Stuck in Neutral Occasionally

Does anyone else have a problem where their bike gets "stuck" in neutral and wont go into first?

One example was i was waiting at a light to turn left during rush hour so I didn't want to hold the clutch in the whole time because I would pretty much be waiting until the light turned yellow and when it was time to go, my bike wouldn't go into first no matter how much I clicked and stomped on the shift lever. I eventually had to put it in 2nd to go after a good 30 seconds of trying to put it in 1st

anyways, i just want to know if anyone else has/ had this problem and if there is a solution.

Next time, let the clutch out just enough while pushing on the shift lever and it will probably go into gear.
I had a 2007 SV-650 that would do that from time to time.

will do, hopefully it doesn't happen again

Check for correct free play at the levers at both ends of the clutch cable. If there is too much or not enough then this can cause engagement problems. You need to 1st make sure that this basic & simple item is covered. ( There is provision for cable adjustment at 2 points on the upper cable ).

Stomping on the gear shift lever is not good, as this force can and will bend the internals of the shift mechanism - such as the selector into the shift drum. ( This will make your problem worse and can then only be fixed with gearbox selector part replacement ).

YZEtc is correct about sometimes having to release the clutch slightly to get the "correct" load onto the selector to get movement - a good example of needing to do this is if you come to a stop with the clutch pulled in whilst still in a higher gear.

Cheers.

Yes. I've had it happen. "Slipping" that clutch a little always works for me.

Also - when did you change your oil last?

When this starts happening to me it's usually an indication my oil needs to be changed.

I hate sitting at a stop light in neutral though. I feel it's a safety hazard in some ways. Might be a false sense of security, but I prefer to be ready to GO if needed. So I'll almost always down shift into first gear at the last moment before I stop.

  

motokid wrote:

Yes. I've had it happen. "Slipping" that clutch a little always works for me.

Also - when did you change your oil last?

When this starts happening to me it's usually an indication my oil needs to be changed.

I hate sitting at a stop light in neutral though. I feel it's a safety hazard in some ways. Might be a false sense of security, but I prefer to be ready to GO if needed. So I'll almost always down shift into first gear at the last moment before I stop.

  

+1   

Motokid: I changed my oil less than 1000 KM ago, I'm not sure what that is in miles but either way the oil isn't very old

motokid wrote:

Yes. I've had it happen. "Slipping" that clutch a little always works for me.

Also - when did you change your oil last?

When this starts happening to me it's usually an indication my oil needs to be changed.

I hate sitting at a stop light in neutral though. I feel it's a safety hazard in some ways. Might be a false sense of security, but I prefer to be ready to GO if needed. So I'll almost always down shift into first gear at the last moment before I stop.

  

me too

Im surprised no one said to just not use 1st gear. When down shifting my bike it doesn't like to pass through neutral cleanly. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't. My solution is to not use 1st gear, it is a little short for street use anyway. I don't like shifting from 1st to 2nd at an intersection because you might be accelerating, turning, and shifting all while still in the middle of the intersection. This is with stock gearing.

They all do that - every bike I've ever ridden (it's been more than a few).  It's because of the way motorcycle transmissions are designed.  Typically happens if you are rolling to a stop and hold in the clutch and go down several gears a once.  If you step down through the gears (clutch->change gear->clutch out->repeat) it happens less frequently.

Wanderer wrote:

They all do that - every bike I've ever ridden (it's been more than a few).  It's because of the way motorcycle transmissions are designed.  Typically happens if you are rolling to a stop and hold in the clutch and go down several gears a once.  If you step down through the gears (clutch->change gear->clutch out->repeat) it happens less frequently.

I was going to say the same thing. Not getting the bike in gear has never been an issue when I do this.  And it's almost always an issue when i try to cycle through all the gears without letting out the clutch between each one.

Just my .02 but I noticed that at a stop in neutral it would not always go directly into first on the first push. I just did my 600mi oil change and I have noticed that it hasn't happened since. Do with this information as you wish.