No neutral !!

[Hacked850]

I have a 1982 850G,22,000 miles and in very good running condition.After it reaches normal temp it will not go into neutral!!.When I'm down shifting I can sometimes ( maybe 1 out of 20 times )hit neutral but from 1st it will not go.If I'm stopped I have to turn it off before I can get it into neutral.When it's cold it will go into neutral just fine.I have adjusted the clutch cable at the lever and at the arm,replaced the cable and it didn't help.It shifts up and down fine and the clutch isn't slipping,ANY help would be great..

[chuck hahn]

I believe you need to check 19 and 21 here..they engage and fallinto a dentent in the shifter drum so you can find neutral..you just gliding over it no matter how gently you try...right???

http://www.boulevardsuzuki.com/fiche_section_detail.asp

[7981GS]

Try adjusting the clutch at the arm again.
When I first got my '81 GS1100EX basket case, it did the same things until I adjusted the arm tight.

Eric

[blowerbike]

after market clutch fibers can cause this.
you may need to run negative free play or install lighter springs to be able to find neutral with the engine running.
try moving the splined arm 1st as mentioned above.

[Hacked850]

This just started this weekend,up till now I had no problem finding neutral.And yes no matter how gentle OR hard I try it just doesn't go.

[Nessism]

You might want to try tightening the cable more, until there is just a slight amount of lever freeplay. If that doesn't work, you might need new clutch discs. The steel plates must be flat (spec in the manual), and the fibers as well. I had a hard time getting neutral with my 1000, and the problem was fixed by replacing the fibers and a few steel plates that didn't check dead flat.

[chef1366]

If none of the above change the oil with the right 10/40.

[hjfisk]

Also a worn clutch basket can cause this, as in if there are grooves worn into the basket from the clutch disc's , more so if
someone put a Barrnett or other aftermarket clutch into it with thin steel plate which have a tendency to wear the basket.

[Hacked850]

UPDATE...
When the bike is cold and for the first 15 minutes or so the bike shifts like butter,up and down and neutral is no problem.AFTER it warms up it upshifts OK,down shifts are OK till you get down to 2nd and 1st then it gets harder.When it's hot if you roll to a stop in 2nd it's REAL hard to get it in to neutral and if you get it into 1st while stopped there is NO WAY to get it into neutral OR any gear other than 1st without shutting it off first.I have adjusted the cable at the lever and at the arm,I have put on a new cable and changed the oil.And also if you roll to a stop in 1st gear after it is hot it will act like the clutch is not pulled in all the way and kinda chug a few times.I think it needs a complete new clutch with springs but I don't want to spend the $$ if thats not the problem.

[Nessism]

My old 550T was that way; when it got warm it shifted bad and seemed to drag the clutch. I never figured out why and then sold it.

I still say pull out the clutch and check flatness of all the plates. No need to change them until you verify they are bad first.

[BassCliff]

Hi,

What kind of oil are you using? When was the last time you changed it?



Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[rustybronco]

I think Ed is right on the money. If it were me I'd pull the clutches and measure their flatness.

I have almost the same problem with my new to me 80 850G. It is hard to find neutral when the engine warms up. Although I'm a bit lucky, I have a spare clutch assembly lying in wait until I get the time to tear into it.

[Crankthat]

You say that sometimes you can get into neutral from 2nd?
Whats your tach read at idel after warmed up in neutral?

[spyug]

I have the same issue with my 550 that I'm prepping for its cert. I spoke to my pro wrench about it the other day and echoes what the guys are saying. First check the cable and adjust (if necessary) first at the transmission end then at the lever. If that doesn't help then check the disks for flatness and proper thickness. To check for flat lay them on a piece of glass (since glass is "true").

If all of that checks out it could be a weak detent plunger spring. There is an on going discussion in the archives about that I believe.

Anyway adjust the cable first.

cheers,
spyug

[Hacked850]

So after all the normal adjustments and a new cable the problem was still there.So today after a ride and on one of the hottest days of the year here I decided to look into it some more.I pulled the cable off from the clutch arm on the engine and took off the arm and moved it 1 spline out and reinstalled the cable.I went for another ride and got the bike hot and the tranny shifted perfect !!,I could find neutral pretty easy from 2nd OR 1st.BUT now the lever is REALLY hard to pull and I can't get much free play..I'm thinking about just leaving it alone because it's shifting good now and getting a stepped lever like I use to run on my dirt bikes back in the day.Oh ya and to answer the oil question,I run Honda ( H4 ) 10-40 in all my bikes.