Accidentally goes into neutral

[Michael]

This happens every once in a while ....

I'll be accelerating from a stopped position, and while I'm shifting up through the gears, I'll accidentally get into neutral.

And it seems very difficult to shift up any further, so I downshift once, and it crashes back into gear, and then it's okay from there on out.

Now, I'm not sure if it is a specific gear that this happens in, but it seems like it's around 4th gear every time.

What would cause this?

[Triple J]

I'd say make sure you shift with more authority.

Ducs are somewhat known for false neutrals, especially between 4th and 5th...or maybe 5th and 6th.  Anyway, they happened more often on my M900, but I've also had it happen a few times on the 748 and MTS. Aggressive shifting solves the problem.

[rule62]

I switched to GP shift pattern (1 up, 5 down) and have had fewer instances of the false neutral.

[erkishhorde]

I used to get this a bit. It was either between 4th and 5th or 5th and 6th. Why? Because that's when I was shoulder checking for traffic at the bottom of an on ramp so I'd be more focused on cars than getting a good shift. Started shifting with more authority and that fixed it.

[Raux]

yep between 5th and 6th.. gotta really click it in there...

[stopintime]

Copy and paste this into your upcoming thread, Michael 

Guys, you all know me and all the issues I've had with my bike. Don't get me wrong - I love her to death, but it's getting time and money consuming to keep her, and me, happy.
I want a new(er) bike. What will give me the least hassle, low mileage S2R 1000 or M1100? As important, which is more fun? BTW, does anyone know if the M1100 has a good quality oil drain plug?

[Michael]

Well, I definitely don't want a new(er) bike.

I've decided that my '96 is way easier to work on than some of the newer models. I've replaced the rear spring without a compressor, I've removed the tank without having to worry about any internal pump components, I have an easy-to-mod dry clutch, and except for that stupid suicide kick stand, I love my no-hassle M900.

And it's no where near as expensive to work on as I had assumed. Even the 10.3mm oil plug is an easy fix (not that it's an issue for me).

Anyway ... 

Thanks for the feedback guys, I'll just make sure my toe doesn't get lazy in the upper gears.

I was worried that gears were missing teeth, or something horrible like that.

[moto]

[grunte]

I had a 96 M900...I used to do the same thing...shift up from first and it would go into neutral, except I didn't know it was in netrual so I would hammer down on the throttle only to rev the engine very high - then I would be embarrased   

[NoisyDante]

I've also noticed I get more false neutrals between 5 and 6 than any other gear. 

When I began riding I was shifting into neutral from first quite a bit, and likewise I had trouble doing the half shift into neutral when I wanted to.  In my case it is just learning how the bike feels, but I have learned I need to shift with more authority to avoid those false neutrals, I get them much less frequently now.  Reviews I've read have said Monsters are prone to them as well.

[Triple J]

Keep in mind, shifting and getting:

Neutral between 1st and 2nd = just neutral

Neutral between any other gears = false neutral.

[scott_araujo]

Maybe kinda related...

My '03 800 seems to have a faily large throw on the shifter.  You've got to really move the thing to shift.  When I rode my friend's 916 a few years back I remember noting how tight and clean the shift was.  Are Monsters just built with more throw in the shifter?  Do some have more/less than others?

Scott

[ScottRNelson]

I found the first Ducati false neutral when I was riding my brand new 1997 Monster 900 home from the dealer - within the first 20 miles.  I encountered several more before I maded it the 160 miles home.

Just about every other Ducati that I've ever ridden - dozens of them - have false neutrals if you give them a weak shift.  Most common is between 4th and 5th gear and next most common is between 5th and 6th.  But I've been able to get them between any two gears on some Ducatis.

The one thing that made a big difference for me on the Monster was to adjust the shifter down about half an inch, automatically forcing me to put more upward pressure on the shifter.

I've found false neutrals on quite a few other brands as well, including Triumph and KTM most recently.  I don't remember ever having a false neutral on a Yamaha and I've never had one on my Honda XR650L either.

Other than adjusting the shifter down a bit and making more forceful shifts, there isn't much else that you can do to prevent them.  But I would caution you to ALWAYS shift into a higher gear whenever it happens.  Going down into a lower gear could be dangerous if you manage to go down too far and let the clutch out only to rev the engine up past redline.

Whenever there are ANY shifting problems, always make it a habit to shift up before sorting it out, unless you're stopped at the time.

[DuciD03]

.....Just about every other Ducati that I've ever ridden - dozens of them - have false neutrals if you give them a weak shift.  Most common is between 4th and 5th gear and next most common is between 5th and 6th.  But I've been able to get them between any two gears on some Ducatis.

The one thing that made a big difference for me on the Monster was to adjust the shifter down about half an inch, automatically forcing me to put more upward pressure on the shifter.

Other than adjusting the shifter down a bit and making more forceful shifts, ...

1+ well put; also

Adjust the shifter down about half an inch, automatically forcing me to put more upward pressure on the shifter.

[Privateer]

I found that preloading the shifter also helps.