Motor Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Sign up or log in to customize your list. Here's how it works: Anybody can ask a question The best answers are voted up and rise to the top I'm having an issue where the transmission will occasionally downshift by itself during a fast acceleration. I have a 2005 Suzuki Vstrom 650 and it's been a great bike so far. At pretty high revs, 9k-10k or so, it will occasionally go from 2nd -> Neutral, and I think the same thing happened once going 6th -> 5th gear. What is causing this to happen and how can I fix it? I've had this on a few bikes and it can happen for a few reasons. If it it's only happened a couple of times i wouldn't be too worried. I've had a 'false neutral' when changing gears and instead of engaging the next gear the gears don't quite engage and you end up between them. Older bikes with higher mileage might be more prone to this. To avoid it I've found that as you change gear hold pressure on the gear lever a little longer as you release the clutch.

It seems to help the gears engage. And maybe be a bit more gentle on the throttle when changing. I have had bikes jump out of gear as you describe on a couple of occasions. I put it down to not having the gear properly engaged. I had 1 bike that had a badly worn gearbox. 2nd gear was so badly worn that it would jump teeth. The edges of the gear teeth were rounded. I had the gearbox stripped down and had the gears 'undercut'. This puts a fine angle on the mating surfaces of gear teeth which means that under load they positively engage. This is not a simple task and should only be entrusted to an experienced specialist. If it becomes a regular occurrence for you, you might be looking at a gearbox rebuild. Im not a vstrom expert but its possible there might be some adjustment or tolerances that might make a difference. Maybe even play in worn bearings might be a factor. But as I said at the start if it's only happened a few times i wouldn't be too concerned. The phenomenon is called as hitting "False Neutral" while shifting.

Basically when the clutch is not able to engage the selected gear properly the drive shaft stays in the mode of stasis . i.e simulating the effect of the bike being in neutral. The only difference between a regular neutral and this one is that you don't see the neutral light on the dash. First of all if its not a common occurrence then you don't need to worry since almost all of the bike are prone to this once the gearbox is old except the ones with the quick shifters(BMWs). No lubricant or oil in the system. Badly maintained gearbox or bad shifts performed on a regular basis. Having a full clutch setup( i.e you have to depress the lever to its maximum) Having a full clutch though being comfortable usually is one of the main causes of hitting false neutrals.I would advise to change the set up to half clutch depress. Unfortunately there is no way to "Permanently Fix" a false neutral issue, it depends on the bike and the gearbox and all of the above reasons, However you can do the below things to reduce the occurrence of hitting a false neutral on your next trip.

Tighten your chain( Also check if the chain,sprockets are in good condition if not replace them) Add fresh synthetic oil to the bike. Have a Half clutch setup( Meaning you need to depress only half of leaver to engage the clutch) When shifting gears, keep the gear depressed with a constant force until the entire duration of the clutch engage. This is a extremely effective technique to avoid unexpected "false Neutral" occurances. motorcycle helmets uk cabergFor example when you shift from 1 to 2nd your feet will be under the gear leaver so instead of a nudge , after the nudge keep holding the leaver till the clutch is fully released.used ktm bikes for sale in bangalore The above technique mitigates "false neutrals" almost in all situations. women's eternity mesh motorcycle jacket

(Trust me I personally do this) Tip: If for some reason you hit a sudden false neutral keep in mind to ALWAYS UP SHIFT , DO NOT down shift since on hitting the False neutral your RPM will shoot up and if you down shift it will put heavy strain on the gearbox. Sign up or log in Sign up using Google Sign up using Email and Password Post as a guest By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.seized motorcycles for sale in ohio Not the answer you're looking for? motorcycle shop fenton miBrowse other questions tagged motorcycle transmission suzuki or ask your own question.red wing boots cadillac miUser ReviewedHow to Shift Gears on a Motorcycleharley davidson for sale chennai

Two Methods:Shifting Gears on a Manual TransmissionShifting Gears in a Semi-Automatic TransmissionCommunity Q&A One of the most important processes of riding a motorcycle is shifting gears. This may seem like a challenge to master, but shifting gears is really a simple process. How you shift gears, however, will depend on whether your motorcycle has a manual transmission or a semi-automatic transmission. Become familiar the clutch, throttle, and gear shifter. The clutch is located in front of the left handgrip. It is responsible for transferring torque from the engine to the transmission. The throttle located on the right hand grip. Rolling on the throttle increases the engine RPM to prevent the engine from stalling. The gear shift is a bar located in front of the left foot pedal. It is responsible for switching between gears. Squeeze the clutch lever in, then slowly ease it out. Roll the throttle towards the back of the motorcycle ("roll on") to go faster. Roll the throttle towards the front of the motorcycle ("roll off") to go slower.

