Some questions

[nacnacrida]

OK, i am a begginer rider and had my gs500f delivered to me on wednesday. I have already put over 230 miles on it and love it (although i would like a little more power). It seems that if i am shifting quickly i sometimes get into a false nuetral of some sort between 3rd and 4th i believe, any ides of why that could be? Also it is someitme hard to shaZam! into a different gear and have to give it 3 or 4 tries.
and another thing with the cluth fully engaged and me going any speeds over ten it does not want to go down into 1st, it just will stay in nuetral and grind if i try.

Any help would be great.

[quiktaco]

I'd say that your clutch may not be engaging all the way.  Don't know for sure though.  That's really odd about the false neutral between 3rd and 4th, I've never heard of anything like that.

[quiktaco]

Also check your oil level.  I know sometimes if it's too full it can be hard to shift.

[hawkijustin]

my bike will also do that sometimes but i noticed it going into 6th. it would shift into gear then nothing is there for a second then it will slam into gear. it has only done it a few times though.

[mach1]

A little more practice may help, Did you take the MSF course Yet?

[spc]

Mach1: practice has nothing to do with a false neutral. 

I would suggest changing your oil and making sure the new stuff is at the right level.  Low oil level or old cruddy oil 'could' cause a false neutral.  High oil level might also, this is the case on my bike, just a hair over the top line and you get a false neutral between 3-4.

[ohgood]

OK, i am a begginer rider and had my gs500f delivered to me on wednesday. I have already put over 230 miles on it and love it (although i would like a little more power). It seems that if i am shifting quickly i sometimes get into a false nuetral of some sort between 3rd and 4th i believe, any ides of why that could be? Also it is someitme hard to shaZam! into a different gear and have to give it 3 or 4 tries.
and another thing with the cluth fully engaged and me going any speeds over ten it does not want to go down into 1st, it just will stay in nuetral and grind if i try.

Any help would be great.

Welcome to the world of motorcycling !

Are you using the clutch when you shift  ?

First gear doesn't like being dropped into with much speed. I've noticed a good deal of resistance to shifting into first at any speed higher than 4-5 MPH.

As fast as the false neutrals go, it may be time to adjust your clutch. There is a proper method, and a wrong method. The proper method is defined in the manual. It's not complicated, and makes things nice and smooth.

Oil level is critical to a nice shifting gs:

Too high = not going into/out of first gear, at all.
Too low = you'll kill your engine, while the tranny burns up.

Checking the oil:
Bike on center stand, or supported by you, on level ground, not leaning. Unscrew the dipstick, wipe, place back where it was, DO NOT screw in. Remove, check. I do it three times, just to be certain. this is with a HOT motor, not a cold one.

I check my oil before each ride, at each gas up, and whenever I do maintenance. It's the engine and tranny's life blood. I've seen perfectly good engines, transmissions, lathes, mills, CNC's, and airplanes killed because of poor oil maintenance. It's a real shame to destroy a machine for lack of prevention.

I've hit false neutrals when heavily accelerating and being a ham-footed shifter. I can't recall one single missed shift that was the trasnmissions fault. Every single one of them was mine, imho.

GOod luck ! Ride safe !

[ben2go]

This is the correct way to check oil.Just like was posted above.

Checking the oil:
Bike on center stand, or supported by you, on level ground, not leaning. Unscrew the dipstick, wipe, place back where it was, DO NOT screw in. Remove, check. I do it three times, just to be certain. this is with a HOT motor, not a cold one.

[dgyver]

False neutrals generally happen with a lazy or soft shift.

If trouble getting into first, let the clutch out slightly. You will find the sweet spot.

[yooblonder]

Be deliberate with each shift.  No need to slam it but make sure you're foot takes the lever all the way. If the gear hasn't engaged properly, release the clutch, then shift the lever again.  You might hear a little crunch though.

You could also try double-shifting, e.g. 3rd straight into 5th.  I've been experimenting with that more recently.  Works a treat when down-shifting, but you need to have enough speed to make a double up-shift effectively.  (There's probably a more technical term for double-shifting.)

[Affschnozel]

Clutch cable stretches with use and clutch plates get worn , so keep yours adjusted , for the cable adjustment watch Kerry's video:

http://gstwin.com/adjust_the_clutch_lever.htm

Good idea to check for pushrod adjustment as well the one that compensates for clutch plate wear,

right by the shifter there's that cover with two philip screws ,behind a 10mm nut and flat blade screw,undo 10mm ,back out the screw,

back it in until resistance is met and finally back out 1/4 - 1/2 of a turn and secure the 10mm nut 

[nacnacrida]

thanks for all the imput, the bike is brand new it only has 250 miles on it. the oil is at the proper level and is clean. The false nuetral only happens when im an shifting quick and getting up to speed quickly, but i shift firm and full.

and i just have my permit, im taking the basic riders course in july.

[dgyver]

Even brand new bikes need to have their clutches adjusted. The factory or the dealer may not have adjusted it properly.

[mojonixon]

I experianced the same thing with my 07, after you put some miles on it it will lessen. I just made sure I was shifting with a firm push or pull on the shifter, I guess the gears need to seat alittle on a new bike. And if it makes you feel any better I now have about 1200 miles on the bike and havent had a false nuetral in quite some time, I also switched to full synthetic oil and I am sure that helped too. Dont sweat it, it happens and you just need to get to know your bike and how it likes to be shifted.