The Spyder 5 speed is one of the best bike transmissions that I've ever used. And, for those bikes that have a reverse, the Spyder's is the best in the business. All the bike transmissions, as far as I know, have constant-mesh gears, these days, and they (usually) go from gear to gear very smoothly, even without using the clutch, but when you're in neutral, the constant mesh is somewhat out of the picture, and the locking dogs are whirling around the faces of some of the gears "next door", so that when you throw the clutch and shift into gear, you're making a set of dogs stop, or slow an adjacent gear when the dogs catch in the slots. Dogs and slots will/should form little radii that will allow smoother engagement, as the transmission wears-in. That's one reason why shorter oil change intervals are better for new bikes, and why you just might see filings on a magnetic drain plug, or in a torn-apart oil filter. Still, the gears are never going to wear in to the point of being silent on going into gear from neutral.
Right on, about Harley's. I think the factory must feel that the gears that worked for them in 1903, and didn't break, must be good for the 2000's as well, eh? Even BMW's, if I remember correctly, can be pretty "crunchy".
You ought to be on board my Sierra, when I shift in, or out, of 4WD-Low, without using the right technique. Do it right, and it'll be silent. Do it wrong, and it'll make dollar signs flash through your vision. :gaah:
DW
