False Neutral

Sold my very low mileage '81 R100RT last Saturday and the buyer just e-mailed me a question that has me a bit perplexed. Seems he and his lady friend went for a first ride yesterday and he apparently had a hard time when shifting as in hitting false neutrals. He asked me if I had noticed this problem and I told him that in the 11 years I had owned the motorcycle I could no doubt count on one hand the total number of times I had ever encountered a false neutral. I also told him that I thought it was most likely technique on his part. He is used to /6 and /7 bikes and the '81 does shift much more smoothly than earlier models at least imo as in no clunk. Anyway, I'm looking for thoughts and suggestions that I could pass on to my buyer. I suggested he pre-load the shifter, always bring the revs up to 4K before shifting and maybe roll off the throttle ever so slightly at 4K RPM just before making the shift so there is less load on the drive train. Can't think of anything else that might help. Jeez, I hope there's nothing gone wrong with the tranny. Buyer is about 8 hours drive from my location. I sold a mc trailer with the bike so he didn't ride it home and he didn't want a test ride before he took possession. Personally, I would have taken a short ride but I also know lots of sellers won't allow a test ride but in this case I would have. Then on the other hand pristine as the bike is it's still a 34 year old machine. Suggestions??

Make deliberate shifts. Full throw up or down. I know when I get lazy and just nudge the shifter up, I get a false or actually grind a bit. That was when I first got it, but on rare occasion it happens.

I wouldn't worry about it
He will figure it out in no time

That is a common complaint with the 81's. My 81 R100RT did it before I installed the shift kit. Preloading the shift lever also helps make a positive shift. Nothing serious.

I think what might help will be to "post-load" the shifter. Do everything everyone else is mentioning, but this is something I got from Oak when I was having false neutrals between 4th and 5th. Continue to hold the shifter up as you let the clutch out. As mentioned, do it deliberately and smoothly. When I get a false neutral now, it's because I was rushing it and not thinking about the individual steps. It should be second nature, but you still have to concentrate.

I'd not suggest he has to be at 4K rpm.
Preloading the shifter slightly is often a substantial help.

FIRST thing to check is that the shifter arm itself is tight. If that gets loose, and it is easy to tighten, the shifting will be lousy, and loosen enough, no shifting.
The next thing is if his boot tip is too thick, if so, the shifting linkage needs to be adjusted.

Otherwise, it is simply learning how to shift the bike..,...since YOU did not have problems.
Snowbum

Morning all and thanks for the responses. I don't think the buyer is aware of this forum so I sent him an e-mail pointing him in this direction. He didn't know about the ABC but does now. The MOA is an important resource for all things BMW IM(humble)O. I still have my '04R1150RT and my '93R1100RSL for now at least. The RSL will be the last to go. I should have maybe kept the R100RT and started with the 1150 but too late now. It is hard giving this up.

Good news! my buyer tells me that pre-loading the shifter did the trick for him and he's happy with the bike.

Thanks for the help guys!

Jim

my 81 throws a false neutral between 4>5 upshift also. i've learned to 'wait' on that shift for 2 clicks, keeping upward pressure until the second click is felt. bothered me at first but now i just say the Stars Wars phrase, "Wait for it..." in my mind when shifting and all is well!

False neutral in second gear

PAS said:

That is a common complaint with the 81's. My 81 R100RT did it before I installed the shift kit. Preloading the shift lever also helps make a positive shift. Nothing serious.
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My 1984 R100RT which I purchased new, drops second gear into neutral occasionally. This can be dangerous in turns. When it was in warranty, I was told "the shift fork was worn and I did not want the technician to open the gear box". That explanation did not make sense to me, the bike was fresh and I have a feel for mechanics and never forcing the shifter, how would the fork bend? This shift kit makes perfect sense. I have ridden this bike all over the eastern USA and Canada and have learned to be exact with my shifts when coming out of second. Do you have a part number?

Your bike has the shift kit in it already. Around mid 81 build dates they were installed.

The kit perse is no longer available from BMW. From notes I have that came from Ted Porter, the kit in included the following parts:

Updated shift cam 3-4 23 31 1 451 563
Updated shift cam 1-2 & 5 23 31 1 231 611
New style offset link 23 31 1 231 578
New style pawl 23 31 1 242 892
Pawl spring 23 31 1 242 910

A transmission rebuild would likely include other parts as well.

The kit is still available from Motobins as Part No. 53210. The original poster has the updated parts in his bike already.