Hard to select neutral?

[mikluha]

I had this issue with the nuetral when I just got my bike (1980 GS1000). It turned out to be the clutch cable was on it's way out and misadjusted.
Replaced the cable and now the shifts to neutral is like cutting the butter.

[Don-lo]

The most common cause of this I have found are the steel plates: they become "bowl" shaped after many heat cycles (or abuse?). This is then exaggerated when they are taken out to replace the fiber plates and put back in randomly. I always take the steel plates together as a stack and flip each successive one. You will see obvious gaps when you find a bowled one, and those will cause constant drag when sandwiched between the fibers.

[Dogma]

The most common cause of this I have found are the steel plates: they become "bowl" shaped after many heat cycles (or abuse?). This is then exaggerated when they are taken out to replace the fiber plates and put back in randomly. I always take the steel plates together as a stack and flip each successive one. You will see obvious gaps when you find a bowled one, and those will cause constant drag when sandwiched between the fibers.

Good one. Added it to my winter list.

[boathead]

i got my 650G in July, and had the problem from day one. never once could i find neutral from 1st. right before i put the bike up for the winter, i put some seafoam in the crankcase and rode it awhile.

the oil when i changed it was gunked up like you wouldn't believe, and voila', i was finding neutral. maybe just gunked up clutch plates?

[simon kuether]

Adjust your chain up properly.Cheers,Simon.

[Marvey]

I have this experience with my GS1100GK.

It doesn't seem to be relative to heat, but here in Az, that may be a relative thing. Abuse isn't much of a factor, I take 2 3 and 4 up to about 6k before shifting.

This thing has always been this way and the original owner (I am second) didn't seem like the type to put an aftermarket ANYTHING on this bike. He may have gotten high on the real thing and thrown a Barnett in there though, who knows.

When at idle in traffic or when parking and I can't find neutral, holding the clutch in and revving up a bit while I try to find neutral from first usally works. When that doesn't work, it buys me second and I can easily downshift into neutral from there.

Bike doesn't lurch in first with clutch in, either.
I always chalked this up to "emotional" problems that old bikes have. A finite resolution to the problem if it is one would be intersting.

[1978GS1000custom]

ok here it goes, with age or abuse or high temp comes wear. everything shifts via the shifting forks within the trans. the forks have shims that govern exactly where they need to be when a shift is made. once the idle gear gets some main shaft wear it will coast to a stop instead of a drag stop which prevents the shifting fork from engaging into the desired shift(in this case nutural). all bike have this issue not just our gs bikes. harleys are really bad in this area (sloppy as what even brand new). the GS trans case is alum, the main shafts are steel and the gears are either steel or cast with bronze shims. all of these metals react differently to temp which is why sometimes when they are hot its harder to find netural (a good oil cooler helps this). if you want to fix it you need to inspect these clearences and shim the forks until the back lash in the shift fork is within tolerance (+/- .0005) in most cases. also inspect the idel gears bushing inside diameter to make sure it didnt wear oversize causing that spin down effect (.001 oversize will produce this problem). most people dont like going into the trans but with a good manual its really quite easy to understand. of all the transmissions i have built the suzuki is by far the most heavy duty and easy to pull and reset. clutch drag will also cause this to a extent but not entirely. most of the time doing burn outs or really getting down on the throttle helps these parts wear out. still functioning but not as new. if you dont want to go inside the trans you can always remember that, old bikes are like old people they have a unique personality thats not hard to get used to if you try. sorry about the spelling

[SNott]

I think I just needed to get used to the bike, I have no problem finding neutral now. Or maybe the bike was getting used to me

[GS750GUY]

I'm really getting into this thread late regarding finding neutral. I have had this problem as well with my 78 GS750EC. Last weekend a friend of mine and I were out for a ride and he noticed my idle seemed a little fast. It was idling at about 1200 rpm and he told me to bump it down to right at 1000. He also suggested finding neutral on the roll is a lot easier than trying to find neutral when stopped.
I found he was right!
GS750GUY

[bonanzadave]

***off topic alert***

of all the transmissions i have built the suzuki is by far the most heavy duty and easy to pull and reset.

Hey Mr. 1978GS1000, Thats comforting to know. I hope you stick around cause it sounds like you have mega info to share.

Im guessing by your home page that you are Cliff. We have our own Cliff here and if you introduce yourself in the GS Owners section you may get his Mega welcome with all sorts of useful MC info from his home page.

Im not a huge tat fan but it looks like you do great work. Welcome to the GSRs !!

[Turtleface]

Right after a valve clearance check, I started having problems shifting. Could find first, and neutral. Second, I could get into by jamming the shifter as hard as I could, and then I would have to pop the shifter downwards (in order to reset it, it wasn't resetting) in order to upshift into third, fourth, and fifth. Thought my transmission had ate something important Chucked a glove in frustration, hit my can of chain lube. Gave me an idea, lubed the shifter linkage thoroughly, working the shifter through the gears, and bam! Amazingly smooth shifter action, once again. Might be worthwhile to ensure everything's pivoting like it's supposed to.

[Speedo]

Both of my GSs are sometimes hard to shift into neutral, especially when they have been flogged hard and are hot. I find that if i toe up into second, and simply *tap* the shift lever down, it goes right into neuatral. I can seldom get into neutral from first when theyve been running a while. ..

I've had 2 GS750s over the past 25 yrs and both have always been "finicky" about neutral. No oil changes or clutches or clutch adjustments or chain adjustments or hot or cold or anything like what has been suggested elsewhere in this string made any difference for me. Never changed. Just got used to it. CafeKid's tip is good one and works for me as far as go to 2nd and "tap" down (although mine is same hot or cold or inbetween). Works about 1/2 the time.

My tip, and this always - 100% - works for me is, pull in clutch, put in 1st, and "goose" the throttle a little while slipping the clutch a little. Kinda like a drag race thing only 1000 times gentler. Hold the front brake and you don't even move. Just BLIP & SLIP, and SNICK slides right up to Nuetral.

Let me know if this works for anyone else. I've been doing this for 20yrs with my GS. don't even think about it any more....

[piermechanic38365]

i know im way late on this, but do these bikes have throw out bearings? if it does and its locked up will that not cause an issue? im having trouble with mine now. it used to go in nuetral easily. the bike still wants to pull with the clutch lever pulled, i was told that a clutch cable too tight would cause a throwout bearing to constantly be engaged and eventually seize. my question is what bearing do i replace? its a stripped gs1100gk. i havent actally looked in the case at this issue but i have replaced the clutch springs.