Problem with shifting gear to N

[TamerS1000RR]

Yesterday was my first ride on my new S1000RR, it is absolutely awsome!!! i have however some difficulty in shifting to N either from 2nd or 1st gear?

Is this normal? should i go back to BMW?

[JHB1984]

had this problem also ... the first 500km or so ... only could shift from 2nd into N ... works fine now.
of course ... if you can't get into N ... not from 1st and not from 2nd ... i would definatly go to the dealer

[mfettara]

...of course ... if you can't get into N ... not from 1st and not from 2nd ... i would definatly go to the dealer

or keep on going and hand it directly to your mechanic in the pits

[EgoKill3r]

Easier to go from 2nd to N.

[TamerS1000RR]

Thank u all for ur support, there has been some improvement today, I can shift from 2 to N, still not from 1 so I will wait for few more days and see!

[Gonzowerke]

I have found it takes a gentle foot. Once I started just easing it with only a little pressure it pops into neutral every time when I want it to. If you press too hard, too fast, you go right past the Neutral setting and into the next gear. I have 564 miles on mine so far.

[TamerS1000RR]

I met a guy who test drove couple of Aprilia RSV4, he told me that one of the many things that he didn't like about it was that he needed couple of minutes to negotiate the gear into N

My shift to N has improved a lot after the first service.

[mattb]

Have a search around the site as I think it was Bernardo who posted a thread about tensing your thigh muscle before shifting for N and it makes your foot move a tiny amount. Worked for me and I still use this technique!! On the K13S I find it easier to find N from 2nd and pretty much have to use the tense muscle technique all the time to get it from 1st.

[Drifter1]

mattb, you are correct, Bernardo gave me the same advice and it works well

[Bernardo]

Hi Guys!, many thanks to remember me

here:
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=13584

I will try to explain what I do to find the neutral, with my argentinian english...

I don't move the lever by pushing directly with my foot force.
To search for the neutral I tense my leg muscles (pre-tension) and then I do more force than normal, but I move my foot only a bit , this allows me more precision in movement, thus the lever travels a short distance and allows the easier to find neutral.
Is more easy to make this from 2d to N , than 1st to N. This works for me...

[JAV]

same issue here, I shift to 2nd and then neutral

[PicS1RR]

Just a suggestion,

I found the same on a demo bike BMW loaned me while mine was in the shop. My 2011 was fine in this area but their 2012 demo was awful for finding N. adjusting the clutch cable so that the engagement point was well away from the handle bar seemed to do the trick. I think it just gives the clutch a bit more pull and that seemed to work.

Just got my 2012 ( I heard the problem was worse on those) and I had it set up similarly - no problems at all finding N.

Good luck.

[bugsplatter]

I was having difficulty with my '11 K1300S shifting into neutral.

One day the light bulb came on for me and I realized the problem was due to my using just two fingers to pull the clutch lever. The other two fingers were preventing a complete pull, which prevented the clutch from fully engaging.

Once I changed to using all four fingers on the clutch lever, shifting became very smooth, and zero issues finding neutral.

I still use two fingers on the brake lever.

[Bernardo]

Hi Bugs

I still use two fingers on the brake lever.

I strongly do not recommend it, because if you need to brake in a panic stop, the fingers between the lever and the handlebar will avoid a full lever travel. Remember when the system is hot is more elastic and you have the risk to need more space than usual.
Once happened to me, I used to use the same way until the first hard braking, luckily without consequences except the scare. No more... Now I use the palm of my hand and my thumb to throttle and 4 fingers on the lever

[skapan]

The fishing for neutral gets easier as the miles accumulate. Don't worry if it's challenging early in the relationship, it's all part of getting to know each other.

[iehawk]

Back from hybernation... 7 months later... and here I am. How is the shifting now? How many miles do you have now?

I've noticed (also with my past K1200R ownership) that BMW bikes tend to be engineered in a tighter tolerance than their Japanese counterparts. The shifting is extremely tight and precise. Both my K1200R and S1000RR kept getting better with miles and seemed to finish breaking in passing 6K miles. Although, they kept getting better until passing 12K miles.

Here's something that I've learnt way back... similar to Bernardo's way to preload the shifter and let it slide in with the clutch engagement, I don't pull the clutch all the way, just enough to let the gear click in. You can change gear even smoother this way and still pretty quick compared to using the quick shift. It's not really about using 1, 2, or 4 fingers... it's about how much.