Hello my fello Rebles...

What the hell .... i went to a stop light tonight in my 07 boulevard
and i could not hit 1st!! gear!! i had to go to 2nd!!??

i just bought the bike.. less than 60km ago.. is this normal??

it was like its stuck in  neutral sometimes too... weird.....


is this normal? am i down shifting wrong or does other ppl find they get stuck in  neutrall too.. especially shift from second to first???

......i was stuck in  neutral ...trying to hit first... didnt hit to like the 12th try

normal? prob not... clutch too lose? ... im a noob and this seems weird even for me...

thanks for the help .. it just hit 15,000km ..... plz help the noobie ! hehe..


i was in  neutral and she keep slipping?? must have because when i hit her down shje keep sliding to  neutral .... after 12th try she went to 1st.... plz help...

THANKS BROSKI'S!!

Downshift all the way to first before you totally stop rolling. It is actually pretty normal for it to have trouble shifting down from nuetral if it's at a total stand still. If you need to be in neutral at a stop (which is unsafe) and have to shift down either give it just the slightest touch of throttle while shifting down BEFORE letting the clutch out and it'll snip right into gear OR let the clutch out just a bit while shifting down BEFORE giving it any throttle and it'll snip right into gear.

Every make and model vehicle has its quirks. You just found #1. #2 is the false nuetral between 4th and 5th on the 1995 and newer bikes. #3 If you get a squeeking it's probably the belt. #4 if you get a rattling...headlight and/or speedo. #5 stock jetting is lean...

The least obvious and most serious is the cam chain. Look through the Tech Documents and read up. If you have 10k miles or more I'd suggest checking it right away. Might not need adressed right away...or it might. But you need to know one way or the other or you could literally destroy your top end in the blink of an eye.

The bike's simple but quirky. Get to know it and learn how to care for it and it'll return the favor.

PS - Where are you from.

EDIT - DO NOT SLAM ON SHIFT LEVER Its connected to a shift linkage rod that can and will bend and/or break if you slam on it. Firm pressure. Do not slam or you may end up being stuck in whatever gear you're in and you'll have to replace the rod.

Clutchless shifting? I have arthritis in my hands and would love to know how to do that so it won't damage the bike!

bill67 wrote on 04/24/11 at 06:21:54:

I would describe it like this,.........................
Unload the engine, then shift.
Or use slight pressure on the shifter, then slowly lighten up on the throttle till it shifts.
Don't let completely off the throttle ! That will put a load on the tranny in the opposite direction.

Did I say that right ??

Try 4 to 5 1st it's the easiest
just a quick flip of the throttle to drop the rpm's and lift up with your toe.
practice this whenever you can and when you get the hang of it (when to shift, how much flip) then progress to other gears.

and yeah down shifting is harder, i can do it, but much smoother to use the clutch.

Bad use of the clutch can cause damage too.  

thanks for the fast response guys!
ill play with it a bit.

I think everyone should learn how to shift without using the clutch as a safety measure if for no other reason. I can't count how many times knowing how to speed shift has saved me from a long walk because of a snapped clutch cable on both cars and bikes.