Not exactly stuck but, shifting down from 2nd, make a left turn - give it some throttle and watch the rpm climb while I go nowhere. WTF? :dunno_white:
Ummm, shift harder....... and change your damn oil
what grade of oil do you use , 10w40 specified , myself i use a 0w40 synthetic deisel oil much improved shifting and less frequent false neutrals!!!
oh let the flames begin with an oil thread!!! :nono:
20w-50 AMSoil High Performance Synthetic, because I like throwing money all over the place :icon_rolleyes:
Quote from: zenn on May 07, 2008, 08:27:36 AM
Not exactly stuck but, shifting down from 2nd, make a left turn - give it some throttle and watch the rpm climb while I go nowhere. WTF? :dunno_white:
You can (ok, I can anyway) actually start off in 2nd gear from a dead stop. If you're downshifting mid turn, that's a no no, for this very reason. You
can't hit a false neutral if you don't downshift in a turn, and it won't matter.
Anyway, so let's assume you're not downshifting mid turn, or whatever. Maybe you're running a little fast for 1st gear, and when you -thought- you downshifted to 1st, you hit neutral, bouncing of the dogs for 1st ?
I'm betting on the second situation. :)
Either go a little slower before dropping to first, or consider using 2nd a little lower.
2 cents :)
oh, and is your oil level proper ? it can effect shifting into 1st gear. :)
Quote from: ohgood on May 07, 2008, 09:11:19 AM
You can (ok, I can anyway) actually start off in 2nd gear from a dead stop. If you're downshifting mid turn, that's a no no, for this very reason. You can't hit a false neutral if you don't downshift in a turn, and it won't matter.
uh good point forgot to mention that!!
Gotta check the oil. saw another post about that.
Anyways, no I didn't shift in a turn. Came down a hill to a light, preparing for a left. Shift to first prepping for a stop, light goes green as I approach. Intersection clears, I start my turn thinking I'm in 1st,
ok can anyone answer this since its a Neutral question
i'm at a stop light i shift to neatural waiting and waiting and waiting for the light to turn green haha
but once i try to shift into 1st i can't i have to rev my engine to say around 3000 rpms and then try to shift into first and if that don't work i have to shift
into 2nd and if that odn't work i push my bike to the side haha :mad:
anyways i just wanted to know what the problem was i do'nt put my bike into neutral anymore at stop lights :cry:
Sometimes that does happen, again an oil change with good oil will help. I'm running on wal-mart 10w-40 oil right now, surprisingly it shifts better than the pricier castrol gtx oil. But not as well as 5w-40 rotella which seems to no longer be on the shelves at any of my local walmarts. A technique that can help is to keep shift pressure on the lever while releasing the clutch, you'll pop into gear immediately when you hit the friction zone. I use this technique if I came to a stop really quickly and didn't down shift through the gears cause sometimes shifting through multiple gears at a stop can be difficult and your bike seems to want stay in the current gear.
don't sit at a light in neutral. :nono: It's a good way to get run over by a cell phone chatting SUV driver. If you are in first you can get out of the way and give em the bird. :cheers:
I've noticed this alot when trying to get it into the garage. I'm scared to death of hitting my friend's honda shadow that has never spent a night outside and would blind you it's so shiny! So, needless to say I stall sometimes because it is a little touchy getting into gear I find that if I rock the bike just a little I can get it into first or neutral whatever I'm going for. I do sometime's sit at a light in neutral esp if my hand is cramping and I already have someone behind me. But, well before the light changes I make sure I'm in gear and sometimes I just have to rock it up a little and it slips in.
Just my two cents
Quote from: Tang on May 07, 2008, 12:52:54 PM
ok can anyone answer this since its a Neutral question
i'm at a stop light i shift to neatural waiting and waiting and waiting for the light to turn green haha
but once i try to shift into 1st i can't i have to rev my engine to say around 3000 rpms and then try to shift into first and if that don't work i have to shift
into 2nd and if that odn't work i push my bike to the side haha :mad:
anyways i just wanted to know what the problem was i do'nt put my bike into neutral anymore at stop lights :cry:
Try to rock the bike back or forward a bit. Sometimes you just need things to line up. In my car, if I can't get it into R, I shift to first, let out the clutch enough to roll forward a tiny bit, then go for R again. It almost always works.
Why would you down shift into first from second while moving?
Quote from: Tang on May 07, 2008, 12:52:54 PM
ok can anyone answer this since its a Neutral question
i'm at a stop light i shift to neatural waiting and waiting and waiting for the light to turn green haha
but once i try to shift into 1st i can't i have to rev my engine to say around 3000 rpms and then try to shift into first and if that don't work i have to shift
into 2nd and if that odn't work i push my bike to the side haha :mad:
anyways i just wanted to know what the problem was i do'nt put my bike into neutral anymore at stop lights :cry:
If the usual "feed some clutch" or "rock the bike" advice is not the answer then there's one more step you can try before pushing the bike off to the side of the road.
Kill the motor then make your shift.
This tackles a different problem unrelated to the perfectly normal "gear misalignment" shifting problem.
Remember, just because the bike is stationary doesn't mean the tranny isn't in motion. And if the clutch is dragging in neutral then the countershaft gears can remain spinning too fast for the shift dogs to engage.
Clutch drag is often the result of an overfilled crankcase and/or too much slack in the clutch cable. Or a cold engine.
Just something to think about next time you need to rest that clutch hand at a stoplight. :cheers:
Quote from: Gisser on May 07, 2008, 10:20:12 PM
Kill the motor then make your shift.
