False Neutral

[Hughsie]

How's it going folks?
In the last couple of weeks I've started to get a false neutral between 5th & 6th gear on the Monster.

Anyone any ideas what's causing it or if it's something that I need to be getting looked at?

Thanks in advance

[dunlop0_1]

Check linkage/rose joints are ok although I would expect the problem to exists in all the gears if they were lose/worn. Possible the selector fork/drum needs adjustment although I would favour lazy gear changing ;) We all do it so don't worry. :D

[northantsrich]

Yea I have found the same. It seems its just lazy gear changing. Its trying to get in neutral I find the pain!!!

[urbanfireblade]

Seems to just be a trait of the gearboxes. Alot of people have them,

[Hughsie]

Thanks folks. Hadn't thought of the 'lazy' option!
But if that's the case, why only between 5th & 6th??

[utopia]

The slickness of gearchanging can be an almost mystical conundrum sometimes.
Mine improved noticeably when I fitted rearsets (you might expect the opposite to be the case, due to the tighter angle of your ankle).
And funnily enough, I'd set the lever quite high, so I almost had to hoick it up a gear with my whole leg.
I would say that adjusting the lever position, even just a fraction, can make all the difference though.....and also perhaps to make sure that the angle between the gearchange rod and its input/output arms is around 90 degrees.....or whatever looks most appropriate.
But it can become almost psychological sometimes....once you expect a clunky change your body seems to tense up a fraction, which can itself be enough to cause/perpetuate the clunk.
I must be on a roll at the moment though, because mine's been changing like butter lately (apart from neutral to first).


As to why only 5th to 6th......
Could be that its easier to be lazy when selecting the last gear in the box, like you've almost finished the job and have already switched off....?
Or maybe there is something mechanical within the selector mechanism which is somehow different at the end of the line....?
Or perhaps even that by the time you're looking for 6th, you're already battling some serious wind pressure and your body is tense......?
Those are all a bit iffy I suppose, but like I said, it does seem to be almost witchcraft sometimes.

A constantly oiled chain always seems to help, which is why I put up with the slight mess of a scottoiler. Hence my chain is always freshly oiled, and maintains an accurate tension too.
When I fitted a chain tensioner to my old trials bike, the gearchange improved noticeably. I put this down to the chain slapping about a lot less. Tight spots in the chain, or inadequate lube would probably increase chain slap. Maybe even that's another possible explaination as to why only 5th to 6th....ie cos the wheel is turning fastest during that change, so the chain slaps more.

Of course, you could have a mechanical fault developing in the gearbox too ( I wouldn't want to falsely encourage you to totally disregard the possibility), but there are so many other possibilities in the bucket that I think the odds are in your favour.

Mine went through a period at around 6000miles when it changed like a dog and I was tense beyond belief. Now I can almost carress it into gear.
Apart from the rearsets, and an accurate set up and lube of the lever mechanism, nothing's changed.

I suppose it could be worse on a tuesday.....if the wind's in the east.

[Capo]

Properly set up, the gear change will function perfectly