My neutral light lies to me saying the bike is in neutral when it isn’t - some times
It feels like it should be a simple fix but any advice would be appreciated?
Thats what Guzzi neutral lights do sir.
Have you found the other neutrals in between the other gears yet?
It is like the speedo on Tonti framed bikes, you gotta have one.
So you have.
In fact the neutral switch is a strip of metal which shorts out when the gearbox is in neutral. It hides behind the starter held in place with 2 bolts.
Take it out and have a look, can’t do any harm, but as for the exact position it should be not even Luigi knows.
If you can’t easily get neutral from 1st - 2nd while at a standstill that’s “normal” too.
Yup my li’Breva can be like that.
Nothing to do with how hot it is or anything.
It’s called karakta.
As above, you could try taking it out and cleaning it, trace the shape of the blade on a piece of paper (so you know how to get back to where you started) then bend it a little bit one way and refit if that doesn’t work try bending it the other way, if it still doesn’t work try bending (or straigtening it) some more. If all that doesn’t work buy a new or second hand switch. If all that fails just take the wire off and live without a neutral light like we used to in the good old days!
Yes mine’s the same and a right nusance it is, more so when my last T3 work perfectly.Perhaps me checking the operation when i had the gearbox stripped on previous t3 helped.
Even the super modern gearboxes do it, you know, the ones that do not clunk when changing gear, except when selecting first at the lights when you have to have an apologetic look at the person in the open convertible next to you as he/she thinks their crankshaft has fallen out, sorry, just me finding first! The other option is pulling up at the lights and spending so long getting the green light to come on that the other green light has come on and everybody else has buggered off, it’s called “character” G.
mine on the spada is the same ofter you sit at lights in aparant neutral let the clutch out and hey presto the bumper on the car in front rapidly aproaches I have learnt not to trust it at all and always slowly let the clutch out at rest
Never had a problem with the neut light on the V1000 there IS a false neutral twixt 2nd and 3rd but the light only comes on twixt 1st and 2nd.
All my Hondas 250 x3 750 fours x2 an 1100 Goldwing and the VFR750 all had alot more clunky boxes going thro’ the gears than the Guzzi but were , with the exception of the “wing” , a bit less of a bang from neutral to first BUT they had a hell of alot more neutrals.
The first Honda 750 I had in 76 was sooo bad after 8 months I gave up sold it(for more than I had paid for it )
Bought my Norton Fastback from the dealer who PX’d it for LESS than he allowed me on it with the dosh I had saved bought new tank/seat and had a fair amount of work done and used it for many more years
I will say the gearbox is one I bought over 17 yrs ago as a recon one from Nigel at NBS top man Nigel.
As a fix for the neut light make sure the electrikery connection and any in the run are all good as that is what causes most fails, while you are at it check the connectors to the brake light switches too, the rubber boots are not that brill, one behind left side rear down tube JUST where all the crud from the back tyre can hit it, the front one on older bikes is between the fork tubes under the headlamp, BUT can be at the lever. The newer bikes have a miniscule switch at the lever …WD sorts thaat one out.guzzibear2012-06-21 19:07:23
Yes, interesting point about the change from 2nd to 3rd. It seems to me that the gear lever needs to travel further for actual engagement than it does between the other gears, and this is why I occasionally miss third. I’m sure I’ve read something about this somewhere or other, maybe its a shimming issue, can’t remember.
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Good call GB but the light is coming on when it should not and not the other way around. I would say it is the neutral light switch at fault and from my experience I am not supprised!
Aha - would that coincide with me going WTF - Bugger - STOMP
Re switch I think I’ll wait till it rains a bit and them have a look see
Cheers ALLtris2012-06-22 07:18:35
… by the way how does the switch actually work. Is it just the bendy bit on the switch making contact with a detent in the Gbox somewhere creating a path to earth?
Yes, that’s it.
My neutral is easy to find, it just snicks in every time and I have no false neutrals either.
Ok so I lie
Yes it should’nt light up in any other position.
I learned to adopt a technique to get neutral before I completely stop, IF I know I’ll need to wait for an indeterminate time like red traffic lights / pelican crossings / road works etc.
Mike H2012-06-22 15:19:05
From Greg Benders site
Moto Guzzi V700, V7 Special, Ambassador, 850 GT, 850 GT California, Eldorado, 850 California Police Transmission and shift linkage Neutral indicator switch
Updated: Prior to 2007 Dec 11
Removal and replacement
The neutral indicator has a curve/bend at one end. When installing the indicator, the curved/bent portion of the indicator should point down.
As an alternative, the indicator can be installed with the bend facing up. Then, take care to adjust the bend so that it just makes contact with the nub on the shift drum. Doing so will make the neutral indicator light much more precise. Greg Field provided this tip.
[QUOTE=Mike H] [QUOTE=Duffo]The other option is pulling up at the lights and spending so long getting the green light to come on that the other green light has come on and everybody else has buggered off, it’s called “character”
G.[/QUOTE]
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I learned to adopt a technique to get neutral before I completely stop, IF I know I’ll need to wait for an indeterminate time like red traffic lights / pelican crossings / road works etc.
 [/QUOTE]
I find if it isn’t wanting to go into neutral going to first, letting the clutch out enough so it pulls, pulling clutch back in then finding neutral makes it work ok.
I also have about 4 other neutrals, though they always seem to be found at the most inappropriate moments!