Hard to select neutral?

[SNott]

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

 

[Zooks]

Is this common? Something you get a feel for, or something that can be adjusted?

All of the above.

• You may be able to adjust the clutch a little.
• An oil change may make it easier to select and -
• you will get a better 'feel' through your foot after a while.

 

[Arsenic]

my 85 gs700 is the same way. I Just shut it off in 1 then half click right in. Would be nice to know how to fix this. Good question...

 

[TheCafeKid]

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

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.

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!

 

[bonanzadave]

Make sure the shaft that the shifter arm is on is greased and not binding. Give the shift linkage a shot of LPS too.

 

[rapidray]

If you aren't the original owner I'll bet someone put a Barnett clutch in it! They work like crap, have NO feel, & have neutral finding issues, ESPECIALLY if it is an "extra" plate kit. Put a STOCK Suzuki clutch back in it & look at the inner & outer hubs to see if they are gouged. If they are fix those also & I'll bet the clutch works perfectly! You also need to make sure the clutch lever has the proper adjustment so the clutch will disengage correctly. Ray.

 

[dpep]

There is no fix. That is the way it is designed. It is to keep you from accidentally going into neutral when shifting from first to second.

It is a lot easier to find neutral when the motor is off. My shut down procedure is to shift down to first, come to a stop and then hit the kill switch. If I need to roll the bike forward or back to park it, I leave the key on and fiddle with the shift lever until the neutral light comes on.

Yes, as with anything, the more you do it the better you will get at it. But I have found very few situations other than startup where I needed to be in neutral with the motor running. 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.

 

[bonanzadave]

If you aren't the original owner I'll bet someone put a Barnett clutch in it! They work like crap, have NO feel, & have neutral finding issues, ESPECIALLY if it is an "extra" plate kit. Put a STOCK Suzuki clutch back in it & look at the inner & outer hubs to see if they are gouged. If they are fix those also & I'll bet the clutch works perfectly! You also need to make sure the clutch lever has the proper adjustment so the clutch will disengage correctly. Ray.

BTDT !!

Heres my basket after I filed out most of the gouges. Not perfect but it will do. That Barnett extra plate kit really F'ed it up.

 

[TheCafeKid]

There is no fix. That is the way it is designed. It is to keep you from accidentally going into neutral when shifting from first to second.

It is a lot easier to find neutral when the motor is off. My shut down procedure is to shift down to first, come to a stop and then hit the kill switch. If I need to roll the bike forward or back to park it, I leave the key on and fiddle with the shift lever until the neutral light comes on.

Yes, as with anything, the more you do it the better you will get at it. But I have found very few situations other than startup where I needed to be in neutral with the motor running. 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.

Agreed. And I've found a couple times when ive accidently had it slip into neutral in traffic, you actually may have to MOVE the bike (a lil forward or a lil backward) to get it to drop back into gear. Not good if you need to move out of the way RIGHT NOW!

 

[chuckycheese]

Designed??

Designed??

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.

 

[tkent02]

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.

Agreed, all my GSes have been easy to get neutral from 1st or 2nd, never ever have missed a shift.

Maybe it's all in the wrist action.

 

[TheCafeKid]

Agreed, all my GSes have been easy to get neutral from 1st or 2nd, never ever have missed a shift.

Maybe it's all in the wrist action.

Ive never missed a shift, but I have found it to be difficult as i said to get it into neutral from FIRST. Cake from second. Maybe some clutch adjustment is in order... Add that to the list of stuff to work on over the next few days.

 

[chuckycheese]

Shifting

Shifting

I'm TOTALLY guessing (because I don't pretend to know) but I would think the issue is probably with the transmission and not with the clutch.

 

[TheCafeKid]

I'm TOTALLY guessing (because I don't pretend to know) but I would think the issue is probably with the transmission and not with the clutch.

Its possible, but if the clutch isnt disengaging all the way, its not going to let it into neutral. A transmission issue would also tend to crop up IN gears, and Ive not had a problem with it yet. As well as the fact that it ONLY has this problem when its hot after being ridden hard. Any other time, i can get into neutral from first or second..

 

[jola]

Mine doesn't like to reveal neutral all that much either. If I have trouble I usually roll it back and forth while I shift. I only leave it in neutral when I'm done riding for the day (so when it is locked up) or when I am starting it up. Other then that I leave it in gear.

 

[Guest]

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.

 

[Guest]

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.