1st gear locking

[mista350z]

Hey everyone. I was wondering if anyone knows whats wrong. I am a new rider. The other day I was riding and stopped at the light. I couldnt get into 1st gear. It seems like it wouldnt engage for some reason. I had to pull over and play with it for a little bit until it went into 1st. Is there something wrong with my gear assembly or does it get locked up sometimes. This isnt the first time it happened to me.

[sometimesido]

When that happens to me, I roll forward or backward a bit and it goes in gear.

[smcbride11]

Did you buy the bike new or used?

Sometimes a bent shifter lever will look normal but will give you trouble downshifting - if it's ever been down on the left side you may need to take a look at the lever and bend it back out a little bit.

[mista350z]

used but never been down.

[zartan]

Hi, As Sometimesido stated it is normal to sometimes have to roll the bike a bit to get it to set into gear. It will eventually become second nature.
Is you clutch cable adjusted properly? Your owner's manual will explain the procedure.

[Buffalony]

Yeah in second at a light..let out on the clutch alittle. It should drop down for you.

[mista350z]

Originally Posted by Buffalony

Yeah in second at a light..let out on the clutch alittle. It should drop down for you.

huh?

[Buffalony]

When you stop at a light is it in 2nd or N?

[Rynownd]

Originally Posted by mista350z

huh?

A little confusing... but I use the same technique to get into first when I have problems. I usually get stuck in N. Just let the clutch out like you were going to start (launch) but it's still in N. Then just disengage the clutch and try getting into first again. After letting the clutch out in N one time I can always get into first.

[Buffalony]

Originally Posted by Rynownd

A little confusing... but I use the same technique to get into first when I have problems. I usually get stuck in N. Just let the clutch out like you were going to start (launch) but it's still in N. Then just disengage the clutch and try getting into first again. After letting the clutch out in N one time I can always get into first.

Thanks. this what I meant. I gently press on the clutch pedal while lightly letting off of the clutch lever. and no throttle.

[B2FiNiTY]

yup. While I press down on the shifter, I let out my clutch a bit and it will engage. I was stalling like mad when I first got the bike because I didn't know what to do about the locking gears.

[Viper-Byte]

I try to shift into 1st while I am still moving (at about 5 kph) it has never locked up on me doing this. It used to lock up, but just move the bike back of forward and kick the lever and usually it would jump in.

[Alex]

One thing that I remember learning with my first bike is that bike transmissions don't work the same as manual car transmissions. I sometimes have a silly OCD habit when driving a manual car at a stoplight, putting the transmission in 1st, then in neutral, back to 1st, all the while holding the clutch in. I guess it helps me confirm that it's actually in first before I take off from the light.

You can't do that with a bike transmission without releasing the clutch. For example, if you are in neutral and want to go to first, you pull in the clutch, press down on the lever, and you're in first gear. With the clutch still held in, you can get it back to neutral by pushing the lever back up. But now, if you try and get it back into first, it will not go back in no matter how much you play with (or stomp on) the shift lever. You need to release the clutch in neutral, pull the clutch back in, and only then press the shift lever down and it will work right away.

[mista350z]

Originally Posted by Alex

One thing that I remember learning with my first bike is that bike transmissions don't work the same as manual car transmissions. I sometimes have a silly OCD habit when driving a manual car at a stoplight, putting the transmission in 1st, then in neutral, back to 1st, all the while holding the clutch in. I guess it helps me confirm that it's actually in first before I take off from the light.

You can't do that with a bike transmission without releasing the clutch. For example, if you are in neutral and want to go to first, you pull in the clutch, press down on the lever, and you're in first gear. With the clutch still held in, you can get it back to neutral by pushing the lever back up. But now, if you try and get it back into first, it will not go back in no matter how much you play with (or stomp on) the shift lever. You need to release the clutch in neutral, pull the clutch back in, and only then press the shift lever down and it will work right away.

Thanks Alex. I will try that later on. I guess I also have OCD driving a manual car then. I thought I was the only one that stopped at the light goin....1st gear...neutral....first gear....neutral.

[B2FiNiTY]

In a car, I usually just shake the stick in N to make sure it's in N.

[Alex]

I do that too.

[Buffalony]

Originally Posted by Alex

One thing that I remember learning with my first bike is that bike transmissions don't work the same as manual car transmissions. I sometimes have a silly OCD habit when driving a manual car at a stoplight, putting the transmission in 1st, then in neutral, back to 1st, all the while holding the clutch in. I guess it helps me confirm that it's actually in first before I take off from the light.

You can't do that with a bike transmission without releasing the clutch. For example, if you are in neutral and want to go to first, you pull in the clutch, press down on the lever, and you're in first gear. With the clutch still held in, you can get it back to neutral by pushing the lever back up. But now, if you try and get it back into first, it will not go back in no matter how much you play with (or stomp on) the shift lever. You need to release the clutch in neutral, pull the clutch back in, and only then press the shift lever down and it will work right away.

Well said

[paterick4o8]

Originally Posted by Buffalony

Yeah in second at a light..let out on the clutch alittle. It should drop down for you.

