600 Clutch slip!?!?!

[RISINSON18]

Hey guys,
i ride a 01 600s and the other day ridding i was down shifting to 4 at around 6,000rpm's and out of nowere it was as if i was in (N). i looked down quickly to double check as i was about to make a turn and quickly up shifted to 5 again. well i know this has happened to others with b12's but i didnt know that would happen to a 600. My motor oil is semi-synthetic. might that be the case? and  no my sprocket is not all chewed up and my chain is like new. what should i look for?
thanks in advance.

[B6mick]

Was it clutch slip or a false neutral?
I've had the 600, for years, never found a false neutral, and the only clutch slip I encountered was under power.

[RISINSON18]

yea it seams to have been a false neutral. it just went into coast. almost like if i left the clutch pulled in. what do you think it might be??

[B6mick]

False neutral, hmmm not good. as I said never found one on my B6.
Maybe something not right with the selector unit and or arms, forks what ever ya want to call them, I've encountered with other bikes, that gearbox bearings with to much play, conbined with worn shifter forks, and worn gears, can cause such problems.

Let us know what the problem is, i'm interested to hear what the problem is.

[RISINSON18]

thats very interesting. i will have to get that check'd out. the bike only has about 5k miles on it. hmmm. i will let you guys know what comes up.

[pmackie]

hey RISINSON18

Even though the Suzuki gearboxes are pretty great, finding a "false neutral" between gears is not uncommon. I wouldn't get too concerned about it unless it starts happening regularly. It is usually a result of a less than complete gearshift, when the shift drum does not rotate completely to the next position, and the dogs on the gears don't quite mesh. As you found, usually going back to the gear you were shifting from and then trying again works just fine.

If it starts happending regularly, then get it checked out.

[Red01]

Used to get them all the time on my Penton 125 back in the day.  The Sachs motors they used were famous for having 5 neutrals - one between every gear.  Actually, if you shifted it gently, you'd never get one, but when you're out whippin' it up on a high strug 125 dirt bike, gentle shifting doesn't always come naturally.