At times, a difficult shift to 1st


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fz6rowner

New Member
Most of the times it is a fairly smooth shift from neutral to 1st. But some times my bike refuses to shift out of neutral. But when I release the clutch a tiny bit, it does shift to 1st but with a forward jerk. What causes it to get stuck in neutral and how to avoid that forward jerk?
 
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BlastOffMike

Member
I don't know enough to provide a proper technical explanation for this but I can tell you that it's perfectly normal. Someone will probably be along to explain it better, but sometimes when you're fully stopped, thingies in the transmission aren't quite aligned properly to allow it to shift to first.

It's normal that releasing the clutch a bit or even slightly rolling the bike forward or back will move something or other just enough to allow it to slip in to first. The slight jerk is normal too, I believe it happens at certain times on all bikes with conventional transmissions like ours.
 
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nismos14

I'm movin on
Elite Member
Does it do this if you shift to first while still in motion?
 
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nismos14

I'm movin on
Elite Member
That's the reason, if you roll the bike slightly forward or ahead you will get it, or just as you are about to come down to a stop, shift down while still in motion before you put your foot down. Motorcycles are meant to be shifted into gears while still in motion for the most part.
 
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Scott_Thomas

Insert title Here
Elite Member
fz6rowner said:
Most of the times it is a fairly smooth shift from neutral to 1st. But some times my bike refuses to shift out of neutral. But when I release the clutch a tiny bit, it does shift to 1st but with a forward jerk. What causes it to get stuck in neutral and how to avoid that forward jerk?
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Sounds like your clutch free play may be out of spec. It usually most apparent when shifting to first gear. I think the freeplay is supposed to be 1/4 to 3/8 of an inch measured at the end of the lever and before cable actuates.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk
 
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Final Impact

Member
Trans gears are constant mesh meaning in neutral and any gear, all 12 gears are always in motion until you pull the clutch. A clutch that works well will allow all rotation of the 6 gear sets to come to a complete stop.

To select a gear on this box, a peg (clutch dog) must slide and fit into recessed landing in the gear selected.

If if when all the gears stopped those pegs and holes align, it drops into gear. If they do not, you the rider must either let the clutch out a bit to change the pattern so they can align and engage or roll the bike a slight amount.

Wet clutches being what they are usually have enough drag that it tries to spin the input shaft. So, clutch adjustment, oil quality, oil type, and oil temperature all become a factor that may change the drag imposed by the clutch and change how and when it drops into gear.

As I habit, I push off when dropping into gear when cold to lesson the clunk.

Oil brands and approved oil types can be huge factor!
 
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BlastOffMike

Member
Scott_Thomas said:
Sounds like your clutch free play may be out of spec. It usually most apparent when shifting to first gear. I think the freeplay is supposed to be 1/4 to 3/8 of an inch measured at the end of the lever and before cable actuates.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk
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No doubt the free play being out of spec can cause issues, but I don't think that's related to what the OP is describing.
 
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Scott_Thomas

Insert title Here
Elite Member
BlastOffMike said:
No doubt the free play being out of spec can cause issues, but I don't think that's related to what the OP is describing.
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Both clutch free play and gears being out of alignment will cause this. When I put shorty levers on a few years ago I didn't like how much extra play there was in the clutch lever, so I took the slack out by adjusting it tighter. Afterwards I had trouble getting into 1st gear, because clutch wasnt fully disengaging the gears for the shift. Or something to that affect, it's been awhile, but it can cause this problem. I've never had any problem clunking into first from a stop in neutral when properly adjusted (not once). May not be his problem, but if he messed with the adjustment or if he just got it (the previous owner) then it's worth the 30 seconds to check and or adjust. Getting to neutral from first is usually easy, but that sometimes requires the bike to roll slightly or a blip of the throttle. Like I say, I've never had the problem of not going into first gear, but have had problems getting into neutral. Only exception was when my clutch was out of adjustment by my own doing.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk
 

F

Final Impact

Member
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