can't get into neutral after rebuild

[Ramjam]

hi
i'm about to put the engine back on the bike after replacing the crank seals and just yesterday tested first, second and neutral gear as advised by Markus. i did this without the clutch case on and it worked well. But now i have put the clutch and the clutch casing back together, i cannot get it into neutral whilst on the bench.
is this normal? The only difference i can think of is that i just put in 1.5 litres of oil whereas before it was dry.

OR perhaps it is in neutral but the clutch plates are gripping a little when i crank the kickstarter _ Would this explain why the sprocket on the chain side is turning?


thanks for all advice and comments


best

mj in beirut

[markush]

Hi!

Sometimes it is difficult to change gears while the engine is not running... then it helps to rotate the shafts by hand (against each other, too), so that the gearwheels engage.
Is the (gear)/idle indicator light switch mounted? Then you can connect a lamp(+Battery) or a continuity tester which shows you reliably if the idle is switched on.

There is also friction between the components, which must be overcome. At idle, you can both driveshafts rotate against each other by hand, with little friction resistance.

Markus

[Ramjam]

hey markus
thanks for all that. Much appreciated. What i discovered is that i can engage neutral. It's just that there is a tiny bit of friction on the plates, which makes the chain sprocket turn. If you hold it in your hand, it will not turn, whereas when you engage a gear, obviously, you cannot hold the sprocket.
thanks for all your help so far.

A small tip i learnt about the kickstarter and all your advice is that it is quite important to tension the main spring with the kickstarter lever to about 270 degrees. Less than that, i noticed, makes the kickstarter return not really work as there is a tiny bit of drag holding it back.

jus tthought i might mention it

best

mj in beirut

[oldjapanesebikes]

A small tip i learnt about the kickstarter and all your advice is that it is quite important to tension the main spring with the kickstarter lever to about 270 degrees. Less than that, i noticed, makes the kickstarter return not really work as there is a tiny bit of drag holding it back.