79 G5, can't find neutral

[JayDee24ca]

Locating neutral when coming to a stop is really difficult. The bike shifts through the gears up and down no problem really well, but if I don't click it into neutral before coming to a stop, I have to play around with the shift for a few minutes before I get it. Is this something that can be remedied without a teardown?
Thanks
JD

[Tom H]

Are you going to 1st then neutral? Works for me especially while very slowly rolling a few feet from the stop.

Tom

[Scout63]

Check your clutch adjustment. If it is not disengaging completely it could be difficult.

[JayDee24ca]

It doesn't matter if I am trying to get to neutral by going from 2nd to neutral or 1st to neutral, the shift just bypasses neutral completely. I mean, its there, and the neutral light flashes as I go past it, but it is very hard to land on neutral itself.

I had the back of the box off a year or two ago, to replace a seal, and it has been like this since then. You may be right, it may just be a clutch mis-adjustment from when I put it back together. Sure maddening.

[Kiwi Dave]

Sounds like a dragging clutch to me.

[glenm64]

Sounds like a dragging clutch to me.

x2

[Scout63]

Also check the detent spring and pawl (the vent on the left of the gearbox).  Maybe the spring isn’t pushing the pawl into the detects on the shift drum hard enough.  The neutral detent is shallower. Parts 27-30:





That’s a pretty simple system that usually doesn’t fail.  My money is on a dragging clutch.

[Howard R]

Try shifting it sitting still with the engine off.  If neutral is easy, your clutch needs to be adjusted.  If it's still hard, the problem is most likely elsewhere.  As mentioned above, it's most often clutch adjustment.

[JayDee24ca]

Yeah, quite often I have to shut the bike off to find neutral; much easier then. So, it sounds as though it is a simple clutch adjustment is needed. Many thanks all.

[TOMB]

If an adjustment of the clutch doesn't carrier finding the neutral take the time and effort to pull out the throwout bearing off the back of the transmission to see if it's actually collapsed or worn down to nothing do you may not have enough throw is no bearing surface left and then maybe pre-loading the the selectors

TOMB

[Matt Story]

If an adjustment of the clutch doesn't carrier finding the neutral take the time and effort to pull out the throwout bearing off the back of the transmission to see if it's actually collapsed or worn down to nothing do you may not have enough throw is no bearing surface left and then maybe pre-loading the the selectors

TOMB

   Huh?

[Tkelly]

I need to replace an led charging light with a standard one,does the cover just pop off or how do you get at it,it is a t3?Any thing else I need to do to get it back to stock?

[TOMB]

@Matt Story

check the throw out bearing at the rear of the transmission, if the rider holds the clutch lever while stopped at a light as an example the bearing will wear groves in the thrust washers mating surfaces bearing assembly thinner and when its worm out you have lost any adjustment that was there.

This was very common in the early 4 speeds that had ball bearings and the balls would get smaller diameter and the adjustment wasnt there.

Hey, its a place to look at then eliminate it as a problem.

But as other have said the clutch plates teeth and the teeth on the central hub are worn out causing too much play between the teeth allowing the clutch plate to drag at the edge of the plate so there will be a slight rotational load on the on the clutch  so finding neutral with the engine running makes it harder to move the shift lever.

Engine off no load and you can move the shift lever without much effort.

TOMB

[Chuck in Indiana]

For whatever reason, the clutch is dragging. You *may* get lucky and find it is just out of adjustment. If so, buy a lottery ticket. 

[JayDee24ca]

I took up a bit of slack on the cable lower adjustment nuts and it seems to have made some improvement, just in the driveway back and forth. Not sure how it will behave in the long run.

[Rolf Halvorsen]

The slack should be about 2-3mm.

[Furbo]

Agree with all on the carrier bearing check.

Also, check that the clutch actuation arm is not fouling on the carrier bearing housing. It's adjusted with a threaded bolt & nut much like the valves. They've been known to loosen over time.

If that's not it and the clutch is sticky, put duct tape over the bottom drain and a half pint of mineral spirits in the housing. Fire it up, squeeze in & out a few times then let it drain. That'll usually buy you one more season before replacing the clutch. When you do - go with the later deep spline hub & plates.

[moto-uno]

  When you finally finish with all the outside adjustments , take a deep breath and go inside . You'll probably find
a badly grooved clutch hub spline and maybe the flywheel grooves also . Great time for a new 4mm spline and
clutch plates ( check the center metal one isn't slightly warped ) and then go and enjoy the rest of the spring and summer .
Peter