bike goes into neutral instead of 4th gear

[mattjohnson207]

AVL 5k miles, 2009, mostly city riding.     :)When changing from 3rd to 4th,  25% of the time bike goes into neutral, someone told me this was "a half shift". 
then I have to shift up or down to find a gear, then  try again. Kind of a pain but has not stopped me from riding.  Tried loosening up the free play, not tried anything else as I am clueless when it comes to clutches.  This has been going on for quite some time, but gotten worse in the past 500 miles or so.  One of my Motercycle mechanis institute coworkers here in Phoenix thinks I have a bent fork.  This scares me because I'm even more clueless about  bike transmisssions...  Help!   Matt in Glendale
        thanks for the feed back on my rear brake!  very helpful

[Vince]

     Every shifting issue I have had with the 5 speed has been rider induced. Move the lever up or down on the shaft to get a better angle to actuate it. Also,  almost every one of these  shift issues involved a rider wearing tennis or soft shoes. Reposition the shifter, wear sturdy shoes and shift positively. They won't snick snick like a Japanese bike. Give a deliberate shift. Avoid short shifting. These bikes have so much torque that people tend to shift at very low RPM. If you are shifting into 4th below 30 MPH you will have more of this type of issue. Try holding all your gears for 5 or so MPH more. It will shift better. You'll probably be fine.

[barenekd]

Mine misses 4th occasionally, usually from not pulling the shifter up enough. I don't know why, but 4th seems to have a bit longer pull than the others. I've pretty much gotten to know when I didn't get there even if I haven't released the clutch.
Just add that little extra nudge.
As Vince says, you might try lowering the shifter one notch on the shaft.
Bare

[mattjohnson207]

Cool!  Thanks
 Matt

[rick505]

When I was riding my 2008 AVL regularly, I learned the shift and hold method.  Shift, hold shift lever and release clutch before releasing the shifter lever.  In almost every case, it resolved my issue.

[REVirginia]

I have 2009 AVL and reported same problem to my enfield dealer. Originally, was told it was just a "break-in" period. But, as per the recommendations, I found I just need to be more deliberate in my shifting. I like the idea of changing the shifter angle. Will try.

[MtthwFrnswrth]

I was having this same trouble with my 2012 Bullet. The shift and hold comment really seemed to help get everything working just right again. Thanks!!!

[barenekd]

I moved my shift lever down a notch just to be sure I was pulling up on it enough to engage forth gear. For some reason, known only to the factory (maybe) the throw is just a bit longer than the others.
have you heard the tale about stairs? If one step in a millimeter or so higher than the rest, you will trip on it going up. We have one of those in our house. Tis true!
Bare