Not selecting neutral when stopped

if after you have adjusted all the clutch linkage as others have said,then if the problem persists and you have those after market or those chinese shorty leavers,they can/may sometimes not pull the cable far enough,have seen a chinese clutch leaver on a 1200 bandit with hydrolic clutch,and it would not let the clutch engage,and had to be modified to fit like the original leaver,but not before the chap had fitted new plates and 2 springs/pressure plates

I've just taken her out for another test ride. The problem is only occurring after a few miles, presumably that's because it's warmed up by then. The oil level is fine and the oil's nice and clean and I didn't feel the need to adjust the clutch seeing as it was fine to begin with (but I'll probably go and fiddle with the adjustment now that it's warm to see if that makes a difference) and if not that leaves rezus17's suggestion. Fingers crossed :P

P.S. Rezus, how do I tell if the adjuster or pin are worn? (It may seem stupid to ask but with not knowing how they're supposed to look I don't really know what to look for haha :S)

The clutch lever is original so I can't see that being a problem but thanks for the info, bearing that in mind I'll be careful about buying cheap levers in the future

Originally Posted by Alexander94

P.S. Rezus, how do I tell if the adjuster or pin are worn? (It may seem stupid to ask but with not knowing how they're supposed to look I don't really know what to look for haha :S)

Take the adjuster off the bike and give the arm a wiggle to see how much free play there is before the arm actually moves the worm gear out. When I compared mine to the one I was replacing it with, there was a good 4-5mm of movement before it worked, whereas on the new one it was instant. The worm gear moved out as soon as I moved the arm. Also check how many ball bearings are in the thread for the worm gear. These tend to go walkies. The pin just gets worn over time so if you are replacing the worm gear and can get a pin too then just go for it . Only takes 10 minutes or so to check its just a bit fiddly!

And dont pull the pin out unless you have a bowl underneath or have a replacement to stick in. oil will come pouring out the hole!

Literally when you pull the pin, mr grenade is no longer your friend. But, does sound like a worn worm gear.
Also, when it's stationary, can you get neutral with a blip of throttle? Give that a try.

I've just had a look at it and there wasn't much movement at all, there was still a bit but only maybe 1-2mm. All of the ball bearings are present (although a couple fell out when i took the worm gear off, oops! But they're all back in now) i'll have a more detailed look when i have more time. I really appreciate all the help!!

[jambo]

I'd still say adjustment is likely to yield results, sometimes it just takes a little while to get it right.

You should not need a new pin behind the clutch actuator, as adjusting the screw & lock nut on the mechanism essentially alters the distance between the mechanism and that pin.

Try adjusting when it's warm, leave the front sprocket cover off for a day or two while you sort it out. Make sure you slacken off the cable adjuster, get the actuator set up correctly, then get the cable slack correct.

Jambo

[Sid Squid]

When the lifter is new and unworn there is a bit of latitude in exact adjustment, when it's worn the adjustment becomes much finer, to the point at which when worn too much an adjustment compromise between enough slack to allow the clutch to grip correctly, and enough lift to make it separate cleanly cannot be reached. Simply put the lifter's ability to move the clutch pushrod reduces as wear occurs, there will eventually come a point at which there is no longer enough movement to cater for the slackest slack point, and the tightest tight point, those being essentially the changes in the exact lift point at differing engine temperatures - as the engine warms up the clutch plates expand which has the effect of backing the adjustment off a dab, this means there may be just enough lift when cold, and not quite enough when hot.

If the problem occurs when the engine is hot, or is worse then, then the clutch lifter is either out of adjustment or is worn, or of course a little of both is possible.

You may already have done so, but if not do this first:

Originally Posted by Me!

Slacken off cable adjusters at top and bottom, loosen lifter locknut, back out screw a bit, ensure that lifter arm is as far down as it will go, gently turn screw in until it contacts pushrod, back it out a bit, (~1/8th of a turn), then nip up the locknut, roughly adjust cable with lower adjuster - not too tight - then with top adjuster ensure that there remains a little slack all the way from lock to lock.

If that's what you've done and the problem persists, then the most likely fault is that the lifter is worn too much. Make the adjustment when the engine is cold, and don't be tempted to adjust the clutch lifter screw further in an attempt to make it lift cleanly when it's hot - this can cause there to be insufficient running clearance in the lifting mechanism and the clutch itself may suffer excessive wear.

Thanks again guys! I'll try what you've suggested when I have the time and I'll let you know if/when I finally manage to sort it out