I used to have the same problem when I was an ultra noob. Since then I realized to use this technique, and now I'm just a semi-noob hehe. Also rockin it back or forth helps sometimes, but I only do this when I can't get from Neutral to 1st or 2nd when my bike is not started.

[Viper-Byte]

Originally Posted by Alex

You can't do that with a bike transmission without releasing the clutch. For example, if you are in neutral and want to go to first, you pull in the clutch, press down on the lever, and you're in first gear. With the clutch still held in, you can get it back to neutral by pushing the lever back up. But now, if you try and get it back into first, it will not go back in no matter how much you play with (or stomp on) the shift lever. You need to release the clutch in neutral, pull the clutch back in, and only then press the shift lever down and it will work right away.

I tried this last night and I was able to go neutral - 1st - neutral - 1st - netral - 1st all while I had the clutch held in. I am going to try it again soon and see if I am telling the truth

[Alex]

Originally Posted by Viper-Byte

I tried this last night and I was able to go neutral - 1st - neutral - 1st - netral - 1st all while I had the clutch held in.

Well, it seems that the ninjette's transmission allows this. I'm not sure if it has something to do with Kawi's neutral-finder, or another particular feature of our bike's transmission, but after playing with our bike today, I quickly saw that Viper-Byte is exactly right. Sitting at a stop, with the clutch held in continuously, you can click from 1st to neutral to 1st again as much as you want. Most bikes don't work that way. Pretty cool that this one does. But it does then bring up the question, what was the problem folks were having getting it into 1st and neutral earlier in this thread?

[Viper-Byte]

Yeah, I tried this again today and I was able to do it 20 times before I got bored and done something else People were looking at me funny as they went past...

[Buffalony]

When you approach a stop start downshifting,after your stoped shift to first then click up one for neutral.When stoped the positive neutral finder will not allow you to shift into 2nd.Only after you are moving foward it will let you shift.No more hassels looking for neutral.

To clarify. When you come to a stop your usually in 2nd. Then have to ease the clutch and shift pedal alittle to get back in first. If your just standing still theres no shifting past N.

[Alex]

That didn't clarify it for me, it confused me. You can come to a stop in any gear you want, and I've never had an issue shifting past neutral into first when the bike was completely stopped.

But if what you meant is that once you're in either neutral or 1st, and the bike is stopped, then yes, the Kawi "neutral-finder" prevents the transmission from shifting past neutral up into second no matter how high or hard you lift the shift lever with your toe. It's definitely a helpful feature for those just learning the ins and outs of motorcycle shifting.

[Buffalony]

Originally Posted by Alex

That didn't clarify it for me, it confused me. You can come to a stop in any gear you want, and I've never had an issue shifting past neutral into first when the bike was completely stopped.

But if what you meant is that once you're in either neutral or 1st, and the bike is stopped, then yes, the Kawi "neutral-finder" prevents the transmission from shifting past neutral up into second no matter how high or hard you lift the shift lever with your toe. It's definitely a helpful feature for those just learning the ins and outs of motorcycle shifting.

I remember me having a problem of getting her into 1st from 2nd often, but not the exact specifics of if it was every time or if I was moving or not. + it could just be me or my bikes attitude
I cant check it now cause she in pieces at the moment. maybe I'll rip up and down the street in the morn after work and post back.

[GreezMunky]

Originally Posted by Buffalony

I remember me having a problem of getting her into 1st from 2nd often, but not the exact specifics of if it was every time or if I was moving or not. + it could just be me or my bikes attitude
I cant check it now cause she in pieces at the moment. maybe I'll rip up and down the street in the morn after work and post back.

Same here, on both my bike and my husbands bike. I'm still not sure if it's because I've gotten used to riding my bike that I've learned how to shift from N to 1st with no problem or maybe it has something to do with breaking the brand new bike in and it just took awhile before things started working properly. (whew, check out that run on sentence)

[DarkNinja52]

*bump*


I noticed something funny going on with my neutral and first gear while I was at a stop with the clutch disengaged/pulled in. I got the same kind of "jellow" shifter feeling (it bounced back out of first into neutral) which was mentioned in another shifting thread. Couldn't shift down to first after being in neutral without releasing the clutch (although the neutral light did go off... not safe when making a left turn.. just rolled through the intersection in neutral before I realized what happened ) this was the day after my incident (also know as two days ago) so I just assumed I sucked at life and don't belong on a bike (which may also be true).

I'm not sure if everything was straightened out here, I got a little lost in the wording here and there. But I found a bit of information in the Owner's Manual that seems to address this.

The transmission is equipped with a positive neutral finder. When the motorcycle is standing still, the transmission cannot be shifted past neutral from 1st gear. To use the positive neutral finder, shift down to 1st gear, then lift up on the shift pedal while standing still. The transmission will shift only into neutral.

Now this addresses shifting into second while not moving, but I'm sure that it won't let you shift down because it is just an aspect of this feature, or a malfunction of this feature. Don't think it's a malfunction, I just think it doesn't want you to shift out of neutral until you've let the clutch out. I don't know why my neutral light went off though.... any ideas?