TBR7 - Hard to Get Into Neutral?

shiftclick · 05-15-2020, 11:53 PM

Hi 2020 TBR7 owners. I'm at about 900 miles. One thing i've always "dealt" with and really never mentioned was that this "wet clutch" is very difficult to get into neutral when stopped. It's seriously hit or miss. If I stop at a stop light, I have to keep it in 1st and keep the clutch pulled in because I can't get it into neutral. When I pull in my driveway to open the garage door and put it away, I have to turn it off then back on to pull it in. Am I the only one going through this? Any ideas on what might be wrong?

duck9191 · 05-16-2020, 12:15 AM

Cable probably needs a bit of adjustment.

Rocket tests · 05-16-2020, 12:26 AM

They are a pain. It will not go into neutral unless the bike can roll a little. The gears need some wiggle room to mesh. It is like hitting the lotto if you get things to mesh while holding the break.

shiftclick · 05-16-2020, 12:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by duck9191

Cable probably needs a bit of adjustment.

Which cable? I can shift gears just fine. And when I start her up I can shift from 1st to N no problem.

duck9191 · 05-16-2020, 12:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shiftclick

Which cable? I can shift gears just fine. And when I start her up I can shift from 1st to N no problem.

The clutch cable. As the engine warms up the clutch will get a bit tighter. Adding a bit more pull will help with the hard neutral.

Megadan · 05-16-2020, 01:20 AM

It's called clutch fade. Once the oil and motor are hot, the clutch engagement actually changes a little bit. As the others have mentioned, it is a matter of getting the clutch set just right. In my case I always had to adjust it at the lever once the bike was hot.

An oil cooler can really help alleviate some of that by keeping the oil temps more steady, thus the clutch adjustment doesn't vary as much.

One trick you can try that always worked well for me was to blip the throttle lightly while applying pressure to the shifter at about the same time. That loading-unloading of the drive can sometimes allow you to slip it out of gear.

About the only way to really solve it would bet to ditch the chinese made clutch discs, springs, and plates and install an appropriate Honda or aftermarket setup. They will be far less prone to the thermal expansion that causes a lot of the clutch fade on these cheap machines.

kingofqueenz · 05-16-2020, 10:21 AM

Par for the course with the bike, I had the same problem and posted the same thread 1 year ago.

I gets better as you wear the clutch in.

Dan makes a solid point about clutch fade as the bike warms up, makes summer rides "interesting"

Digger · 05-16-2020, 10:58 AM

Adjust the clutch properly. After that teach yourself to find neutral while rolling to a stop.

Kenstogie · 05-16-2020, 11:31 AM

mine goes into neutral from second easier than from first to neutral.... that and a little rocking helps..... don't always trust the neutral light either....

kingofqueenz · 05-16-2020, 02:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kenstogie

don't always trust the neutral light either....

AMEN!

As a new rider all it took was one false Neutral start that lurched the bike forward and I hold the clutch in on every start now to be sure

franque · 05-16-2020, 04:43 PM

Trust everyone who has posted so far, you need more play in the clutch cable, you can probably dial that in at the handlebar controls.

alex_in_az · 05-16-2020, 06:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kingofqueenz

Par for the course with the bike, I had the same problem and posted the same thread 1 year ago.

I gets better as you wear the clutch in.

Dan makes a solid point about clutch fade as the bike warms up, makes summer rides "interesting"

It's an all year round problem down here

Aufgeblassen · 10-07-2021, 05:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by duck9191

Cable probably needs a bit of adjustment.

When I 1st used my TBR7, it would not go into neutral. I noticed that with clutch level fully depressed, it would still be trying to roll forward. So I adjusted cable, and it for the most part eliminated that, it still would not go into neutral.

I'll try rocking it or going from 2nd to neutral whilst rolling and see what happens.

mototech77 · 10-08-2021, 07:44 PM

There is a sweet spot with clutch adjustment. If it wants to pop into first or second too easily and doesn’t want to go to neutral, you need to tighten the adjustment some. If you adjust too far out, the engagement point will occur with the lever too far from the handle.

On a side note from a safety standpoint, you may want to consider staying in first gear when stopped at intersections and watch your mirrors. This can save your butt if some inattentive driver doesn’t see the stopped traffic as you will be able to quickly make an evasive maneuver. I actually had to do this not long after learning this from the MotoJitsu channel on YouTube. Just my two cents.

braindead0 · 10-08-2021, 08:58 PM

my beta is a bizatch to get into neutral when stopped and engine running.. never really bothered me, as mentioned by mototech77 best to stay in gear mostly.

Some decades ago I was stopped at a red light late at night, almost got rear ended by idiot.. as it was I was in gear and there wasn't any traffic so I blew the light.

