will not shift into 1st

[WILD E]

Just bought an 18 VTX and ever once in in a wile will not want to shift from
neutral to 1st . I step on the control and nothing , the last time this happend I lightly rev the motor a little an then she went into gear like she's supose too. I supect the forward control the needs some adjusting .Any thoughts
on this would be appreciaten . ps I also hear a snap in the front end when I hit those hwy divder plates. never noticed it with my other bike. Jay

[Gunnar]

Thats normal. Another thing you can do is to slightly let the clutch out while trying to get into first. It should drop in. It also works trying to get from 1st to neutral.

[Retro Rocket]

Thats normal. Another thing you can do is to slightly let the clutch out while trying to get into first. It should drop in. It also works trying to get from 1st to neutral.

AGREED!!!!!

[coyotehunter]

When shifting from neutral into first,
just pull the clutch in 2/3 to 3/4 of the way.

[Memphis Fats]

My 1300 has the same problem. Too many times when coming to a stop, I can't get it to down shift at all, or all the way, and I'm almost stopped when I realize it. One of the signs that it's not shifting down is the absence of the loud clunk followed by the louder clunk going into first. (probably just a 1300 thing). It bothers me, and I don't need the distraction. Is an adjustment in order? If so, what?

[SLYF0X]

My old Suzuki Intruder did this all the time. I just let out the clutch, pull it back in and it should pop right into gear. I noticed this happened more often if I held the clutch in for a little while before shifting into gear. (anticipating a light change)

It's happened on my 1800R a few times too, but not nearly as much as the old 'zuki. I don't think it's anything to be worried about.

[Outlaw1800]

It's a syncronizer thing. The X gears work better when everything is moving so, do your downshift to first before you come to a complete stop. Otherwise you may need to do the clutch thing.
Do you have a windshield on your X? If so, it may be too tight around the light and the light may be "clunking" against it when you hit a bump. It may be the front light cover bottom positioner bracket too. Take the light cover off and put a couple wraps of electrical tape around that bracket (the hook bracket on the bottom) and see if that doesn't fix the problem.

[TerrySc]

Just bought an 18 VTX and ever once in in a wile will not want to shift from
neutral to 1st . I step on the control and nothing , the last time this happend I lightly rev the motor a little an then she went into gear like she's supose too. I supect the forward control the needs some adjusting .Any thoughts
on this would be appreciaten . ps I also hear a snap in the front end when I hit those hwy divder plates. never noticed it with my other bike. Jay
The snap your refering to is probably your headlamp rattling. Remove the two screws and separate the front from the main housing and place some double sided tape or some type of cushioning on the clip at the bottom. I also placed some insulation inside the housing to keep the wiring from rattling.

[WILD E]

Thanks for all the input ,everone has been very helpful .
Jay

[CandyRed1800]

My son's 1800 did the shifting stick thing and he sold the bike to me. Doesn't do it now. :icon_chee It does make quite a clunk when shifting into first. Read in another forum that using synthetic oil will fix it. Wouldn't know as we put the bikes away for the winter, but plan on trying it in the spring. z

[Retro Rocket]

My son's 1800 did the shifting stick thing and he sold the bike to me. Doesn't do it now. :icon_chee It does make quite a clunk when shifting into first. Read in another forum that using synthetic oil will fix it. Wouldn't know as we put the bikes away for the winter, but plan on trying it in the spring. z

That clunking is normal. So is the sticking going into first if your not moving. A simple letting the clutch out and then back in does the trick. The synthetic oil does make the beast shift smoother but it doesn't cure the shifting into first problem. Which in reality isn't a problem at all. A lot of bikes from many different brands do the same thing. :choppersm

[WILD E]

My bike was switched over to synthetic oil at 600 miles , I get a clunck when she's cold and idling slow. The guys were right about let the clutch out a bit and it jumps right into gear. Jay

[Captain X]

One thing for sure to improve all your shifting is to switch to synthentic oil. I used Mobil 1 (red) at first, but switched to the new Mobil 1 "V-Twin" motorcycle oil on my last change. (With a K&N oil filter) The X shifts much smoother, both up and down, and hardly ever hits a "clunk".

[Steve591968]

I have a different shifting problem. Recently on my 02 1800. I have just over 17K miles and change the oil religiously every 3K. Every now and then when I up shift the shifter does not rebound to the neutral position so that I can upshift again, forcing me to shift let out the clutch then push the shifter back down before I can shift again. It doesnt do it all the time but once it starts it will do it all day. Other than that the transmission is fine. I have checked the linkage and it dioes not seem to be the problem. Any suggestions?

[Retro Rocket]

I had the same problem. All I did was spray some WD40 on where the shifter enters the case. PROBLEM SOLVED. Just spray it there and work the shifter up an down a few times and it stops doing that.Use a rag to wipe off the excess. A lot of gunk came out of that spot so I guess it's just dirt build up.

[Steve591968]

Thanks Retro! WD-40 did the trick. I spoke with a mechanic buddy and he actually said not to use WD-40 so I was trying other light lubricants with no luck. WD-40 is definitely the way to go

[SeaRider]

The only problem with using WD-40 is that it tends to dry out in a short time. There are other similar products that are non-drying such as LPS Lubricant that would be better.

[Steve591968]

I my have to break down and pay the xtra money for the synthetic and see if I like it or not.

Thanks Searider. The WD-40 works for now if it starts again I will give your suggestion a try