Why does my bike hit neutral so easy?

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Colorado Mike
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Why does my bike hit neutral so easy?

Post by Colorado Mike »

My bike's favorite gear is neutral. I have to be extremely deliberate to make it into 1st or 2nd (depending on up or down shifting), or else I'll end up slipping into neutral at the worst possible time.

Simple you say, just don't be such a doofus. Well, I've ridden a lot of bikes in my time, and even though I am a doofus, I don't have this trouble on other bikes. Conversely, when my kid rides mine, he agrees the tranny needs to be dragged out and shot. When I ride his, I have a fine time.

I have two options, steal my son's bike while I can still overpower him (not much time left for this); or fix mine. I have been into bike trannys before, but for obvious stuff. Like when a third of the teeth from a gear are stuck to the drain plug. What I would really hate to do is tear into mine and end up no better than it was before.

The question is, is this a common problem with a known-to-work fix?

Thanks,
Mike

Life's tough, it's even tougher if you're stupid.
'04 KDX220
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RBD
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Post by RBD »

Mike, my very first thought is clutch drag...., the clutch is not fully dis-engaging.

I know that you have the free play at the lever right, but there could be other problems like;

Worn clutch basket

Warped steel clutch plates

Broken friction plate

Oil viscosity

Even a bad clutch cable

If you are in first or second gear and at a stop and engine running, is it hard to find neutral?

Just some thoughts,

Ron
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Colorado Mike
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Post by Colorado Mike »

Thanks Ron,

It's actually very easy to find neutral on this bike when it's stopped but running. The oil viscosity is interesting because I have noticed it seems to work better on the first ride after an oil change. By the third ride it's much worse.
I typically ride about 40-45 miles per ride. I'll take a look at the clutch, but I haven't had the problems most people complain about, like the creeping while stopped and so forth.
Mike

Life's tough, it's even tougher if you're stupid.
'04 KDX220
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