Difficult upshifts on '04 Shadow 750

I've got a 2004 Honda Shadow Aero 750 with a hair over 12K miles on it. Two weeks ago it was shifting fine. This week I'm having a heck of a time shifting from 2nd to 3rd, 3rd to 4th and 4th to 5th. Occassionally it will shift smoothly, but seems "stuck" in this mode. The clutch doesn't feel like it's slipping, and no issues downshifting.

Any ideas?

If the shifter isn't loose or bent I haven't a clue.

Check the pivots on the linkage. Make sure they move freely.
Did you just get new or change you riding boots? Sometimes you can have problems shifting when you go from lets say steele toe boots to vans.
Have you just changed brands of oil.
I dont think its a internal tras problem. Since its thru all the gears.
Ron

Ron would be the guy to know. I think he may have worked on a few bikes over the years.

Of course if you listen to Honda's PR machine you'd think he would never have to work on anything...............

Thanks, guys. I have indeed changed boots. I thought about this, so I tried my "tried and true" riding boots--still having a problem, though not quite as bad.

I checked the linkage last night and it appears fine. Nothing bent or loose.

When riding, put your toe under the shift lever and put just a little positive pressure on the lever, this is known as preloading the shifter. Then when you are ready to shift, roll off the gas just a hair while giving it a wee bit of clutch. On most bikes, even clunky shifters, this will usually get a nice smooth shift in every gear. If it does not, then I would be inclined to think something is amiss internally and might warrant a trip to a shop. However, I am not a mechanic, nor have I ever torn into a tranny, and I don't recall ever having slept the night in a Holiday Inn Express...

I'm thinking this is a simple as taking some slack out of the clutch cable...

- JimY

I took the bike out again today, riding with the new boots. Taking Tourmeister's advice helped, as well moving the peg on the highway bars. My boot was snagging from time to time and really affected my ability to push up on the shifter. These seems obvious now, but goes to show that I look closely enough.

I'm really grateful to each of you for your replies.

Jucyhn,

On most bikes, if you preload the shifter and do the throttle properly, you can shift without the clutch at all. Real easy. This is why I suggested he try this technique. If it was still hard to shift, then I would expect that the clutch is not the issue and it might be internal. On some cruiser style bikes, the throw on the shifter may be pretty far. So you have to really focus on firmly pushing the lever the full range of motion until it stops. If you fail to do this, the gears may not fully engage and may grind a bit before meshing, or they may completely disengage... something that is never fun in a corner