1980 kz550 not shifting into 2nd or higher

i am having a problem with my 80 kz550. it will shift down into 1st no problem and back to neutral. but when you try to shift into 2nd it makes a gear grinding noise and will not shift into 2nd. if you guys have any idea what it might be please let me know. thanks.

Does the grinding happen when the bike is moving or stationary?

I know that there is a "neutral finder" feature incorporated into the transmission design. You cannot select second gear (or any sequentially higher gears) if the bike is not moving. You can select 1st while stationary, but it won't upshift past neutral. It's designed to make finding neutral easy when you come to a stop.

i have not had it moving yet, (bad clutch). so yeah i have not had it moving. this happens when not rolling. what years was the neutral finder feature on. thanks for the info so far.

I'm pretty sure that all the 550's have it. I'm not sure how it functions, but maybe your bad clutch is messing with the function of the neutral finder and causing the grinding.

mjg15 wrote:

Does the grinding happen when the bike is moving or stationary?

I know that there is a "neutral finder" feature incorporated into the transmission design. You cannot select second gear (or any sequentially higher gears) if the bike is not moving. You can select 1st while stationary, but it won't upshift past neutral. It's designed to make finding neutral easy when you come to a stop.

+1

Provided the clutch is functioning well enough, could try suspending and hand-spinning the rear wheel (to simulate a forward rolling condition) while attempting to up-shift into 2nd gear.

Good Fortune!