Finding Neutral

[sparky65]

1985 GL1200 LTD Trying to find neutral and get the green neutral light is a pain in the butt. It will work but most times
when I stop and park I toe it down and up and down and up etc. trying to find that magic spot when the light comes on.
Sometimes it'll be in neutral but no light,I let out the clutch a little to see if its still in gear or not.
If I use my hand I can usually get it but with heavy motorcycle boots there's no fine touch thats for sure.

She shifts fine up or down no problem,its just this neutral position problem between 1st. and 2nd.

My 83 Interstate was'nt this finnicky to find neutral.

Whats going on? Good thing I can pull the clutch and start it in gear because when riding with a group they'd be waiting
for me every time we stopped and that would get old pretty quick.

[bluewing]

My bike goes into neutral the first try most of the time, every once and a while it takes two or three tries. It seems there are a few people who have a problem with it though. I do find it a bit harder just before an oil change.

[neoracer]

seems that with a heel and toe shifter its a little easier for me especially if i try to put in in while the bike is slowing down

can be a pain once bike is stopped

[roscoepc]

Mines an extreme pain to find neutral when the engine is cold so after I first move her outta the garage to warm up, I'll kill the engine, pop her in neutral and then crank and warm her up! After she's warmed up sometimes I have to fiddle with the shifter to find the neutral light but it's not too bad.

If I ran a lighter weight oil, (I'm useing 20w-50w), It would probably be easier to find neutral... Oh yeah... I'm using full synthetic...

[admin]

Remove the clutch lever and check the bushing for wear. If the bushing hole is oblong at all replace it, it's only a few dollars. What happens if the bushing is bad is the clutch lever loses travel and in that case the clutches plates are not releasing fully causing the transmission to be hard to go into neutral.

[Guest]

Remove the clutch lever and check the bushing for wear. If the bushing hole is oblong at all replace it, it's only a few dollars. What happens if the bushing is bad is the clutch lever loses travel and in that case the clutches plates are not releasing fully causing the transmission to be hard to go into neutral.

that sounds spot on for my problem. I have a hard time finding neutral as well, and sometimes when i start it in gear even w/ the clutch lever held tight, the bike lurches just a little bit.

[admin]

Also, be sure to properly bleed the clutch hydraulics at the slave cylinder on the bottom first then at the banjo bolt at the master cylinder next.

[Wingnoob]

Remove the clutch lever and check the bushing for wear. If the bushing hole is oblong at all replace it, it's only a few dollars.

I have exactly this issue on the '85 I brought home last night. I didn't see how to get the bushing out of the lever... is it all one assembly that gets replaced all together?

edit: looked at some parts books, the bushing is a separate piece - I suppose mine were all stuck together and just need a little more effort to take apart.

[admin]

Was your bushing worn? If not just grease it and re-install it and look for the problem elsewhere such as air in the hydraulic line or warped clutch disks

[Wingnoob]

The bushing is a nice little oval shape and rattles around in the hole in the lever... took it out and tried to take it off the pushrod by hand - does the pushrod screw in or just fit into the hole?

[admin]

Which push rod are you talking about? If the master cylinder, it stays in place.

[Wingnoob]

In my case, part #3 and part #4 were stuck together. It looks like the bushing should just fall off the pushrod.

[admin]

The bushing I'm talking about is in the lever only. If there is no bushing and the hole in the lever is worn oblong then you'll need to replace the entire lever.

[Wingnoob]

The bushing is worn oval, the lever looks good. Picking up a bushing at the dealer this evening.

[maestro319]

Hooray for these posts. Not that you are having trouble finding N, but, being a brand new rider, I FIND OUT THAT I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE who has this problem. I thought it was just me and my newness, or ineptness, at shifting.