05-15-2020, 11:53 PM	#1
shiftclick Join Date: Apr 2020 Posts: 28	TBR7 - Hard to Get Into Neutral? Hi 2020 TBR7 owners. I'm at about 900 miles. One thing i've always "dealt" with and really never mentioned was that this "wet clutch" is very difficult to get into neutral when stopped. It's seriously hit or miss. If I stop at a stop light, I have to keep it in 1st and keep the clutch pulled in because I can't get it into neutral. When I pull in my driveway to open the garage door and put it away, I have to turn it off then back on to pull it in. Am I the only one going through this? Any ideas on what might be wrong? __________________ 2020 Tao Motors TBR7 -Mikuni Carb w/110 Jet -17t Front Sprocket -428 HD 130 link chain -Hawk digital cluster
	0

05-16-2020, 12:15 AM	#2
duck9191 Join Date: May 2019 Location: Port Huron, Michigan Posts: 637	Cable probably needs a bit of adjustment. __________________ 2020 Triumph Tiger 900 rally. 2018 Bashan Storm 250. pz30b, digital cluster + gear indicator, unifilter and car customs full exhaust. 2019 Taotao 110b boulder atv. The "arm breaker" lol 2007 Honda VTX 1300R. 1974 Suzuki tm125, work in progress 2001 Suzuki Drz 400s.
	1

05-16-2020, 01:20 AM	#6
Megadan Join Date: Apr 2017 Location: Omaha, NE Posts: 8,026	It's called clutch fade. Once the oil and motor are hot, the clutch engagement actually changes a little bit. As the others have mentioned, it is a matter of getting the clutch set just right. In my case I always had to adjust it at the lever once the bike was hot. An oil cooler can really help alleviate some of that by keeping the oil temps more steady, thus the clutch adjustment doesn't vary as much. One trick you can try that always worked well for me was to blip the throttle lightly while applying pressure to the shifter at about the same time. That loading-unloading of the drive can sometimes allow you to slip it out of gear. About the only way to really solve it would bet to ditch the chinese made clutch discs, springs, and plates and install an appropriate Honda or aftermarket setup. They will be far less prone to the thermal expansion that causes a lot of the clutch fade on these cheap machines. __________________ Hawk Information and Resource guide: http://www.chinariders.net/showthread.php?t=20331 2018 Hawk 250 - Full Mod list here. http://www.chinariders.net/showpost....62&postcount=1 2024 Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 https://chinariders.net/showthread.php?t=34124
	3

05-16-2020, 11:31 AM	#9
Kenstogie Join Date: Apr 2019 Posts: 336	mine goes into neutral from second easier than from first to neutral.... that and a little rocking helps..... don't always trust the neutral light either.... __________________ been around bikes for a while.... honda 72 cb200t, zuki 96?/2002 katana, 12 vstrom,09 vstar, kawi ltd440, 82 zuki Gs1100, Tao Tbr7 all about the Tao MotorsTBR7 http://www.chinariders.net/showthread.php?t=25553
	1

10-08-2021, 07:44 PM	#14
mototech77 Join Date: May 2021 Location: Central Florida Posts: 80	There is a sweet spot with clutch adjustment. If it wants to pop into first or second too easily and doesn’t want to go to neutral, you need to tighten the adjustment some. If you adjust too far out, the engagement point will occur with the lever too far from the handle. On a side note from a safety standpoint, you may want to consider staying in first gear when stopped at intersections and watch your mirrors. This can save your butt if some inattentive driver doesn’t see the stopped traffic as you will be able to quickly make an evasive maneuver. I actually had to do this not long after learning this from the MotoJitsu channel on YouTube. Just my two cents. __________________ 2021 Lifan Xpect EFI 2012 DF250rtc 1982 Yamaha Virago XV750 1982 Honda Twinstar CM200
	1

05-16-2020, 12:26 AM	#3
Rocket tests Join Date: Mar 2020 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 87	They are a pain. It will not go into neutral unless the bike can roll a little. The gears need some wiggle room to mesh. It is like hitting the lotto if you get things to mesh while holding the break.
	2

05-16-2020, 10:21 AM	#7
kingofqueenz Join Date: Apr 2019 Location: Strong Island New Yawk Posts: 464	Par for the course with the bike, I had the same problem and posted the same thread 1 year ago. I gets better as you wear the clutch in. Dan makes a solid point about clutch fade as the bike warms up, makes summer rides "interesting"
	1

05-16-2020, 10:58 AM	#8
Digger Join Date: Jul 2018 Posts: 64	Adjust the clutch properly. After that teach yourself to find neutral while rolling to a stop.
	1

05-16-2020, 04:43 PM	#11
franque Join Date: Nov 2017 Location: Marseille, France -> Conakry, Guinea Posts: 1,481	Trust everyone who has posted so far, you need more play in the clutch cable, you can probably dial that in at the handlebar controls.
	1

10-08-2021, 08:58 PM	#15
braindead0 Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Reno, NV Posts: 89	my beta is a bizatch to get into neutral when stopped and engine running.. never really bothered me, as mentioned by mototech77 best to stay in gear mostly. Some decades ago I was stopped at a red light late at night, almost got rear ended by idiot.. as it was I was in gear and there wasn't any traffic so I blew the light.
	1