Total Motorcycle Community Forums

sometimes when i'm shifting i guess i won't press hard enough and instead of shifting into second i shift into neutral. has anyone else had this problem as a beginner ? should i just move the placement of my foot or always consiously shift harder????

Don't pussyfoot around with it.

make sure you have the clutch lever pulled in the whole way and hit it in gear.

and dont be timid with that shifter, pull up on it firmly.

What do you ride?

Some bikes just have dodo gearboxes filled with false neutrals. After all these years some manufacturers just haven't figured out how to build good ones yet.

As a new rider I used to do it more than I'd care to admit. Now that I've been riding for a while, it doesn't happen. Just jam the shifter no need to baby it.

one thing they teach here is to hold your foot up through the shift from first to second, this helps to avoid false neutrals.

I still do it after 20K+ miles.. especially if I've been on the highway for a bit, then come to a light.

Go from first to NEUTRAL, "ah C R A P!!" hit it again, THEN second. Makes for rather 'messy' getaways.

Do it downshifting too, but not as often.

You just got to be more "authoritative" on the shifter.

P

every now and then i'll come to a stop, look both ways, and make an "O Ring" out of myself when i gun it and the bike is in neutral instead of first
doesn't happen often, but it happens. i put a heel/toe shifter on my vtx and that cured all false neutrals on upshifts, just slam down on your heel and she's in second.

I did it a lot the first week I got my bike. Then I read on here about pre loading the shifter. Has'nt happened as much since I started that.