2016 RT Not Automatically Upshifting

[RinconRyder]

Rode my (new to me) RT today for the first time and noticed I am required to upshift manually - trike will not upshift. It downshifts automatically. I have browsed the operator's manual but didn't see any way to alter this process by settings. Am I doing something wrong?

[Highwayman2013]

It is semi-automatic so yes you must upshift.

[Chupaca]

Should be in the manual and should have been explained to you before. The SE models are all "Semi Automatic" meaning you have to shift up but with no need of the clutch. These do have the added feature of downshifting automatically and manually. You will get the hang of it and know when to do it or if you have the ECO it will tell you when to shift....

[ARtraveler]

Dealer should have given you some pre-delivery instructions. Their bad.

You have the semi-automatic transmission. It does require the driver to make the upshifts by pushing on the paddle with the + sign on it.

When shifting up, the recommended rpm's are in the 3000-3500 range. Also, do not roll off the throttle. The electronics do that for you automatically. Your machine, a 2016, will have its own sweet spot. Find that and your going to be good.

The SE6 will downshift on its own as you mentioned. I let it do that 98% of the time. Only time I override that is if I need extra power for passing, then I will downshift one and crank it.

Enjoy your machine and let us know how all this works.

[Bob Denman]

It upshifts just as well as my 2010 did, and my 2014 does...
It's perfectly normal!

[irvin48]

i think your dealer dropped the ball on delivery. we all are assuming you had test driven
one before buying. we all were once newbies. i had a heck of a time getting reverse to work.
lots of good people to get you going and keep you going here. --irv

[Bob Denman]

i had a heck of a time getting reverse to work.

Irv,
Reverse was actually working perfectly; wasn't it?
It was getting your fingers to do the right dance steps, in the right order!
(It can get ALL of us!)

[Ramg66]

Like everyone else is saying, no Spyder that I know of upshifts automatically, the RT-S SE6 will auto downshift for you. I have found that shifting up to 2nd gear is best between 3100-3600 RPM and shifting to 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th it likes it between 3500-3800 RPM but that is just my machine. Reverse you press brake and press the R button all the way down and down shift. Have fun!!

[RinconRyder]

I know I am not going nuts (at least not quickly anyway) but I insist I had read somewhere that upshifts on the SE6 happened automatically. I could have read it wrong because the owners manual doesn't mention automatic upshifting at all.

Now, for some other observations:

This thing downshifts like a logging truck. Can't believe the clash and thud that comes along with automatic downshifting (or shifting into reverse). I also got surprised at the sudden freewheeling that occurs just before it downshifts into 1st. I can't wait to see the wifey's face the first time she experiences that. Makes me wish I had opted for the SM6.

As far as closing the throttle on upshifts - I have tried it both ways and much prefer me doing the throttle adjusting as opposed to the nanny doing it. Much MUCH smoother!

I did about ten miles at speed on the urban Interstate today and noticed the twitchyness. I relaxed on the bars and the trike continued to twitch back and forth but never seemed to lose direction. Definitely different than my last Wing.

Also, unlike the Wing is cornering. If you don't slide your weight into a turn the G forces will grab you. This is the same exact technique used on standard 3-wheel ATC's so not new to me. The cage drivers following me might have thought I was about to launch a race though. Again, the passenger will be surprised if he/she doesn't also shift their weight (which is not required on a two-wheel bike).

[Ramg66]

You can ride like an SM6 and downshift yourself. You will get used to the automatic downshift after a while because you expect it, now it just surprises you. Shifting into Reverse and 1st there's always a loud thud.

[Peter Aawen]

True that! ^ Use the paddle shift to operate the gearbox exactly like you would the manual box, just without trying to outguess the computer's control of the throttle & it'll change up & down as smooth as glass, IF you are competent at chosing your shift points (the computer's always gonna be WAAAAYYY better at the finer control than you could ever possibly be, not the least because it operates right there, instead of at the end of a 'fly-by-wire' loom & ultimately slooooow human reaction times!) But don't worry too much, the computer will step in & help you if you are going to stuff it up too badly anyway!!

As to why bother with the manually initiated shifts, why on earth NOT?? After all, it IS exactly the same gearbox as the manual, albeit with engine & clutch protecting downshift over-rides built in just so you can't hurt the clutch or lug the engine by being in too high a gear for the road speed/revs & with a computer controlled shift mechanism that's activated by the +/- paddles plus an electro/hydraulic clutch controlled by the computer & oil pressure. Pretty much the same way virtually all top end & commercial load carrying vehicles are heading nowdays anyway; the technology is even appearing increasingly rapidly in new everyday vehicles too, mainly because it's smoother, safer, & more efficient than the old school stick selectors that came out with the first gear boxes way back whenever!

Sure, you can ryde your SE Spyder without bothering to elect when to do the downshifting yourself, but regardless of whatever spin the marketing mob or anyone else might try to put on it, at the most fundamental level the auto downshift on the SE's IS a protective mechanism that operates only if you let the road speed or revs get out of the 'safe operational range' for that gear, & as a result you get to accept whatever lumpiness the computer has to impose in order to make the change. You don't want that lumpiness? Then change manually when YOU feel the road speed/revs for that gear are correct & develop the skill to match those smoothly - do that & the computer will do the gear change & minutiae of throttle control with far more smoothness & precision than you could ever possibly achieve, while your skill or lack there-of will be evident to all in the smoothness of matching road speed & revs to the selected gear... Or you could choose not to operate the paddles & just sit back & let the fail-safes take care of the mundane stuff..... but then you'd get to live with the 'damn - you left it too late to change smoothly but don't worry, I can still save your lazy arse' fall-back lumpy option

Your Ryde, your choice, maybe even your skill?!?

