[parvo]

I just bought an 02 Bullet with 3,500 miles on it. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong but I can't figure out how to get it into neutral at stop lights. The only way it will go into neutral is if I shut it off and then left foot it into neutral. I've treid the nuetral lever as I'm coming to a stop, but it doesn't seem to do anything.

My clutch cable seems okay....Do I need to adjust my clutch itself or rebuild it or...?

[Bankerdanny]

You need to use the neutral finder. It's the silver lever on the right side of the gearbox, above and just behind the kickstart lever.

I had an '02 also. It is almost impossible to get into 1st from a stop with the engine running.

The trick is to stay in second as you approach the stop. Then press down on the neutral finder and you  will pop right into neutral. You can do this while moving or after you stop.

Depending on how broken in your box is, you might be able to get to neutral from 3rd, but I usually went from 2nd.

[Slider]

Is this still a problem on the latest Bullets? I don't see this lever you mentioned (although I'm only looking at a picture right now, as my '08 iron hasn't arrived yet).

[Vince]

     Even modern motorcycle transmissions are designed to be shifted while moving. Most people have a hard time finding neutral at a stop. Those that can, consider yourselves lucky or charmed. The rest of us should shift into neutral as we come to a stop. If you are already at a stop you can try rolling the bike forward or back a couple of feet while keeping toe pressure on the lever. The 4-speed was notable for this. As Bankerdanny said, use the neutral finder. Of course you should make sure that all adjustments are properly made. The shift linkage is funky and contributes to the issue. There is a kit to take up excessive slack. #Z90543 4SPD Bushing Kit.
     The later model 5 speed is a different style transmission and does not incorporate a neutral finder. Neutral can still be hard to find from a stop, so use the techniques I suggested. They apply to every motorcycle transmission I ever used.

[Slider]

Thanks. I know what you mean about all bikes being touchy. I used to have an '86 Honda Nighthawk that was very smooth, never a problem finding neutral. But the '84 Nighthawk I'm currently riding is real picky, it can be almost impossible to find neutral at times.

[birdmove]

  I always shift into neutral while still rolling. If I do this, my 2007 shifts just fine.If I roll to a stop in gear its hard to find neutral. This bike is not made to sit there idling at a stop in gear.Find your method to get it into neutral just before you stop, and your cluth will be much happier. I have always done this with any motorcycle I've ever owned (over twenty over 45 years).

    Jon in Puyallup, Wa.

[Slider]

Is it okay to go from 2nd directly into 1st? Is it even possible, or do you have to go into neutral first? I sometimes go directly into 1st on my Honda, but I only do it either at a stop or when I'm still rolling but very slowly and just about to stop. But I'm unfamiliar with the operation of the Bullet's gear box. So is this a no-no or what?

[ace.cafe]

You can shift from 2nd down to first with one firm press on the shift lever.
It will go right thru the neutral position and into 1st gear.
Neutral is like a halfway detent between 1st and 2nd gears, and you can pass right thru neutral going down, just like going up.
Just be sure you are going real slow when you do it, because 1st gear is real steep.

[Vince]

     Neutral is ignored during regular riding. The only concern in down shifting is if you let out the clutch at a speed to high for the gear. Example: If you dump the clutch on first gear at 50 MPH the engine will over rev and may float a valve or do other engine damage. Just make sure you engage the clutch at a road and engine speed appropriate for the gear. When ever I shift up or down I slip the clutch as I engage it to make sure I the shift is smooth. One of the hardest lessons of clutch use is to understand that the clutch is not an od/off toggle switch. Smooth progressive engagement is the key.

[Slider]

Cool. Sounds good.

[Bankerdanny]

If your clutch is adjusted too loose, which is to say when you pull in the lever it doesn't fully disengage, that will affect how difficult it is to engage first or neutral at a stop. Conversly, if it is too tight, you will get slippage when you accellerate or when you are using the kick starter.

I rode quite a bit in stop and go traffic here in Chicago. I found that if I didn't have the clutch set up just right, over time it would heat up and get grabby and make it hard to get into first at a stop.

[parvo]

Thanks everyone. How do I adjust the clutch?

[PhilJ]

If you have an owners manual it will show you how. Otherwise, loosen the lock ring at the point where the clutch cable attaches to the clutch. Adjust for about 10 mm gap between the clutch handle and the bracket attaching to the handle bar and see if it improves. If it is worse go the other direction with the adjuster and come back to the forum with as many details as you can. Someone will try to help some more.

[Kevin Mahoney]

I personally prefer to adust the clutch at the transmission. If you open the "porthole" cover you will see and adjusting screw held tight with a lock nut. One method is to tighten the screw until all of the play is out of the system and then back it off 1/8 of a turn. Another is to make your judgmental by the amount of gap between the clutch lever and the perch (your owners manual will give recommended distance). In essence what you are trying to accomplish is to have the clutch mechanism poised to operate the clutch with just a bit of free-play so that it is not engaged all of the time.
  The other side of the coin is that the amount of movement available to release the clutch is not all that much. If it doesn't fully release it will drag causing extra heat and can make shifting difficult. This is especially true of 4-speed bikes.
  I like to tell people to adjust it " as tight as you dare".

[PhilJ]

Kevin,  I started to got that direction but he seemed like he'd never done anything like this before.
I wanted to take the clutch lever out of play before going that direction. But this is good, now he can get both adjusted properly.

[parvo]

Thanks guys. I drove it around this afternoon and it seems to be working fine. It must have been user error 

[Kevin Mahoney]

Phil,
You are right. I thought about that as well. It did occur to me though that others would read the post and maybe I should give more detail. It was a judgement call for better or worse. You are correct, sometimes more information is not as good as less

[scooberton]

Hey Vince.Have you had any personnel experience with a bike that has part # Z90543 installed?The info I just read about the part indicates that shifting could be a little harder{stiffer or more resistance at the shifter?} The sales info. also indicated that this kit is for 4SPD left hand shift models,Im assuming that they are refering a bike that has a left hand shift mechanism and that there not refering the clutch lever being on the left side.As my bike has the shift lever on the right side  it sounds like this kit is out for me.If anyone can verify that, there input would be most appreciated for if this is a good kit that will fit on a right side shift bike and is a good product that will really improve the shifting characteristic, I would like to know this.Any thoughts anyone?cangrejopup

[Vince]

     This bushing kit is for the linkage from the left side pedal cross over to the right side. If you already have the pedal on the right side (the brake pedal would be on the left), then this kit would not be usable. It works great on that linkage, however. It really improves shifting.