Extra neutral?

[Flyinfool]

Is it supposed to be possible for the trany to go directly from any gear to neutral?

 

This has happened on this bike about twice a year, where while during somewhat aggressive acceleration, I will suddenly find the bike in neutral, no connection between the engine and rear wheel and the neutral light on the dash is illuminated and the "N" is displayed on the gear indicator.

 

I can understand it happening between 1st and 2nd if you short stroke the shifter since you are going thru neutral on the way to second. But I have also had this happen when going from 2nd to 3rd and 3rd to 4th. I look down and the gear indicator shows "N", the green light is on. There are never any kind of grinding or other strange noises other than a very high engine rpm due to lack of connection to rear wheel. Is this an indicator of some major trany problems coming down the line in my near future, or just a glitch in the system.

 

I am posting because this happened 3 times on the way in to work today. All three today were going from 2nd to 3rd, no drive connection, "N" showing and green light on. Lifting up on the shifter again, and it went into 3rd like it should have done the first time one time it went to 2nd.

I may be short stroking the shifter a little since I am getting used to some new riding shoes that are thinner on top that what I had before. but I still did not think there should be a full and indicated neutral between 2nd and 3rd or 3rd and 4th.

[twigg]

False neutrals are the bane of sequential gearboxes.

 

No, there shouldn't be any, but there frequently are.

 

Make sure you shift positively. If the problem recurs when you do that, then the gearbox (probably the selectors) is starting to show it's age.

[Flyinfool]

At least it hasn't tried to go into 2 different gears at the same time.

I had a cage do that to me once when the shift linkage broke and it managed to get into 1st and second at the same time on a 3 speed manual. the first / reverse link broke so it never came out of first with the shifter and then all in the same motion it was shoved into 2nd.

 

It was not pretty.....

 

But did make some nice figure 8 patterns on the road.......

 

If it is really just the nature of the beast, I think I will adjust the shifter down just a bit so that it is easier to get the full up stroke for a nice positive shift. With my new shoes the full up stroke is at the limit of how far I can bend my old decrepit ankle. It is adjusted per the spec in the manual right now. I already had to adjust the rear brake lever out of spec (as high up as I could get it without it hitting the engine case) to be sure that I could operate it fully with my limited flexibility.

 

I know, I know, I'm old.

[skydoc_17]

Hey Jeff,

I wear Steel toed safety shoes to work, and have my shifter lever adjusted for them. ANY time I wear my regular leather riding boots, (non- steel toed) I either have to adjust the shifter lever, OR lift my foot off of the foot peg to make sure the up shift is positive. If I don't, the result is exactly what you described. I strongly suggest you adjust the shifter to fit the shoes, (boots) you happen to be riding with at the time.

Earl

[Mel]

Heel-toe shifter. Either way you are shifting just make sure the shifter moves to the end of it's travel. AND you don't have to be concerned about what style toe your current footwear has, because you don't have to position it under the shifter.

[Flyinfool]

I tried a heel toe once and did not like it.

My poor little brain has been doing it one way for over 30 years and does not break old habits well.

[Marcarl]

Although it is conceivably possible to hit 'neutral' between gears you would not have the indicators come on if that were the case. The only way the indicators can come on is if the tranny is actually in the real neutral. So my guess would be is that when you shift somehow you manage to bounce the gears in the transmission so that it ends up in neutral. I suppose it can happen when things wear and get somewhat easier to move. Try making a positive shift, making sure that the shifter is all the way up and let the clutch go before, or as you release the shifter.

[Condor]

I'd adjust the peg lower. On a 1stGen with your feet placed back, the toe will naturally point down, and make it very uncomfortable trying to shift up through the gears with a high peg, and short stroke a shift.. You should be able to rotate your arch on the foot peg and shift. If you have to lift your foot off the foot peg it's way to high. Put the bike on the center stand and sit in the saddle with your foot comfortably on the foot peg. Take note where the shift peg is sitting and adjust it down to where it sits about 1/4"-1/2" above your boot top. I bet you won't be short stroking the shift any longer...