Neutral Corner

[Pig9r]

It will get better the more miles you get. Both the bike and the owner need to get broken in.

 

[tfrazier]

What, me? I'm perfect...I ride perfect, I know everything, I never make mistakes... I'm Grandpa Hulk, by golly.

Point taken.

 

[Sidecar Flip]

Locating neutral is in direct relationship to proper clutch freeplay adjustment. as is burned up lifter shafts.

 

[tdragger]

T., my brother just dropped his scortched yellow Rocket off at RPM Cycle near you yesterday. He is having issues with finding neutral as well. You may want to go by there this weekend and ask about what they found.

 

[Native One]

I replaced the crappy linkage system with a shifter off of a 04 Speed Triple I purchased off of fleecebay. I then cut off the toe shifter and replaced it with a Longhorn shifter from Kuryakyn by drilling out a larger hole and placing a longer bolt through the shifter and have found that finding all gears, including neutral, (even though I only use neutral to start the bike), is much easier and shifting is a breeze!

Native One

 

[dougl]

With all the talk about upgrade kits, I had my bike checked out by my dealer when he replaced the engine bars - one mounting point on the old ones had cracked. He said everything was OK except for some chatter in the clutch starting out in 1st. The mechanic said there could be something wrong with the clutch. They've never replaced a clutch on a Rocket. As I remember, this started when they put Kuryakyn grips on nearly five years ago. I'm totally used to it.

 

[Jamie]

Finding neutral? I keep on "finding" it! . Traffic light about to turn green. First gear firmly engaged (clunk!) , or so I think. And the darn thing suddenly pops into a weird neutral, upon accelerating. Been doing this to me since day one, which soon will be six years ago. Solution?: Smash the gearbox lever, be it down to first or up to second . Neutral merely lurks in-between. Authority in-between is what it bows its assent to. Jamie

 

[pdarbo]

Now that I've had my spinach and my left arm is 50% larger that my right, I don't mind holding the clutch in for the length of a red light.

No need for neutral here!

 

[scot in exile]

Try between first and second gear that is where mine is, never had a problem finding neutral and I do not repeat do not let the bike idle for five or ten minutes to warm up, start it and take off easy the bike warms up a lot faster.

 

[CanberraR3]

Try between first and second gear that is where mine is, never had a problem finding neutral and I do not repeat do not let the bike idle for five or ten minutes to warm up, start it and take off easy the bike warms up a lot faster.

I agree, it's easy to find, especially if the bike's still moving when you change down before stopping - which is actually what the owners' manual says to do. If I do stop in higher gears it's a simple matter of working the clutch in and out slightly (ie partial engagement) which makes it easier to click through each gear to find 1st or neutral. If you think you're going to want neutral, better to pull up already having changed to 1st.

Also, after starting, I let the clutch out for a couple of seconds in neutral before engaging 1st. Will give that positive engement "clunk" every time and never 'pop' out on acceleration.