This may be true for bike that have different clutching systems, but on The GS500 YOU SHOULD NEVER SHIFT with the engine not running. This is not my personal option I am being a parrot, but I value the information and warning because it was given to me by the mechanic/saleman/onwer/Race team owner of the sport bikes store I bought My GS500 from.
Better try this (did not see it mentioned)
1. let engine idle, full stop
2. depress clutch handle, hold brakes
3. apply constant pressure on gear lever
4. slowly release clutch until gear "pop" into place
I have had the first gear "stick" when coming to a stop after extended ride, fresh or old oil (motorcycle rated 10w40),
made no difference, I think it is just a quirk of the engine /gearbox design, because I have a 2005, and its been doing it from day one.
Unless someone else can explain it better; I think the specs on the gears is a little too tight when "ran @ 70mph for 4 hrs"
cheers
Quote from: pizza on May 07, 2008, 08:37:06 PM
Why would you down shift into first from second while moving?
Why wouldnt I, If running in 2nd, coming to a red light getting ready to make a stop, What should I do, pop it into reverse ;)
Quote from: zenn on May 08, 2008, 07:21:00 AM
Quote from: pizza on May 07, 2008, 08:37:06 PM
Why would you down shift into first from second while moving?
Why wouldnt I, If running in 2nd, coming to a red light getting ready to make a stop, What should I do, pop it into reverse ;)
you got a reverse gear ..? you sure you aint riding a goldwing now ? :icon_mrgreen:
Quote from: Tang on May 07, 2008, 12:52:54 PM
ok can anyone answer this since its a Neutral question
i'm at a stop light i shift to neatural waiting and waiting and waiting for the light to turn green haha
but once i try to shift into 1st i can't i have to rev my engine to say around 3000 rpms and then try to shift into first and if that don't work i have to shift
into 2nd and if that odn't work i push my bike to the side haha :mad:
anyways i just wanted to know what the problem was i do'nt put my bike into neutral anymore at stop lights :cry:
Ya, I've done that several times. If you sit and wait in neutral, and then try to pull the clutch, press for 1st, and gas off the line, sometimes things just don't work. It has to do with getting things spinning the same. Try a quick pull of the clutch, release, then pull again and it will drop right into 1st, IF YOUR OIL LEVEL IS RIGHT, and it's not dirty as heck. :)
Now I'll go read the 20 or so other answers :)
Quote from: pbureau69 on May 08, 2008, 02:27:42 AM
Quote from: Gisser on May 07, 2008, 10:20:12 PM
Kill the motor then make your shift.
This may be true for bike that have different clutching systems, but on The GS500 YOU SHOULD NEVER SHIFT with the engine not running. This is not my personal option I am being a parrot, but I value the information and warning because it was given to me by the mechanic/saleman/onwer/Race team owner of the sport bikes store I bought My GS500 from.
I think this was probably not a warning but just a beginner tip on how to facilitate shifting on a sequential tranny and would apply to all motorcycles. You can't shift through the gears without some internal movement for alignment purposes.
Quote from: pbureau69 on May 08, 2008, 02:27:42 AM
Better try this (did not see it mentioned)
<snip>
Was mentioned. What I call the "feed some clutch" method. This is just SOP but, true, poster made no mention.
Quote from: pbureau69 on May 08, 2008, 02:27:42 AM
I have had the first gear "stick" when coming to a stop after extended ride, fresh or old oil (motorcycle rated 10w40),
made no difference, I think it is just a quirk of the engine /gearbox design, because I have a 2005, and its been doing it from day one.
Unless someone else can explain it better; I think the specs on the gears is a little too tight when "ran @ 70mph for 4 hrs"
First & 2nd gr do fit tighter together than the higher gears, perhaps to minimize drivetrain slop --which is more problematic in the lower gears. Anyway, that (clearance eating thermal expansion) is another theory to account for gearbox quirks. Next time try killing the engine to get out of 1st...you never know. ;)
Quote from: gmark on May 07, 2008, 05:02:27 PM
don't sit at a light in neutral. :nono: It's a good way to get run over by a cell phone chatting SUV driver. If you are in first you can get out of the way and give em the bird. :cheers:
How in the world would you know to get out of the way or know that someone isn't going to drive right though you? By that time, you're already hit.
Mirrors are a really handy thing to use while at a stop light. You can usually tell if someone is coming up on you way too fast. As long as you're looking in your mirrors every few seconds, you should be able to see things like that.
WE have some loooong lights, I put it in neutral to save the ol' carpal tunnel. Yes, mirrors are put to good use, and if there is a car in front and one behind, there's not much time to react if car behind gets hit anyway.
IF the bike has been on a long run, a couple hours of canyons and high revs, it often doesn't want to go into neutral, it can't even seem to find it and doesn't want to hit 1st either. So I roll it fwd or back a few inches whichever is easier, and maybe give the engine a little rev and touch of clutch if that doesn't work, then it goes into neutral (or 1st, whichever I want). If all fails, which io rare, I'll start off in second. ;)
I'm with Teek...I know it's safer to keep the bike in gear, but my wrists die during city driving. :mad:
As for the difficulty shifting....my first love, my Baby G, used to get more and more difficult to shift the dirtier his oil got. Heh. My SVs is the same way...just not as bad (and my LLT doesn't help, either). :icon_mrgreen:
definetly keep the oil changed with good oil, yes a sequential gear box is quirky, but did anyone ask or think to ask how old the clutch is, has it been changed, is the clutch cable in proper adjustment, is the gear selector spring still in good shape? Before someone gets flamed for oil let's get all the details