False neutral between 5th and 6th gears

[geoff]

My bike is an 06 Tiger and has only done about 600km. I have noticed that the bike has a false neutral between 5th and 6th gears if I am a bit soft shifting down from 6th to 5th :( . Apart from the possible safety issue of finding neutral instead of a gear I am also concerned that in the long run this could cause damage to the box because of the grinding noise from the box when it hits this false neutral. At the moment I am trying to be consistantly forceful with my shift between these gears to avoid hitting this neutral spot.



Does anyone else know of this problem with the Tiger? I have previously owned two Hondas and a Kawasaki and have never experienced a neutral between any gears other than 1st and 2nd.  



I have raised this issue with Triumph in Australia a couple of days ago and have yet to get a reply.

[Jim S]

I've an 04 955i, I've hit it twice in three months (3000 miles). I just put it down to the selector, I don't hit it too often so not too worried about it. In normal gearchanges it doesn't happen, just when I'm a bit light on the pedal.



Be interesting to see what Triumph say though.

[wasions]

I've hit a false neutral between 3d and 4th, I think twice.  Both were before I got to 1000 miles, and I haven't had that since.

[tiger feet]

My '97 Steamer has always had that between 5th & 6th and now has 17,000miles on the clock :)

It has never got any worse in all that time and just needs a firm shift to make sure it doesn't happen.

However, it won't be my problem for much longer as it's going in about 10 days time :(

I really don't think it's anything to worry about :?:



Best regards,



Tiger Feet.

[3Rider]

I raised a similar issue with my dealership re: my '99 (14,000 km) and they said that it was nothing to worry about and that it was caused by the fact that Triumph over-built these transmissions. (?) It takes a firm shift foot, he said, implying that I should be pleased. I wasn't pleased when I spent 5 long seconds bouncing off of redline trying to get into third with an SUV behind me on an on-ramp. But to be fair, this has only happened a couple of times and I can't find anything else to complain about on this bike.

[geoff]

I received the following response from the Triumph warranty man in Australia..



It is possible to get Ï a false neutralÓ between any gear on most motorcycle transmissions. The gear has to disengage from 5th and it must freewheel before it can engage 6th gear. If you do not follow through fully with the shift, then the mechanism will not always complete the shift and a false neutral and often a noisy griding engagement will result.  As the gearbox wears in it will loosen up and will let you get away with a Ï lazyÓ more often, but it is always possible to miss a shift if the lever is not run fully through its stroke.



So it is quite clear that Triumph consider false neutrals to be an acceptable condition  :(  and I will just need to make sure I use a firm push when selecting any gears. I am still of the opinion that the above statement is not the entire truth because a transmission should have spring dents that preclude it staying in a position between two gears. But, I have some hope that as the transmission wears a little the issue will get better. I may also fit a digital gear position indicator so that I don't bother to use 6th gear so much.

[iansoady]

I would agree with the Triumph statement. As far as detents go, you will find that these are to hold the gear in once it gets there (and the same for the "official" neutral) so only take effect once the gear is engaged. I don't have any problems with mine at 9000 miles.

[Eric]

Anybody have trouble getting INTO neutral?  On my 2006 Tiger with 2500 miles (obviously just breaking it in), when the engine is cold/cool, dropping into neutral is no problem, but after I've run it for a 100 miles or so, finding  neutral (i.e., getting it to drop into neutral) when I stop takes a lot of flipping of the shift lever between 1st &  2nd to get it to stop in neutral.

[iansoady]

I'd look at your clutch cable adjustment. Also, if you've been riding in the rain a lot, the cable might be a bit stiff in the outer and would welcome some lubrication.



My neutral at 9000 miles is always very easy to find.

[wasions]

My 2006 had the same problem when new.  With 8+k, it now settles into neutral quite easily.



And iansoady's right about the cable adjustment.  I've done it several times.  Fortunately, it's easy enough to do at a stoplight, or even on the fly, if necessary.