[JayBros]

1. Read the owner's manual thoroughly.
2. Ride 1,000 miles.
3. Then complain.

[Slowpoke387]

Reading this is bringing back some of the exact same observations that i had, minus the auto upshift expectation.
So ive found that letting the machine downshift on its own is the worst/clunkiest/sloppiest/herky-jerkiest way to do it. So funny, i had the exact same thoughts, "my wife is going to hate this".
And guess what? She did. So i rode it around for a hundred miles or so trying to figure out a way to shift smoothly. Ive got it down to upshifting at around 4000 rpm's and downshifting at no less than 3000. Seems to be the perfect combo. Extremely smooth this way. Letting the R's lug down low enough to auto-downshift is just a herkyjerk-fest with the free wheeling thing thrown in just to let you know that they def havent gotten the auto downshift perfected by any means. Its really just a backup for people who really just dont want to bother.
Upshift at 4000 or higher, downshift no lower than 3000. Try it. Dont leave it up to the software. Its really just a backup.
Cant understand why they don't just set the downshifts at higher rpm's from the factory. Makes no sense to me. Wish they had a software update for it.
Seems very misleading to Spyder newbies, they really push the auto downshift angle but the low rpm clunky downshifts are really off putting to new riders who arent expecting that. At the very least they should tell people to try and shift themselves for smoother shifts. Guess that might scare some first time buyers away though.
Once you figure it out, it gets a LOT better lol.

[jcthorne]

The shifting gets better as you put some miles on it and after its first oil change. Especially if you switch to a good fully synthetic oil.

Do not let off the throttle during upshifts.

[Bob Denman]

Rincon...
By any chance: did you used to hang around in a Grizzlyowner's forum?

[Don in E Texas]

You have information here from the best..... I'd only add this link for your reading pleasure as it may offer some insight to your new ride:

http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/s...-Spyder-owners

Enjoy yourself.

Don

[ARtraveler]

I know I am not going nuts (at least not quickly anyway) but I insist I had read somewhere that upshifts on the SE6 happened automatically. I could have read it wrong because the owners manual doesn't mention automatic upshifting at all.

Now, for some other observations:

This thing downshifts like a logging truck. Can't believe the clash and thud that comes along with automatic downshifting (or shifting into reverse). I also got surprised at the sudden freewheeling that occurs just before it downshifts into 1st. I can't wait to see the wifey's face the first time she experiences that. Makes me wish I had opted for the SM6.

As far as closing the throttle on upshifts - I have tried it both ways and much prefer me doing the throttle adjusting as opposed to the nanny doing it. Much MUCH smoother!

I did about ten miles at speed on the urban Interstate today and noticed the twitchyness. I relaxed on the bars and the trike continued to twitch back and forth but never seemed to lose direction. Definitely different than my last Wing.

Also, unlike the Wing is cornering. If you don't slide your weight into a turn the G forces will grab you. This is the same exact technique used on standard 3-wheel ATC's so not new to me. The cage drivers following me might have thought I was about to launch a race though. Again, the passenger will be surprised if he/she doesn't also shift their weight (which is not required on a two-wheel bike).

I think you are a good candidate for reading the Do's/Don'ts.

Attached:
http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/s...-Spyder-owners

Give these a try, plus about 500 to 1000 miles and see how it all works out. You have been given a lot of good advice so far. You really need to give it a try.

[RinconRyder]

1. Read the owner's manual thoroughly.
2. Ride 1,000 miles.
3. Then complain.

Not complaining, just observing.

[RinconRyder]

The shifting gets better as you put some miles on it and after its first oil change. Especially if you switch to a good fully synthetic oil.

Which raises a question:

My Wings had the same warning the Spyder does about using oil which has super-slick ingredients not designed for wet clutches. I remember a huge debate among Wingsters that use of that oil would cause clutch slippage yet I don't remember anyone actually suffering that condition. I used to use Mobil-1 15-40 in mine and never had a problem, even if I rode the Wing hard.

Same applies here?

[RinconRyder]

Rincon...
By any chance: did you used to hang around in a Grizzlyowner's forum?

Nope. Never heard of Grizzlyowner's Forum.

[Bob Denman]

Somebody else was using your screen name...

[Slowpoke387]

Which raises a question:

My Wings had the same warning the Spyder does about using oil which has super-slick ingredients not designed for wet clutches. I remember a huge debate among Wingsters that use of that oil would cause clutch slippage yet I don't remember anyone actually suffering that condition. I used to use Mobil-1 15-40 in mine and never had a problem, even if I rode the Wing hard.

Same applies here?

I road raced motorcycles for a long time and we used full synthetic exclusively and never had an issue. Wet clutches never had an issue ever. I used to get a whole season out of a stock clutch too. Thats with full on green light launches when slipping it a hair was the only way to get a good one.
Never had a clutch fail or even slip.

[RinconRyder]

Somebody else was using your screen name...

Or perhaps, unknowingly, I adopted his?

I've never used this screen name before.

[Bob Denman]

If you think of it as a case of "two great minds thinking alike": it always makes you feel better!

[PaladinLV]

Instead of BROWSING try READING the manual!

AJ

Rode my (new to me) RT today for the first time and noticed I am required to upshift manually - trike will not upshift. It downshifts automatically. I have browsed the operator's manual but didn't see any way to alter this process by settings. Am I doing something wrong?