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Neutral switch and clutch adjust

RAYT

Tuned and Synch'ed
GT Famiglia
Joined
Jun 6, 2018
Messages
48
Location
Los Angeles, CA
Nice bike!
I think most V7 III bikes need the neutral switch adjustment. Mine had the same issue.
enjoy & ride safe!

Well, here it is not even a month later and my neutral switch started to get clunky again. I'm not sure if the heat wave (weather) we are experiencing in Los Angeles, but it is very frustrating sitting at a long light with the clutch engaged. I had it adjusted after the first break in around 600 miles at a Moto Guzzi Dealer. I now have close to 2,900 miles. Going to check more on the Forums... FYI
 
On wire cable adjust clutches, it will require constant adjustment, and more so when new because of cable stretch and parts bedding in. Nothing to be stressed over, just a reality fact. ;)
 
Is it your neutral switch that is acting up? or is it the clutch switch?
It sounds like your issue is with the neutral switch.
I am understanding you correctly?
 
Is it your neutral switch that is acting up? or is it the clutch switch?
It sounds like your issue is with the neutral switch.
I am understanding you correctly?

clutch adjustment related to the neutral switch. The clutch cable needs adjusting as it stretches during the first thousands of miles. As Todd replies above. Thanks!
 
clutch adjustment related to the neutral switch. The clutch cable needs adjusting as it stretches during the first thousands of miles. As Todd replies above. Thanks!
The neutral switch is down in the transmission. It sounds like you are talking about the clutch switch up on the clutch lever then. You mean the switch that tells the system whether the clutch is pulled in or not it sounds like.
 
My bike sometimes stays in neutral, and will not go into first for several tries. If I come to a stop and downshift all the way down to 1st., it is not a problem, but if I want to put it into neutral, sometimes, it takes several tries to put it into first again, like it is stuck in N for awhile. Is that what you are talking about, and is there a fix?
 
My bike sometimes stays in neutral, and will not go into first for several tries. If I come to a stop and downshift all the way down to 1st., it is not a problem, but if I want to put it into neutral, sometimes, it takes several tries to put it into first again, like it is stuck in N for awhile. Is that what you are talking about, and is there a fix?


Just roll the bike a little while holding down pressure on the gearshift.
 
My bike sometimes stays in neutral, and will not go into first for several tries. If I come to a stop and downshift all the way down to 1st., it is not a problem, but if I want to put it into neutral, sometimes, it takes several tries to put it into first again, like it is stuck in N for awhile. Is that what you are talking about, and is there a fix?

I've never had that happen. With my V7 I had only had trouble trying to find neutral.
First it was the switch in the transmission upon break in service and second was my clutch cable adjustment 2,000 miles later.
The clutch cable will stretch and you will eventually need to adjust it, but not too tight.

Quote from Todd: "On wire cable adjust clutches, it will require constant adjustment, and more so when new because of cable stretch and parts bedding in. Nothing to be stressed over, just a reality fact."
 
Just roll the bike a little while holding down pressure on the gearshift.

Should you need to roll the bike to find 1st or 2nd gear, especially when it is new? I haven't needed to do that on my V7 or any of the other bikes I've owned.
 
Yeah, it will be a pain if I get stuck at a light, without being able to get into first gear. Long lights, it is cool to put it in neutral so you do not tire your clutch hand out. It only happens if I put it into neutral, and then when I try to shift into 1st. It did not happen the first 5 rides or so, but I might not have tried N all that much, cannot remember. I will try the rolling thing and see what happens, or take it to someone who can maybe figure it out, hoping just an adjustment.....
 
Yeah, it will be a pain if I get stuck at a light, without being able to get into first gear. Long lights, it is cool to put it in neutral so you do not tire your clutch hand out. It only happens if I put it into neutral, and then when I try to shift into 1st. It did not happen the first 5 rides or so, but I might not have tried N all that much, cannot remember. I will try the rolling thing and see what happens, or take it to someone who can maybe figure it out, hoping just an adjustment.....

Double check your clutch cable adjustment? Not too loose or too tight.
 
Yeah, it will be a pain if I get stuck at a light, without being able to get into first gear. Long lights, it is cool to put it in neutral so you do not tire your clutch hand out. It only happens if I put it into neutral, and then when I try to shift into 1st. It did not happen the first 5 rides or so, but I might not have tried N all that much, cannot remember. I will try the rolling thing and see what happens, or take it to someone who can maybe figure it out, hoping just an adjustment.....

Welcome to the Moto Guzzi clutch and transmission! All the Moto Guzzis I've owned have done this from time to time. It is only lightly connected with the clutch cable adjustment.

Moto Guzzi Vtwins have a dry clutch which, when the cable is properly adjusted, completely and absolutely disconnects the engine from the transmission. If you're sitting at a light in neutral, pull in the clutch, and the transmission will not go into first gear, the reason is that the transmission gears are sitting still—because the clutch has completely disengaged them from the engine—and the dogs on the gears that need to slide into the mating ones for first gear are blocked. THIS IS NORMAL! There's no residual drag on the gears making them move when the clutch is completely disengaged like that and if the gear dogs are blocked they cannot slide into place.

