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What is a false neutral?

What is a false neutral?

  • Neutral light is lit, but bike is actually in gear

    Votes: 12 11.9%

  • Neutral light is not lit, but bike is actually in neutral

    Votes: 26 25.7%

  • Can describe both 1 and 2

    Votes: 6 5.9%

  • Something else entirely

    Votes: 57 56.4%
  • Total voters
    101
channelcat said:
hit a false neutral on my speed trip a while back downshifting into a corner going down Colton. leaned in, expected power on to get out, nothing, began falling into the turn and oops hit the front brake. highside at 45, broke my collarbone and spiral fractured ankle. plate in ankle and climbing ladders three days later. bad idea. hurts daily, 8 years later. I will regale at some point to the interested, echo, over pizza and beer sometime. got the plate out same time had the right shoulder fixed from laying down an 1100 Magna, just realized not 1/2 mile from the Triumph deal. nailed it to my front door casing as a mezzuzah.
guess I should stay out of Montclair...

False neutrals on performance bike/anything approaching edge riding is seriously bad business. you have been warned.:twofinger
Click to expand...

Did you hit your head too?:wtf
 
False neutral is something that barely happens to Kawasaki bikes..

and if it does .. it is between gears 1 and 2.
 
AbsolutEnduser said:
False neutral is something that barely happens to Kawasaki bikes..

and if it does .. it is between gears 1 and 2.
Click to expand...

not the point of this thread but since it's been brought up.........

Never hit a fn on the 10r w/ close to 100k mi
Never hit a fn on either of the dynas; one w/ over 100k mi.
Used to hit them once in a while on the k75

other bikes not often.
 
I think neutral is a gear unsplined and perhaps bearinged to the transmission input shaft. a false neutral occurs when the shift forks have not fully engaged the gears. causes can be bent forks, worn grooves in the shifter drum, worn gears, improper clutch adjustment, loose shift lever, or riding in tennis shoes.
 
Had it once in ba while on the honda between 5-6. Never in the lower gears. Usually because I only nudged it into the next gear
 
I haven't read the other posts.. But it can happen in any gear. It's like the bike is in neutral but is actually between gears so to speak. The gear cogs are not meshing together so the engine revs without transferring power to the output shaft so spins up without any detectable load on it. It is just like being in neutral as far as symptoms go. I suppose if it happens between first and second you could actually be in neutral with no neutral light on.
BTW very scarry and dangerous when approaching a corner at 120 mph and having 0 engine breaking. I survived lol. But did crash. Slowed down since and became a less sloppy shifter.
This will probably bring out the flamethrowers but meh it's teh Barfzez :)
 
Last edited:
A false neutral is when your girlfriend says, "Go ahead. Do whatever you want. I don't even care."
 
Happens on both my bikes, vary rarely, first time was a surprise,
since then I ride for it, treat it like any other hazard.
 
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