Wierd shifting questions (problems?)

[heyblue46]

Hi everyone,
have a 1980 gs1100et that I bought about 2.5 yrs ago. I've put a lot of miles on it (keeping it going with your help!) the past year but have noticed some wierd things in shifting at times.

Let me start by saying I replaced the clutch plates about a year ago. Everything went together real good, but the very first time I shifted the clutch, it was VERY hard to shift. After that first time, no problem except what I'm about to mention.

It is ALWAYS hard to shift from 1st gear to neutral...IF at a dead stop! I have always gotten around this by going to 2nd, then neutral, before coming to a stop. Now, while in 1st, I can reach down with my hand and pull it up into neutral, but its hard....IMPOSSIBLE with my toes. The really wierd part is that it is easy to go from 1st to 2nd while accelerating!!?? OR.. if i'm still slowing down, before stopping...I can usually get it in neutral w/o too much of a problem.

The second thing i've noticed is....if I am lazy about going into the next gear...ie, dont pull up hard on the shifter.....and gun it....it will often come OUT of gear as if in neutral...no matter what gear i was going in. A neutral between every gear?? Did I not put something back in right or what?
These are not things I can't live with, but would rather have everything right.

Thanks everybody,
Steve

[nabrams]

This has been discussed at length in other posts, but here goes:
Those are all very common for old wet-clutch bikes in general, and especially for the GS series. I have less of the hard-shifting issues on both my Hondas (CB750 and XL250) and they are just as old. I think my Hondas have lighter springs and/or a slightly superior design for the clutch.
The nuetral in between gears is the fact that you're not quite in either of the gears - this happens to me occasinally on any the bikes I ride, if I fail to shift decisively.
The newer (or better maintained) the bike, the less these issues arise.

[nabrams]

Oh, by the way, the bike will always shift easier while rolling - see other posts.

[t3rmin]

Most people end up just accepting the fact that it's much easier to get into neutral from 2nd. ;-) I've all but given up on getting into neutral from 1st.

[Dink]

Gearshaft bearings probably need replacement, My Katana was a bit hard shifting, during rebuilding the motor I replaced the four bearings that support the gearshafts, the bike now shifts like a hot knife through butter.
You only need to remove the lower crankcase half to replace the bearings, remove the motor, remove the starter motor, remove the bolts in the upper half; including the two that are hiden under the starter motor, flip the motor over and remove the bolts in the lower half;splitting the cases is difficult they are stuck together well BE GENTLE.

Dink