can't find neutral

[logitech104]

do you think his bike is really that sensitive to oil??
Maybe you have worn parts, i don't know.
Try checking the oil level, you could have a thirsty bike.

[ofblong]

I find Shell Rotella 15w40 semi-synthetic works well in my FJ-1200... not the smoothest shifting bike ever made by a long shot..... but others have had just as good results from Mobile 1 or similar oils. Most bike manufacturers have at least one good full or semi-synthetic oil branded as their own and for sale in their dealerships. Just be careful to avoid automotive oils with 'Energy Saving' and the associated sunburst symbol on the bottle. The additives can cause your clutch to slip.

I was at sams club and that stuff is expensive but worth it . $55 for 6 gallons.

[BuzZz]

do you think his bike is really that sensitive to oil??

Mine is. At 2000 miles the shifting starts getting finiky, by 2500 I can't stand it any more and have to change it. Run some regular dino-slop like QuakerState or whatever and the shifting is never as smooth as with a good oil, and by 1000 miles it's really krap. Clutch action is not as smooth and linear as it can be, either.

Bear in mind that most Yamaha gearboxes(like mine) from the late 70's to early 90's were all the same basic design and shifted only slightly better than a Harley of the same era. Cruddy oil makes the action about the same as an H-D.

A Honda box from the 70's is about the same, both in design and function.

Of course, it is very possible something is worn inside and causeing this. It's a whole wack cheaper to change the oil and see it it helps than to open the cases.

[Sev]

$20 for oil + filter
$300+ to get a mechanic to look at the transmission

Admittedly if changing the oil makes a difference there's probably some wear in the transmission anyways, but this will keep it going a lot longer.

[Johnny Gaijin]

changed the oil (eventually. had to tip the bike on it's side to that plug off and then used an oil pan that was too small and spilled oil all over the place. yeesh.) and ta-da my shifting ability has returned! thanks for the advice everyone, i'm pleased as punch it was such an easy fix.

[BuzZz]

Glad it worked out.

Older bikes and their gearboxes are a whole other world away from anything modern. Even brand new and perfect, they shift much more crudely, and good oil is a godsend for them. 30+ years of use is going to make it even more notchy. That's not to say your tranny is worn out, no matter what Sev says , just the nature of the beast. Sev has only ever had new bikes, he don't know what riding a mid-70's is really like (his 599 is a smooth shifting wonder compared to anything from the 70's-80's ). I wouldn't be scheduling a tranny rebuild anytime soon. Any wear you have is normal and probably not worth fixing until it starts missing shifts or slipping out of gear regularly and oil makes no difference.

Now ride.....

...if you can where you are.... I HATE winter....