1st to 2nd gear

52957 Views 47 Replies 36 Participants Last post by PugslyCat, 3 mo ago

Flamegirl

Discussion Starter · Sep 30, 2014

I am having an issue with my Street 500 and was wondering if anyone else has the same problem.

When shifting from 1st into 2nd (sometimes) I hear and feel the click like the bike has gone into gear. When I roll on the throttle the bike ends up being in neutral. Sometimes the green N shows on the speedo sometimes not.

I am an experienced rider so I don't think it is me. I have made a point of really making sure that I am shifting clean and it still happens.

Anyone else?

Oh, and it seems to happen a bit more when the bike is warmed up.

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MGG

· #10 · Apr 15, 2015

Flamegirl said:
I took my bike into the shop last night. We will see what they have to say.....

Hi Flamegirl; I am a new rider. I am having this same issue. Was wondering what the dealer said or decided.

The other day I must have missed 2nd gear and ended up in neutral 7 or 8 times on a short ride. A friend of mine said I was not shifting it all the way up but that was not the case as I was very conscious of this when it happened on this ride.

I had read about the fat foot thing before but this is not the case either as I get my foot completely out of the way.

I have found that if I shift it slowly and gently it goes into second fine almost every time. (Last night only missed second once. In fifty mile ride.) It is like if I through it up quickly and release it quickly it bounces into neutral. Is that possible? But if I put it up gently and release it gently it goes into gear.

I have never missed any of the other gears no matter what I do.

mgg

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MGG

· #14 · Apr 17, 2015

As you mentioned earlier it is more likely to happen after it is warmed up. However in my case once I miss second it can take several tries to get it into gear which sucks if you are in the middle of an intersection.

I am going to see if there is any adjustment in this when I bring the bike in for the 1000 mile oil change/tune up.

If anyone discovers a technique for shifting or fix for this please post.

mgg

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MGG

· #19 · Jul 2, 2015

I reported having this issue here on April 15th. It still happens but very rarely now. It may be that I have gotten better at controlling the clutch lever or it may be that I make sure that my foot is under the foot peg before I shift from 1st to second gear or a combination of the two. I wore my street shoes in place of my riding boots for a couple days and it never happened on 2 long rides. The difference between my shoes and boots is that it is much easier to get my foot completely under the pedal with my shoes as they are thinner than my boots. Another thing I have changed is that I thought it would help to slam or push it into second hard and get my foot out of the way quickly. This does not help! Pull in clutch, shift up smoothly, let foot down naturally while releasing the clutch is what works best for me. It is rare that I miss second gear now. Last time it happened I was caught off guard at a light that turned green before expected and I did not follow this relaxed routine. (I hope this is not a fluke. It has been working for me now the last 7 rides I took. So I am feeling pretty confident now.)

It has always seemed strange to me that I have a difficult time finding neutral (N) on this bike unless I am not looking for it.

Here is what I have found works for me to find N. It is easier for me to find neutral from second gear than from first. It is also easier when the bike is moving. So if when coming to a stop I want to rest in N I down shift to second and when I hit second I break until it is pretty slow and then ease it into neutral before I stop. This technique has been working well. The only problem with it is sometimes I am not sure when I am in second. (I wish there were a few more gear indicators.)

mgg

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