What's the best way to get out of a false neutral?

[Anonymous]

Yep, my 400s shifting pattern has developed a couple of black holes. How should I be getting out of them? Double clutch perhaps? When I get stuck in a false neutral I get a nasty growl with every attempt to downshift out of it. Should I be trying to upshift out of it perhaps? I usually coast with the clutch in until the growling subsides and a get a good clunk. 8O At this point fixing the problem is not an option and these motors aren't worth opening to begin with.

Thanks, Steve

[pano]

This has happened to me periodically and I was always upshifting when it happened. I just reclutched and upshifted again without any issue. I don't think I ever hit a neutral spot on a down shift except at the actual neutral position. I would try upshifting and see what happens.

[QuaiChangKane]

I've had false neutrals up and down, but none that hung up and grinded. I just hold in the clutch long enough to let the R's drop all the way down, then up shift. If I try downshifting, I have to do it forcefully or it'll grind...


-Q!

[Anonymous]

I've never hit a false neutral on any bike while downshifting. If you were going up, then kick it up again, not down. Good luck.

[Hoomgar]

It's been my experience that when it gets that bad something has gone sour and needs a look at. You say that those engines aren't worth opening and maybe you have a cheep place to get replacments at so you may be right. But I think any engine is worth opening if you can fix it for a resonable cost. It sounds to me like you got the inside of your clutch basket chewed up on that thing. If that is in fact what is wrong with it it isn't a very expensive or hard thing to fix.
If it is that then you should be noticing a lot more vibration than usual too.

Keeps that bike on the road

I have a 550 with similar behaviours but it is a Kawasaki so i don't usually talk about it in Suzuki forums.