1979 GS850G Hard to go N once fully stopped

[Guest]

Hello Everyone,

I'm new in this forum. I Just acquired a nice, well maintained GS850.

I'm really happy with my purchase but sadly can't ride it yet cause the tags are expired and I don't want a ticket. Will get the new reg on wed since I'm off work.

Anyways, I need help figuring why is hard to go from 1st to Neutral and if it's something that can be fixed and how. the previous owner said to try to go up to second and then go straight to N... and I'm not well versed with this type of machines yet so I kinda don't get what he is saying... . help?

I'll take some photos and post them here asap

Nico

[kdo58]

clutch cable probably does not have enough slack

[tkent02]

After 30 years compressed, the neutral stopper spring is probably shorter than it needs to be. Try replacing it. Yes, make sure the clutch is releasing completely, and just so you know the 850s are probably the worst at this. A new spring should help.

[nicogarceron]

thanks for the fast reply to all of you! where's a good place to buy replacement parts online?
Also, I know these machines are well known to take a long time to warm up...( it tried to rev up a couple of times and it just died. It does rev up normaly after some time, but doesnt like to be rushed...) is there any way I can improve this? Also the choke tends to slide down by itself due to vibration while waiting for it to warm up... any trick to lock it up?

[gustovh]

I would do all the newbie mistakes checks. Check the valves, clean the carbs and sync, go through all the electrics. Your neutral problem is probably clutch adjustment, that said my 850 L won't go straight into Neutral about half the time and goes into second, I just give the gear shift a tap down with the foot and it normally drops in.

What it boils down to is, learn the bike and make it your own. Former PO's tend to not do the maintenance, valves especially.

V

[hannibal]

thanks for the fast reply to all of you! where's a good place to buy replacement parts online?
Also, I know these machines are well known to take a long time to warm up...( it tried to rev up a couple of times and it just died. It does rev up normaly after some time, but doesnt like to be rushed...) is there any way I can improve this? Also the choke tends to slide down by itself due to vibration while waiting for it to warm up... any trick to lock it up?

On my GS750, there's a screw with a spring on the choke lever. Tightening this up should keep the lever from moving while it's warming up.

[tkent02]

Also, I know these machines are well known to take a long time to warm up...

Only to people who don't know the bikes and don't maintain them. They start just fine and can be ridden right away if they are working properly, even in cold weather.

[tkent02]

my 850 L won't go straight into Neutral about half the time and goes into second, I just give the gear shift a tap down with the foot and it normally drops in.

Have you replaced the neutral stopper spring?

[Nessism]

One GS I owned was a real struggle to find neutral or go into gear when stopped. Clutch cable was plenty tight. The problem was eventually traced to warped clutch plates which were creating just enough drag to make selecting gears a hassle, but not enough to cause running problems otherwise. I replaced all the clutch discs and the problem completely went away.