Ok guys,
I took my baby (GS500F 2004)out for the first time this morning and I gotta tell ya...it was beautiful!!  But, got into a little dilemma.....I couldn't shift to 2nd gear...it was super hard to shift!  Does anyone know what's up with that?

In addition, I couldn't get it into Neutral..I literally had to stomp on the shifter to get it from 2nd to 1st and then bruised my toe trying to upshift to Neutral...forget about 2nd that was a massive pain in the ass.  Does anybody else with an '04 have these problems?

Make sure your oil level is correct.

Upshifting to 2nd...  Be sure you are off the throttle.  Pivot you're heel on the peg instead of pulling straight up.  Preload the shifter just before you pull clutch/roll off throttle and it should snick right in.

Downshifting to 1st...  If at a stop, don't force it, just feed in a smidgeon of clutch.  

Neutral... Clutch pack may be sticking.  Continue break in.

Could you please explain what you mean by preloading the shifter?

Smooth Dave

Quote from: SmoothDaveCould you please explain what you mean by preloading the shifter?

Exert some upward pressure on the shifter before you even pull the clutch lever in.

Experiment with different amounts of pressure.

I'm hoping it's just the clutch packing because it is a new bike after all...but my boyfriend bought an GS '02 last month and didn't have this problem.  Actually, come to think of it, he told me he had never heard of anyone with a GS have this type of problem before.

I will admit that I haven't heard of problems shifting from 1st to 2nd.

But difficulty shifting from neutral to first (especially at stop lights   ) or finding neutral is fairly common.

My '99 had both problems when it was young, but they're long gone now....

Quote from: bluedevilI'm hoping it's just the clutch packing because it is a new bike after all...but my boyfriend bought an GS '02 last month and didn't have this problem.  Actually, come to think of it, he told me he had never heard of anyone with a GS have this type of problem before.

I see you've decided to speak "white" with us this time.  I couldn't quite make out what you were telling us in "blue".

Anyway, my GS is a little cantankerous at times. Shifting down through the lower gears at or near a stop after it's nice and hot will require a stiff boot at times and will make a pretty good "clunk" sound.  From what you describe, yours is worse.  I'd have it checked into.

OS

Thanks again, Kerry.

Smooth Dave

Quote from: KerryI will admit that I haven't heard of problems shifting from 1st to 2nd.

OK, let it be known then that my GS sometimes is awfully hard to shift from 1st to 2nd when cold. To the degree that it's impossible to shift. I do, however, drive away as soon as the RPM have stabilized, no minutes warming up phase. (Having a vehicle sit in idle for prolonged stretches is frowned upon hereabouts. It's considered unnecessary waste of fuel and folks don't like the noise)

The impession I get is, that in this situation matching RPM is extrmely critical.

I've experienced some difficulty shifting out of neutral if the bike's been idling ... won't shift to 1st or 2nd. If I rock the bike a little, or rev a little, that does the trick. Found that here, actually! *pats herself on the head*

-Kel

soemtimes jsut letting the clutch out and pulling it in again sorts things out. Usually though this is due to low oil. This bike is very sensitive to oil level (in regard to shifting.).

1st:  NEVER "stomp" on the shift lever. If the shift mechanism won't go into gear with normal effort, forcing it will only make it mad and make things worse.

2nd: What causes this is that the shift drum hasn't moved the gear sets enough to fully lock in, so they are "stuck" half way, and basically out of gear. Happens alot if the gear sets are not moving at all (engine off, or in Neutral at a stop). You either blip the clutch to try to pull it in, or by going back to the gear you were in and try again.  Its not a clutch or oil issue, just a quirk of Suzuki's transmission design.

Tell me about swirks in the transmission....last night as I was driving back home I couldn't shift into 2nd at all!!!!  It got completely stuck on me and the harder I tried the worse it got.  It came to the point that I locked my rear wheel and started smoking out a little.  My boyfriend checked it out and said that something is definitely wrong with the transmission so I'm taking back to the dealership so it can get checked out.

Quote from: bluedevilI'm taking back to the dealership so it can get checked out.

Great idea!  Best of luck with it.  Let us know how it turns out.

Well, they finally picked up my bike on Tuesday late afternoon and I called them yesterday to see if they had checked it out.  Apparently they didn't find anything wrong with it!!!!  This is incredible....this thing doesn't let me shift to second in the middle of a very high-traffic road and they are telling me nothing is wrong......I'm frustruated.  I don't know what's going on with the bike.

With regard to getting into neutral... if it doesn't go in and you have to stomp on it, just roll the bike forward while keeping pressure on the shifter and it will pop in.

As for 1st  to 2nd.  I've never experienced this.  Since you're moving shouldn't be a problem.  I'm at a loss.

ASLAM.

The only other thing I can think of, that I have experienced, is difficulty in shifting to first between 1500rpm and 2500rpm. I just avoid this area, though.

At what rpm's are you attempting to shift into second?

Thanks for all the support guys....I finally got my baby back and she's much better.  Apparently they just adjusted the clutch cable and that's what did the trick.
I'm back on the road and it's great!