The solution isn't to move the bike,
although that will move the gears by driving the transmission through the output shaft. The solution is to gently let the clutch out just a little while putting pressure on the gear change lever so that the friction plates start to engage the shaft and make it turn, which rotates the gears, unblocking them, so that the gear selector can slide the mating gears into each other.

As the engine/transmission assembly warms up, it grows in length which can cause the cable adjustment to be slightly off when it's fully warm and hot. I used to see this with my 850T and LeMans V ... when the bike was fully heated up after a long hard run on a hot day, I'd have to adjust the cable at the lever adjuster for it to work correctly, and I'd have to readjust it back the next morning when it was fully cooled down. I have not seen so large a shift in cable adjustment with the 2017 V7III Racer: it seems that the transmission/engine growth is within the working range of the clutch cable IF the throwout mechanism and clutch cable are properly adjusted. I adjusted the clutch throwout mechanism and cable free length properly at the 600 mile first service and have not had to touch it since (at about 4500 miles now, through all kinds of cold and hot weather).

BUT that does NOT mean that shifting from neutral to first gear is not occasionally
blocked for the reason I stated above. When I am sitting in neutral and cannot shift to first gear, I just let the clutch out the smallest amount to get the transmission shafts moving, which unblocks first gear and lets the selector do its job. :D

G
 
Should you need to roll the bike to find 1st or 2nd gear, especially when it is new? I haven't needed to do that on my V7 or any of the other bikes I've owned.
I have had to occasionally let the clutch back out for a brief moment and pull it back in to spin the trans gears to help it find first. Think of the gears, they have to align in order for the trans to click into gear. If they stop spinning at a point where they don't line up it can cause issues trying to put it in gear.
As to issues trying to find neutral, that is usually a case of the clutch dragging slightly. Better adjustment of the clutch should fix that.
 
Welcome to the Moto Guzzi clutch and transmission! All the Moto Guzzis I've owned have done this from time to time. It is only lightly connected with the clutch cable adjustment.

Moto Guzzi Vtwins have a dry clutch which, when the cable is properly adjusted, completely and absolutely disconnects the engine from the transmission. If you're sitting at a light in neutral, pull in the clutch, and the transmission will not go into first gear, the reason is that the transmission gears are sitting still—because the clutch has completely disengaged them from the engine—and the dogs on the gears that need to slide into the mating ones for first gear are blocked. THIS IS NORMAL! There's no residual drag on the gears making them move when the clutch is completely disengaged like that and if the gear dogs are blocked they cannot slide into place.

The solution isn't to move the bike,
although that will move the gears by driving the transmission through the output shaft. The solution is to gently let the clutch out just a little while putting pressure on the gear change lever so that the friction plates start to engage the shaft and make it turn, which rotates the gears, unblocking them, so that the gear selector can slide the mating gears into each other.

As the engine/transmission assembly warms up, it grows in length which can cause the cable adjustment to be slightly off when it's fully warm and hot. I used to see this with my 850T and LeMans V ... when the bike was fully heated up after a long hard run on a hot day, I'd have to adjust the cable at the lever adjuster for it to work correctly, and I'd have to readjust it back the next morning when it was fully cooled down. I have not seen so large a shift in cable adjustment with the 2017 V7III Racer: it seems that the transmission/engine growth is within the working range of the clutch cable IF the throwout mechanism and clutch cable are properly adjusted. I adjusted the clutch throwout mechanism and cable free length properly at the 600 mile first service and have not had to touch it since (at about 4500 miles now, through all kinds of cold and hot weather).

BUT that does NOT mean that shifting from neutral to first gear is not occasionally
blocked for the reason I stated above. When I am sitting in neutral and cannot shift to first gear, I just let the clutch out the smallest amount to get the transmission shafts moving, which unblocks first gear and lets the selector do its job. :D

G

OK, if this works, where do I send the $1.50?
 
I just picked up my 2023 V7 Special today. Happy so far but noticed as mentioned above, sometimes, maybe 50% of the time, when I shift from neutral to first gear I get a definitive loud click (same noise you get when shifting up and down through the gears). The other 50% of the time the tranny will shift to first but with no noise and very little gearshift movement. The explanation above tells me the dogs are not aligned. Next time I’m on the bike I’ll try letting the clutch out a bit to see it that helps. I was also thinking the bike is so nee that the tranny needs to be worn in a bit before it can act smoothly. When I don’t hear the loud click I’m a bit worried the tranny might pop out of first gear but that hasn’t happened yet.
 
“and the dogs on the gears that need to slide into the mating ones for first gear are blocked. THIS IS NORMAL! There's no residual drag on the gears making them move when the clutch is completely disengaged like that and if the gear dogs are blocked they cannot slide into place.”
 
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