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Question about shifting.

2K views 11 replies 8 participants last post by  LibertyPilot 
#1 ·
I have noticed that sometimes my bike when shifting out of first will go into neutral. Usually it will only do it when im riding down my dirt road. I can only recall it doing it once on takeoff at a stoplight. Is this something that is normal or does the RPM have to be at a certain point for it to shift into 2nd? But it only does it every so often so i wouldnt think its suppose to do that.
 
#2 ·
How old is your bike, may have worn shifter. Other wise it is something that just happens, when you really do not lift up on the shifter enough. It has happen to me sometimes also. What is really embarasing is trying to speed shift and miss the shift. The engine revese and you don't go anyware. It happens to a lot of people.
 
#3 ·
X2^^^^^^^

You might try to be extra conscious of firmly lifting the shift lever from 1st to 2nd gear, and holding it for just a split second, while you let the clutch lever out. It can happen to anybody once in a while.
 
#4 ·
X3 It happens!! :beerchug:
 
#5 ·
Ok yea i do find my self not able to pull the shifter all the way up because its abnormal for my foot to pull back that far.
 
#6 ·
I believe you can take your lever off and move it down a notch or two.
 
#8 · (Edited)
I tried that last summer wib, but it lowers the shaft way too far. I didn`t count how many splines are on the shifter shaft, but just to keep the math simple, lets say there are 30. 30 divided into a 360* circle= 12* per spline. In my case, I wanted to raise the lever a couple of degrees, but moving the lever up 1 spline put the shift lever so high that I would have to raise my leg from the hip to get my toe under to shift.

VVLL you might try to find a short piece of thick walled rubber hose to slip over the footpad that`s on the shifter at present. If you gain 1/4" it may be enough to make the difference for you. Find a local farm or industrial supply store that sells hose by the foot off a spool. Take your shift lever off the bike and into the store so you can "try fit" it into the hose to get a tight fit. You might have to buy a whole foot of hose to get the 2" you need, or if you catch the right guy on the right day, he may just cut off the 2" and give it to you. My guess is that you will need a hose with an inside diameter about 1 1/4".

If you can`t find a good fit a second option might be to split a 2" long piece of 3/4" ID heater hose lengthwise and zip tie it to the bottom of the shift lever pedal. Probably want to tighten them down so the locks are at the front edge of the pedal, so your not stepping on them or digging into the top of your boot.
 
#9 ·
I have found that shifting is a lot easier with bigger boots. I tried realigning the shifter but found my shoe would not fit under it. A thicker soleded shoe or boot works a lot better, and makes it easier to get that extra lift.
 
#10 ·
I'm sort of with Fergy on this one... Maybe you are being a easy on the shift and also not getting the RPMs up past the neutral stage???? Just a thought there, and as a last resort maybe weld a heel up shift on it...??? You know like some bikes come with, maybe even another shifter would fit with a bit of modification...???
Have a good one...Old Dog...
 
#12 ·
I did that once when I first starting riding. There were 2 harleys side by side behind me. They pulled up real close because they heard me revving the engine. It took them until they were almost on my rear fender to realize I wasn't going faster in second but slowing down in neutral. They didn't look happy. Since then I make it a point to really shift that thing. I'm not afraid that I'm going to hurt the bike anymore. I don't kill it while upshifting or anything but I do give a nice kick up each time I shift.

Yeah bigger boots help too but if you do any Winter riding, do NOT get steel toed! I made that mistake once and only once. The steel absorbs the cold from the wind passing over them and your toes freeze off! It wasn't pleasant...
 
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