Need help or advice. I'm at my wits end!

[Mrgimpy]

I'm kind of frustrated and need some advice. The back story: I'm and amputee and have a Kliktronic shifter installed on a 99 Suzuki Intruder 1400 Trike. The now story: The shifter or something stopped working correctly and it will not shift correctly.

I had a Kliktronic electric shifter installed on an Intruder trike. It worked fine several times, but I had shifting issues the last time I went out. I went out on my third ride (ever!) and ran out of gas . We tried starting it several times before we realized it was needing gas, so I flipped on the reserve and made it to the gas station. Didn't have any issues shifting, but after fill up I started the bike and it would not shift into 1st from N. My buddies both rode it and foot shifted with no issues. Got it home and one thing I noticed was that the clutch handle was really soft and would engage the gears by barely letting out the clutch. This seems fine now. Clutch handle is back to the normal fiction zone. Checked the actuator on the shifter it was kind of sluggish extending and retracting or would not work immediately. I emailed the company and they suggested that I charge the battery because low voltage could cause said issues. Bought a battery tender/charger, charged the battery and tested the actuator. It extended and retracted normally. I bolted it back onto the shift lever and took it for a ride. It would not shift from 1st to 2nd or above. I limped it home in 1st and have been trying to troubleshoot it ever since. I have the install instructions and have went through all the fault checks and it all seems ok. It may be an alignment issues with the actuator, but I have done everything the instructions have said. Below are some things that I also thought may help.

1. I had recently changed the oil. Would this cause clutch or gear issues? Rotell 15w4o non syn. JASO M approved.
2. Other advice was to WD-40 the actuator rod. I've not done this yet.
3. How do I test the shifting? The instructions say to put it in second gear and adjust if not shifting up. How can I tell if I'm in second when stationary?
4. New Deka Gel battery installed.
5. Pig tail installed on battery for tender/Charger. Could that be an issue?

Sorry for the long post, but I'm new, frustrated and worried that my trike may be FUBAR. This is my first motorcycle/trike. Any help, advice, wisdom etc would be greatly appreciated. I'm poor so going to a shop is probably out of the question. Thanks guys!

[NE_FL]

This may be a simplistic comment, but you've stated that you had the electric shifter installed, and you don't mention taking it back to the installer. So to me the first step would be to take it back to the installer and have him take a look at it.

Sorry, that's all I've got. ;IDunno:

[enforcer]

Will, from what I've read, it's completely dependant on the electrical system and while you installed a new battery, the bike does require quite a bit of power just for normal running. Could be the charging system at fault. So, testing the stator, r/r and volts at rest, idle and while revving isn't out of the question. Any one of those tests might indicate a problem right off the bat.

The other thing you mentioned is positioning the actuator, which could be the other issue. You mentioned how do you know you're in second gear while stationary. Simple, the neutral light goes out when your shift up. You could give it the half click to neutral and then the half click to second.

I'm not sure exactly how the actuator portion works, but would assume the lowest setting should be in first gear. But perhaps, the stationary setting need be neutral and that's just how it's setup. I'm sure the manufacturer could provide you with that info.

If the charging system is all good, I would just try reinstalling it like it's going on for the first time.

[Mrgimpy]

Guys I think I got it working! I did some adjustments and oiled the shifter and it was shifting again! So far I've changed the oil and fixed my shifter...I think I'm ready to rebuild the engine! Thanks for all the help!

[MadCow]

Guys I think I got it working! I did some adjustments and oiled the shifter and it was shifting again! So far I've changed the oil and fixed my shifter...I think I'm ready to rebuild the engine! Thanks for all the help!

Let us know how the engine rebuild goes...and pics!

[jonnycando]

There's a maintenance item for ya too. Lube that actuator every so often!

[BlacktopTravelr]

Ok, I may be going out on a limb here, but he may need the star washers on the battery or does the 1400 not need them? [space] ;IDunno: