1299S - finding neutral

Hey all

Picked up my S today - with the full Akra system it sure is mean sounding and is a MUCH better street bike than my 14R - the low end is night and day better and it still pulls very hard up top.

One thing I have noticed is finding neutral is very very difficult - it is easier to go from 2nd to N than 1st to N - I thought either the gear lever or clutch was not adjusted properly but I asked the dealer (it happened before I even left the shop) and one of the technicians reckons they all do it and even showed me on the shop bike.

I searched on here and couldn't find any mention so what gives?

I have to agree with you.... I was test riding the 1299S the other day and that's exactly what i thought. Just didn't seem to like going in there from first but i thought that was just me and being the first time i've actually ridden one i blamed myself. Congrats on your purchase btw i bet your stoked.

It might be out of adjustment, or there could be something coming loose on lever assembly. Grab a nice flashlight and scrutinize it thoroughly.

Mine can be difficult when cold and stationary. It's easier with a bit of warmth (just a km or two) and easier when there's still a bit of motion (just a km/h or two) coasting towards a stop. It seems to improve a bit with a few more overall kms too (I have ~1,500 kms).

Mine was almost impossible to find for the first 100 miles or so. It seems to get better with use.

Very, very common thing with any new Ducati, just give it some miles and it will break in and you'll never have an issue again. If you have problems in the meantime, when you are parking the bike just hit the kill switch, and you can snick right into Neutral with no problem and you'll see the green neutral light on the dash, then turn the key off.

This mirrors my experience thus far.

Common issue on every sports bike I have had to varying degrees. 1299 is no different to my S1000RR. N is hard from 1st, much easier from 2nd, needs a deft touch hot or cold but it goes in first time 9 times out of 10.

buttnekid said:

Hey all

Picked up my S today - with the full Akra system it sure is mean sounding and is a MUCH better street bike than my 14R - the low end is night and day better and it still pulls very hard up top.

One thing I have noticed is finding neutral is very very difficult - it is easier to go from 2nd to N than 1st to N - I thought either the gear lever or clutch was not adjusted properly but I asked the dealer (it happened before I even left the shop) and one of the technicians reckons they all do it and even showed me on the shop bike.

I searched on here and couldn't find any mention so what gives?

Click to expand...

I have found that If the bike isn't running yet, and it doesn't want to go into neutral, I just roll the bike forward a bit (without the clutch pulled in) while applying pressure on the shift lever a smidgen. Then that takes the slack out of the shift fork in the transmission and it will move the planetary gear stack slightly and will align the gears and they will slide into neutral. All transmissions have some slack in them or they are the opposite and are sometimes too tight. Depends on the tolerances of the parts and other factors. Some more than others. Especially when new and not broken in yet..... It will go into neutral when they are aligned up right Sometimes there is some clutch drag also which is normal and this can cause the same problem.... This works on all bikes..( My Kawasaki 2011 ZX10R track bike was the same way)
** If it is running, then you just have to pull in the clutch and put a light pressure on the shift lever.. **If it jumps to second then softly press (not tap) it down slowly and it will go back into neutral. It can be aggravating however it will get better with more miles.. I have found that all bikes (even the exact same models) will have some degree of differences in how they work.. Just the variances of the parts put together (and whether the guy that put them together was hung over etc LOL...)

Speedy

buttnekid said:

Hey all

Picked up my S today - with the full Akra system it sure is mean sounding and is a MUCH better street bike than my 14R - the low end is night and day better and it still pulls very hard up top.

One thing I have noticed is finding neutral is very very difficult - it is easier to go from 2nd to N than 1st to N - I thought either the gear lever or clutch was not adjusted properly but I asked the dealer (it happened before I even left the shop) and one of the technicians reckons they all do it and even showed me on the shop bike.

I searched on here and couldn't find any mention so what gives?

Click to expand...

-- start by bleeding the clutch up at the lever...remove the rubber nipple off the master cyl, put an 11mm open end wrench on that puppy, cover with paper towel..pull lever back to the grip, and open that nipple, close it fast...a spit of fluid will spit out....thats it....try finding N now......report back your findings

RD16RR said:

-- start by bleeding the clutch up at the lever...remove the rubber nipple off the master cyl, put an 11mm open end wrench on that puppy, cover with paper towel..pull lever back to the grip, and open that nipple, close it fast...a spit of fluid will spit out....thats it....try finding N now......report back your findings

Click to expand...

+1

I have almost 3,000 miles on my 1299S now and the gearbox gets better with miles. It definitely is a bit grumpy when it's cold, but once the bike is warm, the gearbox is brilliant.. Probably the best gearbox of any bike I have owned.

Cheers.

any air in the clutch hydraulic circuit prevents the slave cylinder from extending fully and transmissions get surly.

I guess I'm lucky; I'd actually been thinking how much easier it has been to find neutral on my 1299S than on bikes I've previously owned. In particular, when I'm slowing to a stop for a stoplight, I like rapidly downshifting while on the brakes, and popping from 2nd to neutral. I then only have to use the clutch when starting in 1st; everything else is completely clutch-free. I like that

Sprinkles said:

Mine was almost impossible to find for the first 100 miles or so. It seems to get better with use.

Click to expand...

True

I guess I'm different but I rarely ever use neutral. I haven't really paid attention to this but my gearbox seems to have a better feel to it as time goes by and more miles are put on it

Had this issue on 1199's and 899's. As others said, bleed clutch, and also consider extending the clutch lever adjustment so you have to reach a little further, but gives you the extra bit of throw to unload it.

thanks very much guys - it was the first thing I said to the technician before I even left the shop - why dont you bleed it quickly - the reply, 'if I thought it needed to be bled I would do it, they all do that'.

Funny that after 50 kilometres I can now find neutral from first...... but yeah, they all do that.....