Neutral isnt there anymore

[nitrofish1]

Just got my bike, 81 xs400 special. Doesn't seem to want to go into neutral. Also tried a kickstart and that wont work because theres no neutral. The electric start is just fine but id like to have neutral. Seems to shift alright on the road too.

 

[drewpy]

what, your always in gear?

we need more to go on than what you told us.

 

[nitrofish1]

what, your always in gear?

we need more to go on than what you told us.

yup. i start the bike every time with the clutch pulled in.

as you put it, always in gear.

the bike needs a new clutch cable but i sense a deeper problem. but as i said, shifts just fine through all the gears at speed, just wont go into neutral.

 

[drewpy]

there has to be, if you can go from 1 st to 2nd you go past the neutral.

All I can think of is the pawl mechanism which postions the gears is not pulling it to the neutral position. Access is oil drop and clutch cover off which means new gasket!

has it always done this is it just happened?

 

[nitrofish1]

there has to be, if you can go from 1 st to 2nd you go past the neutral.

All I can think of is the pawl mechanism which postions the gears is not pulling it to the neutral position. Access is oil drop and clutch cover off which means new gasket!

has it always done this is it just happened?

i just got the bike a few days ago. is it even necessary to fix this or can i just start it with the clutch pulled each time? other than a minor nuisance i dont see any problem with that.

 

[chkm8]

i just got the bike a few days ago. is it even necessary to fix this or can i just start it with the clutch pulled each time? other than a minor nuisance i dont see any problem with that.

aside from the unsafe aspect, of course. somewhere on here is a thread about one of our members that started in gear, slipped, and put a nice dent in the outside wall. not to mention the damage to the bike when it crashed and fell over. yes, i would fix it.

 

[nitrofish1]

aside from the unsafe aspect, of course. somewhere on here is a thread about one of our members that started in gear, slipped, and put a nice dent in the outside wall. not to mention the damage to the bike when it crashed and fell over. yes, i would fix it.

ok. well is this a good fix for when i install the clutch cable? and the haynes manual i have on the way would detail this job?

 

[Chev59_99]

All the bikes I have ever had since 1976 up to my 2010 ultra this problem was due to the clutch not being adjusted properly. When you get a manual or the ones online here take your time and read and adjust clutch its pretty easy should take care of your problem.

 

[lhaolpa]

Have you tried to manually[with your hand] shift from 1st to neutral? If you do it with the center stand down,you'll not need the clutch. If need be,you can get someone to move the rear wheel back and forth,which helps changing gears.If it will shift through the gears,then you shouldn,t have problems with shifter forks,but it's possible. lha

 

[bcware]

Most people can't find neutral on my '78 when I let them ride it. It's easy for me though; down from second seems to work better than up from first.

Does the neutral light flash when you pass it?

 

[nitrofish1]

Update!! Neutral is not a lie! I did get it to go into neutral. the neutral light didn't work but the fact that I can now find neutral is good. I guess i was being too hammer-fisted with it, because in order to get it into neutral you gotta be real gentle on the clutch lever, like lifting it up just enough to get it to click over, and no harder than that and its good.

Up next is a thorough carb inspection, some new carb boots, air filters, front brakes r getting fixed, new tires, need to fix some turn signal lights and then put it back together, maybe even a new handlebar or front forks, its not straight :/

The fun part today was me riding along with the speedo unhooked to see if the cable was operational, and when it wasnt, as soon as i removed the cable from the front wheel, the end of the cable was left in there whent he rest of the cable was removed, so definitely needing replacement.

All in all, got alot to do, but is going along at a nice steady pace and without a hitch. Yet. A few more garage sessions and shell be ready to ride, just in time for winterizing lol

 

[lhaolpa]

It seems as though Yamahas are more sensitive about neutral than others that I've ridden. Most are easy to find than my Dt400b dirt bike,as I have to really be easy on the shifter to get neutral.On the dirt bike,you don't need neutral as much as street bikes,but it's still important.There is a detent in the shifter mechanism that is a ball and a spring and makes the shifter stop on neutral,sometimes this is all gunked up as it's a low spot on the transmission. Maybe you should check it there should be a plug on the bottom of the transmission,just unscrew it and check it for flat spots,etc. lha

 

[XSLeo]

On my XS650 I pulled out the neutral detent and stretched the spring out longer and put it back in.
The extra strength of the spring made neutral easier to find.
When you move the shift lever with the weaker spring it would easily pass over neutral. With the stronger spring it caught the neutral detent better and didn't pass over neutral as easy.
Leo

 

[nitrofish1]

I'm just happy that I have a neutral now. Can't say ill be doing any brain surgery on the tranny now that it's working just fine, just that i wasnt being gentle enough with the shift lever. heres a pic of the bike after i took off most of the major stuff other than the engine and tranny and wheels, but wheels are coming off next weekend. getting her ready for some new carb parts and some other additional items.

 

[lhaolpa]

If'n it aint broke,don't fix it,you'll open a can of worms. lha