2011 DR650..Very hard to find Neutral!!

[RideoutJames]

Hey guys i've got a 2011 DR650 with 5000kms and im having a hard time finding neutral, any ideas????

When i try to find Neural from 1st the lever is hard to move and when it does it usually jumps to 2nd. Its easyser to find neutral from 2nd. Sometimes the Neutral light will comes on when i think its in neurtral but when i let go the clutch its actually in gear and stalls?

I think my clutch is adjust right cuz the clutch dosent start to engage untill the hand lever is about 1/2inch off the grip..about where it should be. I've got a fresh oil change, using Castrol 10w40 non synthetic. I've got no strange noises from the engine except for normal DR stuff lol. When im driving in the trails or street it shifts normal through all gears, no issues at all.

Any help would be much apprectiated,thx.?

Edited November 19, 2011 by RideoutJames

[qwerty1234]

My suggestion would be to run semi synthetic, and be a shitload more aggressive with the bike

[kezzajohnson]

Crikeys I would be getting your neutral sensor inside your clutch cover checked without too much further delay. Although not in huge numbers, there have been enough failures of the NSU screws on the DR650 to warrant many owners, myself included, to get to it and locktight the NSU screws to be sure.

The screws (or 1 of) have been known to not be that tight from factory and known to work loose and then can munch all sorts of things on their way to the bottom of the sump.

Inaccurate neutral light is a classic symptom and it sound to me like yours might be loose. Get it checked out while under warranty and make sure then no other damage has been done if they were loose.

The test for a clutch cable is in the cable free play at the lever, not how far from the handlebar the lever is before the clutch starts to engage. As a cable stretches you will find you eventually run out of adjustment at the lever and end up with too much freeplay where the clutch can only be semi or fully engaged, not disengaged completely. That can lead to difficulty in selecting gears and neutral and be more knothcy.

With regards to diffculty in finding neutral, I don't think loose NSU screws will cause that but if you are relying on that neutral light to tell you you are in neutral then maybe you need to go by feel instead. To me it sounds like you probably have too much freeplay in the lever. Adjust it at the lever. The specs are 10-15mm freeplay in the lever (before it starts to pull the on the cable). If your dealer has done the Pre Delivery correctly, they should have had it adjusted properly anyway but you never know with some dealers. I may be wrong but just offering a suggestion.

On a DR650 it's easy enough to go through the gears and back down without using the clutch, as long as the revs are right. However it is quite difficult to find neutral without using the clutch unless you are going down (to neutral) from 2nd gear. It's possible with just a light tap down on the lever while still moving slowly. A bit like the symptoms you are explaining.

Try it sometime.

5000kms is not many and it would be very unusual for a DR to have the difficulty in finding neutral symptom that early unless it's something as simple as cable adjustment.

Definately get that NSU checked out though.

I'd also recommend having a look at what oil you are using because it does make a difference to the gearbox in feel and in selection of gears (ease of selecting).

[Wallacey]

Very informative post kezza, gives me an excuse to pull the clutch cover off for a stickybeak:)

Thanks

[kezzajohnson]

The cover should come off OK and the gasket also should come away cleanly still attached to the clutch cover. Not a bad idea if you can get a new gasket but I just used a bit of gasket goo when reassembling using the old gasket. No leaky.

Be careful of the positioning of the clutch actuator arm (engine end of clutch cable) on the splines of the shaft, in order to get your clutch adjustment right afterwards.

cheers

[jonboat]

What is a stickybeak?

[-Jake-]

I'd double check the clutch adjustment.

[Wallacey]

What is a stickybeak?

To have a stickybeak is to have a look out of curiosity.

?

[shadylane]

Hey guys i've got a 2011 DR650 with 5000kms and im having a hard time finding neutral, any ideas????

I think my clutch is adjust right cuz the clutch dosent start to engage until the hand lever is about 1/2inch off the grip.

Sound like your clutch is dragging. The 1/2" free play is when you begin to pull in the clutch. The lever should move this far before the slack is taken out. Too tight and the clutch will slip. Too loose and it will drag. "1/2inch off the grip" will drag for sure.....

[jnrhoon]

I've also found that blipping the throttle gets the clutch slipping more freely, if there's a bit of force on the gears they tend to stick a bit.

But +1 on all the above.

My 2011 Dr650se has 8000km's on. My clutch cable still feels fine though.

Good luck

[DR Da-da]

Sound like your clutch is dragging. The 1/2" free play is when you begin to pull in the clutch. The lever should move this far before the slack is taken out. Too tight and the clutch will slip. Too loose and it will drag. "1/2inch off the grip" will drag for sure.....

My thoughts exactly. I improperly adjusted my clutch lever once and it exhibited the same symptoms you're experiencing. It was fine for the first few minutes of operation, but once the oil warmed up and the clutch plates expanded due to the heat, it became difficult to find neutral.

Your clutch should engage well before the lever is just 1/2" from the bar - just be sure you don't adjust it too far in the other direction and cause it to drag and engage early. Start simple, and then progress to the more difficult procedures once you've ruled out the simple possibilities.

The part about your neutral light coming on when it's not truly in neutral . . . well, that may just be your NSU. I safety-wired mine for peace of mind and it wasn't too bad of a job. I used a new clutch cover gasket, but I probably could have gotten away with reusing the old gasket. The hardest part was scraping off every last bit of the old gasket to ensure clean/flat mating surfaces.? Good luck!