194
Joined
12/3/2016
Location
Wrightsville, PA US
Fantasy
3505th
mikejones202 9/26/2022 10:27am
9/26/2022 10:27am
skyrebel88 wrote:
I had the same issue. After asking Keefer (which he confirmed was the issue) and googling a bunch (look up youtube videos on hard shifting KTM's)...
I had the same issue. After asking Keefer (which he confirmed was the issue) and googling a bunch (look up youtube videos on hard shifting KTM's) I was able to confirm it is the internal shifting mechanism that moves the shifting star in the motor. You had to take the clutch basket out to get to it. It is connected to the rod from the shift lever you use with your foot. The hump that is in the middle of the "fork" needs to be filed down and maybe widened a lil bit. I took mine out and filed it down, put it back in and would play with the shifting until it felt about right at which point i left it. Anyways after this my shifting is perfect.

**While your in there, there is a recall on one of the plastic gears. You can replace that as well if need to. I think after 2020 they fixed the issue. Dirt bike tv / Jay clark has a video on this.
Do you happen to have any pics?
skyrebel88
Profile picture for user skyrebel88
Posts
150
Joined
1/29/2015
Location
New Fairfield, CT US
skyrebel88 9/26/2022 11:15am
9/26/2022 11:15am
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ruy7lxSf5CA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8sZvdbAvLY

See these videos. I took a file to the "shifting fork" and filed down the hump in the middle and kinda a lil groove in the corners/ top corner. I did this with my bike on a stand and would put it back in and go through the gears manually with my hand. For me, this worked. I just kept filling away doing what i thought felt right after trial and error watching the mechanism shift, installing and taking it back out. No more issues after this shifting under load from 2nd to third for me. I may have tried to stretch the spring out too cause I was already in there. If you cant see the videos it is the first two that come up when you type in "ktm hard shifting".

You can even file down the sharp point that separates 2nd going into 3rd on the star wheel. kinda fold the point over just a tiny bit going into 3rd not the other way around. I read somewhere that this helps out the shift during a holeshot from 2nd to 3rd making the shift itself faster, easier, and smoother.
1
FGR01
Profile picture for user FGR01
Posts
5436
Joined
10/1/2006
Location
AZ US
Fantasy
697th
FGR01 9/27/2022 7:38pm
9/27/2022 7:38pm
Side note to anyone doing this. Replace the shift shaft seal on the left side of the cases below the sprocket while you're in there. Because you have to take apart all the same stuff and remove the shaft to replace it anyway.
1

Post a reply to: 22 FC350 Hard to Shift??