[svRider84]

Hey I am still pretty new to the world of bikes, and I was wondering if it was something that i was doing or something I could do to correct it. When I ride and begin to stop it is difficult to get my bike to go into neutral. This is just for when I am parking I am always in gear at a stop light etc. If i am coasting to my parking spot and I am in second I have tried to just tap it down and to gently apply pressure, but it goes straight to 1st. Then bringing it up from first to neutral it seems like it just bounces over it. I also find sometimes when I start riding for the day that it is harder to shit gears than after about 10min of riding. Any suggestions on weather is me or my bike.

 

[ninja500rider]

Well, I see you didn't put what your bike is, but given your name, I'm going to assume probably an SV650??? Something like that. I'm not too familiar with them, but I know my Kawi. Harder to shift before fully warmed up is normal--don't worry about it. As for shifting into neutral..I CAN'T on my bike, thanks to Kawasaki's positive neutral finder, which makes it impossible to kick up past neutral at a stop, or to hit neutral while moving (yeah, it still slips sometimes) My suggestion is to kick down into first, coast into your space by HOLDING THE CLUTCH IN, and then kick it into neutral to park. As a sidenote, though, I tend to park in gear anyway, for the same reason as you should do so in a manual transmission car--then it can't roll anywhere. Hope this helps a bit.

 

[RACER X]

some bike are easier to find neutral in then other's. takes practice and time.. my vfr is easier then the SV

sometimes it's easier to go all the way to 1st then bump it up.

msf?

 

[svRider84]

Yeah I just got done with msf. Me=newbie. I was just curious if there was any other suggestions. Thank you for your input.

 

[RayOSV]

New or used? If new, it will be stiff and notchy for a while. You'll get used to it and it will loosen up. If used, have you checked the oil level and clutch adjustment? Does the oil need to be changed? Check all of the above and if all OK, it's probably just a matter of you getting the feel of shifting.

 

[TK5028]

My bike does the same. Harder to shift until warm. The engine and transmission uses the same oil, when the oil warms up it becomes easier to shift. What wt. oil is in it? The heavier the oil the longer it takes to warm up to shift smooth.

 

[Ghost Rider]

Blipping the throttle with the clutch lever pulled MIGHT help, but it's likely just a matter of being very gentle and not moving the gear lever too far. On the plus side not hitting neutral between first and second is a GOOD thing.

 

[stoinkythepig]

The easiest way to get it into neutral is to do so from second gear while you are still rolling, even just a little. Once you stop, it becomes much harder to find neutral. That said, nothing wrong with leaving it in first when you park.

 

[svRider84]

thanks for the tips. My first post might have been a little misleading. I do leave it in first when i park it just if i am trying to position it like backing up into a spot or pushing it into the garage with very little room then i like to have it in neutral before i start to position it. I usually just hit neutral now right before I stop coming down from second. Thanks agian

 

[oscarcolumbo]

its hard for me to find neutral once i've come to a full stop, like at a red light, if i don't downshift.