Press down on the gear shift to put the motorcycle into first gear. This only works if you are in neutral or second gear, otherwise, pressing down the gear shift will only take you to a lower gear. Move the gear shift upwards to reach the remaining gears. The predominant gear pattern for manual motorcycles is one down, and four or five up. Neutral is found between first and second gear. Start the motorcycle by squeezing the clutch, then pressing the starter button. Make sure that you are resting in the neutral position. Neutral is indicated by a green "N" light on the meter console; all new bikes comes with this feature. At this point, you should be sitting on the saddle of the bike. Shift into first gear. Start by closing the throttle, and then pull the clutch in all the way. At the same time, move the gear shift into first gear by pushing downwards on the shifter. Then, slowly apply throttle while releasing the clutch gently until the motorcycle starts to roll slowly.

After this point start increasing throttle input and release the clutch all the way. Do not be in a hurry to release the clutch lever, continue to coordinate the throttle and the clutch until the motorcycle is moving. As the motorcycle increases speed, continue to ease the clutch lever out smoothly and slowly. Upshift into higher gears. When you have achieved sufficient speed to justify shifting to a higher gear, roll off, (close) the throttle as you squeeze in the clutch. Place the toes of your left foot under the shift peg, lift the peg up as far as it will go. You can continue moving into higher gears by bumping the gear shift upwards more. One bump goes to second, another to third, another to fourth, and so on. NOTE: an experienced rider does not need to operate the clutch to shift up. He simply lifts the shifter lightly with his foot, and then, when he down-blips the throttle, the next higher gear will engage. Doing this smoothly takes a bit of practice, yet saves shifting time, and also slightly increases the lifetime of the clutch plates.

If you are in first gear and you lift half way, you will find neutral. If you release the clutch and roll on the throttle and nothing happens, you're in neutral, squeeze the clutch and lift again. If you skip a gear by accident, don’t worry. It won’t damage the bike as long as you make sure to match the throttle to the gear you have shifted to. Downshift to a lower gear. Learn the required controls. Turn the bike on. Shift into first gear. Shift into higher gears. Downshift into lower gears. Show more unanswered questions Motorcycling demands 100% of your attention 100% of the time. Learn to operate all of the controls from muscle memory by “playing” with your motorcycle in a safe environment. The easiest way to stay out of trouble and avoid accidents on your motorcycle is to identify that trouble long before you reach it, or long before it reaches you. When at a very high speed, brake with the front brake gently at first and then progressively harder until you have slowed down to the speed you want and then gently ease off on the brake pressure.

Use a little rear brake to stabilize the bike. Build the habit of shifting down while the wheels are turning. Sometimes, when a motorcycle stops moving, the “teeth” in the gears line up in a position that makes it impossible to downshift until you ease the clutch out. Modern bikes rely on the front brake to stop. Using the rear brake at a high speed has very little effect. The largest majority of motorcycles have a manual transmission. This means that the clutch must be used to disengage the transmission every time you want to start the motorcycle moving, every time you want stop the motorcycle, and every time you shift, or change gears. If your motorcycle doesn’t have this feature, you will have to develop a “feel” for your gear shift peg. One lift, or one press, equals one gear. You cannot go from first gear to fifth gear by just holding the shift peg up. It must be reset for each shift up, or down. When the engine is cold don't pull the throttle fully, as you may wreck the engine.

Let it warm up first! Keep your knuckles pointed upward to the sky, especially for beginners as to not give the bike to much throttle in first gear. Some modern motorcycles have a digital display in the speedometer console that will display the gear that you are currently in. When the light turns green, look left and right and left one more time to make sure that no one is “trying to beat the yellow light.” Pulling out in front of a red light runner can turn a great day into a not so great day. When you take your bike out on the streets and highways, keep your eyes up, searching for problems in your path of travel. Check your rear view mirror from time to time looking for people who don’t see you. Always stay in first gear when waiting at a stoplight. Have an escape route planned and glance in your rearview mirror from time to time while waiting on the green light. If something bad happens behind you, escape! When shifting up, listen to the engine. If it is making a very low grumble, shift down.