Shift into first and... DEAD!

[nisus1]

i took my bike out yesterday and everything was fine.  When i was leaving my destination,  before i left, i let my bike run at idle for about 15 minutes and on the 5-10 minute ride home, it was very difficult to shift gears.  The clutch has never slipped nor did it slip on the ride home.  Now, when i start the bike, everything's good, but then shift into first.... DEAD.  

I'm positive the cable is OK, and i just tried adjusting the cable to it's max and it still dies.  What's going on?

Thanx in Advance

[Hi-T]

I'd double check the kickstand kill switch and make sure it's not sticking.  If it feels good- you may want to check the circuit with a volt meter and make sure the circuit is actually open.   I am assuming that you can start the bike in nuetral but the second you shift it dies.

[The Antibody]

Yeah, I would check the kickstand, but also... never let the bike idle that long, you'll foul out the plugs.

 -Anti

[nisus1]

my bike starts with the kickstand up or down.  I start it (like i always do) with the stand down.  The stand doesn't affect it on my bike.... any other advice???

Thanx again

[GRU]

my bike starts with the kickstand up or down.  I start it (like i always do) with the stand down.  The stand doesn't affect it on my bike.... any other advice???

Thanx again

not that....every bike starts when the kickstand is down but turns off when the kickstand is down and you put it in gear.....

make sure the kickstand is all the way up (pushing the little sensor) when you put it in gear

[nisus1]

k, i'll do that and report back... appreciate the quick responses...

it just seems odd to me though... why would the clutch not allow me to shift if the kickstand sensor is bad?  it seems like it dies because i'm actually having to jam it into gear.

[JohNLA]

It's a safety switch to prevent you from riding off with kick stand down.

[nisus1]

Hi-T, The Antibody, Gru and JohNLA... you guys are awesome... i am not.  I know i'm preaching to the choir, but this bike has become an obsession of mine.  i took it out only for the second time this past weekend.  i didn't even have the kickstand up when i was shifting to first, because the bike is on my patio.  I'm getting my license... soon, maybe this weekend and i was deathly worried about my bike.  Thanx again, i can now sleep well tonight!

I'm never getting rid of my GS because of such a great GS community.

[Stime187]

Don't worry, took me a good 20 minutes one time to figure out what the hell was wrong with my bike til I realized the kick stand was only half up...  :x Glad you got it fixed, I think almost everyone has made that mistake from time to time... especially us newbies...  

Later,
Scott

[Hi-T]

By the way,  if you are having a hard time getting the bike to shift out of nuetral- you mention having to jam it into gear-  try revving the engine right before you shift- "blip" the throttle so the RPMs climb and as they peak put some pressure on the shifter and it should drop down with out needing to be jammed.  Helps things sync up.

[MarkusN]

What probably happened: The kickstand switch was jammed all this time. The 15 min idle rattled it loose, so it works now and causes different behavior.

[nisus1]

Maybe... i feel pretty silly as well as relieved that it was that simple.  I was going as far as pricing clutches.

[scratch]

You also mentioned that it was difficult to shift gears. Check your oil level after you ride. And, check it every week.

[The Buddha]

Shifting... OK the shifting on my bike is always worse when rpm's are up. It feels smoothest and lightest at ~1200. Anyway clutch cable also has adjustments down by the case... so you probably still have adjustment left. A clutch that's disengaging fully shifs best at a stand still, thinner oils help it shift better too, but thicker oils are needed for the summer temp. 20W50 for summer is fine and 10W40 is good in winter as a general rule. But if you have ~20K+ I'll run 20W50 all the time. cos it makes a racket with 10W40.
Cool.
Srinath.