Weird noise and shifting issue

[tony7kp]

Had some issue with the bike today. Not sure if the two are related.

One I noticed a week or so back, very faint back then, but louder now. Its a weird creaking noise that seems to be coming from the front somewhere. The repetition of the sound is related to the speed, so I'm assuming its coming from the front wheel somewhere. I was trying to see if anything was brushing up on the wheel, but didn't see anything.

Second issue I'm having was that the bike was first not warming up very well, and while riding, it would not shift down to first or neutral. I was stuck on what it seemed like 2nd (may have been 3rd), and kept stalling out from stops due to the high gear. I couldn't tell it was a shifting issue until I got it in my garage and tried to pop it into neutral. I first just thought something else was wrong initially and that's what was causing the sluggish response and stalling.

Any clue on either issues and/or if they are related would be helpful. Now I cant even get the bike started since I can't get it to neutral.

[csmith12]

First thought regarding the sound is to check/lube chain.

Shifting issue...
When was the last time you changed your oil? What kind of oil did you use? Have you ever adjusted your shift lever? Does it shift through all gears while cold, bike not running on it's side stand?