Hard to select neutral?

[chef1366]

If I want neutral as I'm shifting down it's no problem. Just a touch from second. Shifting up from first can be a problem once in a while but just roll the bike an inch forward and it should click in.

[Zooks]

And, not trying to tell you how to ride, but, especially in the city, its generally a safe proceedure to keep the bike in gear at lights. You never know when you may need to get out of the way in a hurry!

You really don't want to be in neutral in traffic because you never know when you might have to scurry out of harms way and you don't want to be sitting there trying to kick it into gear with some large vehicle bearing down on you.

Both, very good bits of advice.

[psyguy]

i find it easier to shift to neutral after changing the clutch springs, adjusting the clutch lever for a longer travel and using thicker oil

One thing I noticed on my new bike is its kinda hard to select neutral, when I toe up on the lever it wants to go into second. If I reach down and do it by hand I can get it into neutral, and it shifts fine otherwise.

Is this common? Something you get a feel for, or something that can be adjusted? Might be kind of annoying in city riding.

Thanks,
Skye

[Dogma]

If I want neutral as I'm shifting down it's no problem. Just a touch from second. Shifting up from first can be a problem once in a while but just roll the bike an inch forward and it should click in.

If I'm not mistaken, it was the GS1100G owner's manual on BC's site that said to shift into neutral just before stopping. Which would seem to indicate that neutral while stopped is not expected to be possible. This also describes my 850.

I wonder how much variation there is in this across all GS models designs. Our collective experience seems to suggest that some bikes can get neutral, others can't.

[Skateguy50]

My 650 GL is somewhere in the middle of all this, typically its easier to shift up to 2nd then down to neutral. At times it goes in up from first and always easy if shifting while moving, like coming into a parking spot I shift it from 2nd to neutral while slowing down.

Regardless its fine how it is and doesnt bother me, just work with what you got.

[SPARKSS]

One thing I noticed on my new bike is its kinda hard to select neutral, when I toe up on the lever it wants to go into second. If I reach down and do it by hand I can get it into neutral, and it shifts fine otherwise.

Is this common? Something you get a feel for, or something that can be adjusted? Might be kind of annoying in city riding.

Thanks,
Skye

Does this happen any differently when the engine (and transmission of course) is cold vs hot? What is the idle rpm when you've noticed this? What sort of play is in the shifter? Is the engine oil level correct? Have you noticed whether the clutch operator has any wasted motion (play....cable adjustment to remove - etc).

I'd say that a most common cause for your situation (without any other history) would be high idle speed. You need to break torque within the transmission in order to move the shifter properly and if significant pressure is required to do so (due to the engine idling fast and if aggravated by ANY clutch drag), then the shifter will abruptly move right through the neutral spot and into the next gear dog. A high engine oil level and/or use of high viscosity oils and/or additives (see below) can cause clutch drag with may be worse cold (or sometimes hot). Anything that causes drag will make shifting notchy (and especially finding neutral predictably).

Does the bike shift INTO gear from neutral smoothly or does it lurch or have a noticeable notch? This will be symptomatic of both clutch drag and/or high engine idle.

As others have referred to, the clutch can be an aggravating factor but I'll say that this isn't real common. Yes, having an extra plate will probably reduce clearances when released and, if clutch work was done recently it may not be burnished in yet (clutch may drag with more uneven surfaces etc). If OIL ADDITIVES were added (usually a poor idea) they can affect wet clutch friction characteristics.....maybe even swelling of organic friction surfaces......this will cause drag. One reply referred to the clutch basket as a possible problem area - and this can be true as the clutch guide splines always develop a wear pattern where normal operation occurred. Changing to new plates or especially adding a plate often moves the operating area to a spot where it may bridge a worn spot and a lesser worn spot.....causing notchy operation.

[mighty13d]

It can be annoying to not able to hit neutral

[dpep]

That's not the way they were designed. Neither of my bikes ends up in neutral by accident but I can 'find' neutral on both bikes, very easily, from either 2nd or 1st. That's the way they were built and mine just happen to still be that way. I'm sure many others are, as well.

Chucky, sometimes when you move your shift lever up from first you are trying to go to second gear, and sometimes you are trying to get into neutral. What do you differently between the two? Which action takes the most attention? Which one is most similar to the action required to move into the third, fourth, and fifth gears?

I agree with some others here that coming down from second seems a little easier than up from first, at least with the engine off. I may rock it forward or back till it engages and then tap down lightly.

[Buffalo Bill]

Neutral between 3rd and 4th, easy?

I found this thread late, but I hope somebody has a clue about this. I have the same problem finding neutral as anybody, but sometimes shifting from 3rd to 4th, I find neutral instead.
I was blaming myself for not shifting firmly enough, but really neutral should not be waiting between 3rd & 4th. like a sand trap.
Does this mean that some nicks have developed on the cog teeth?

[jmanz6]

Nicks in the gears wouldn't cause a false neutral. Missing teeth wouldn't even cause it. If the shift fork isn't going all the way to the next gear that could cause it. You can get neutral between every gear but it should be VERY difficult to do. I had a dirtbike that would sometimes hit a neutral between 4th and 5th gear but the transmission on that bike was trashed. It would whine like a banshee in every gear even after changing the oil.

[tkent02]

I found this thread late, but I hope somebody has a clue about this. I have the same problem finding neutral as anybody, but sometimes shifting from 3rd to 4th, I find neutral instead.
I was blaming myself for not shifting firmly enough, but really neutral should not be waiting between 3rd & 4th. like a sand trap.
Does this mean that some nicks have developed on the cog teeth?

If you get in the habit of a deliberate shift it shouldn't go half way between gears, just push firmly on the lever, make sure you feel the entire movement correctly. Doesn't have to be a slow shift, just pay attention to it. One of my 1000s has a neutral between 4th and fifth, but it hasn't gone there except twice when I first discovered it.
If it gets bad enough to require repairs, it could be a problem with incorrect shimming in the transmission itself, or possibly something worn on the shifter parts under the clutch. Could be other things too.
I am no expert with this, have never been there on a GS.

[Steve]

If you absatively, posilutely HAVE to shift into neutral from first, get a Kawasaki.

They have a feature built into the shifter and transmission that prevents shifting from first into second unless the bike is moving. Makes it a real pain to bump-start the bike because you have to use first gear, but otherwise is a nice feature.

For those of us on Suzukis, make sure your clutch parts are correct, levers and cables properly adjusted and the oil is proper quantity and viscosity. If you feel that you have to have neutral while at a stop, it is easier to select it just before coming to a complete stop.

.

[C.V.]

I found this thread late, but I hope somebody has a clue about this. I have the same problem finding neutral as anybody, but sometimes shifting from 3rd to 4th, I find neutral instead.
I was blaming myself for not shifting firmly enough, but really neutral should not be waiting between 3rd & 4th. like a sand trap.
Does this mean that some nicks have developed on the cog teeth?

This is why so many people have a hard time finding neutral, they're looking in the wrong place!

[Kerry]

Might be a clutch adjustment is required. I recall with my old Yamaha that it became increasingly hard to find neutral over time; then I began to notice that, with the clutch squeezed, application of throttle made the bike want to move forward. A clutch adjustment solved all.

On my GS, sometimes I've noticed that it's a bit hard to find neutral from 1st - I give a tiny blip to the throttle; seems to make it easier.

P.S. Slippery streets coming home yesterday. My riding season is OVER. I'll have to rely on the GSR to tide me over 'til spring!

[Billy Ricks]

It's not just a matter of clutch cable adjustment either. On many bikes there is an adjustment that needs to be made to the pushrod that runs through the tranny to the clutch.