KZ440 LTD won't shift out of neutral

Hey guys, I just replaced the clutch cable on my 1981 KZ440 LTD, and now it won't shift out of neutral.

It shifted fine before I did, but now it'll click down to first and no power gets to the rear wheel. The neutral light turns off when I do this. Additionally, when I try to shift from neutral to second it won't turn the neutral light off, and the bike remains in neutral (like if the shift lever is on the wrong tooth).

I adjusted the slack on the clutch cable, tried it with all reasonable shifter lever positions, and messed with the adjuster for the cable on the cover (the one that's not on the handlebar lever or on the cable itself). Also, I just recently got the bike and it has a vacuum leak that I'm fixing soon, so the engine only runs on choke and has severe lack of power.

Any ideas? Thanks!

It sounds like your bike has the clutch release adjustment there on the engine sprocket cove. You may have to do that adjustment. Follow the steps outlined in the owner's manual or Kawasaki service manual. On the 440, I believe you're supposed to turn the adjusting screw counterclockwise first until hard to turn, then clockwise 1/4 turn. It's kind of opposite of what you'd think. Some manuals are ambiguous about which way to turn the adjusting screw, even Kawasaki manuals.

Steel ball. Sometimes the steel ball goes missing when the clutch pack is removed. The clutch pushrod pushes against that steel ball.

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I was thinking the same thing, that steel ball often goes flying. Verifying you still have it might be a good idea. It basically looks like a ball bearing and is located behind the push rod. Without the ball the push rod might be too short to actuate the clutch no matter how much you adjust the the cable, just a thought. 

Your bike won't go from neutral to second because of the Kawasaki positive neutral finder system,will only go from neutral to first while standing still.
like others have said you may have lost the ball or it's badly adjusted, but if it is clicking into first gear and you have no power to the wheel chances are your adjustment is way off.

Thanks folks, I'll get on that and report back after I've done it. Do I need any special tools to get to this ball bearing? I've worked on bikes a little in the past, but I've never had to do any clutch work.

If the bike shifted fine before, and you did not remove the clutch itself, then you probably did not lose the ball bearing.  I think the Kz440, like other Kz's only lets the ball come out on the clutch side (not the sprocket side).

Most likely the adjuster is not assembled correctly.

Okay, is there any insight you could offer on assembling that adjuster? I'm pretty sure that I did it right (at least according to the service manual that I have), but are there any little details that I should pay attention to while putting it back together?

Thanks for the help guys!

Just make sure the spring & cable remain seated. A cotter pin helps to keep the cable end in place. some guys eschew the cotter pin, but I like to install a new 1/16" ss each time. When you're ready to install the engine/sprocket cover, maintain tension on the clutch cable. otherwise, it could become unseated. Lubricate the cable beforehand, especially the end that fits into the clutch lever. I use Permatex ultra brake caliper lube in the little packets there.

Clutch adjustment. on the 440 you're supposed to turn the clutch release adjusting screw counterclockwise first until hard to turn, then clockwise either 1/4 or 1/2 turn. some manuals are ambiguous or wrong as to which way you're supposed to turn it.

Neutral to Second. as kevski noted, the bike has a positive neutral finder & the rear wheel has to be spinning to shift from neutral to 2nd gear, but you should be able to shift from neutral to 1st & vice versa.
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Okay, just for a little closure on the thread here:

I fixed the problem I was having! I think it was a combination of a poorly adjusted clutch cable and an engine that wasn't running strongly enough to shift properly? I fixed the aforementioned vacuum leak that was plaguing my bike before so that the engine now runs strongly, and after adjusting for slack in the cable it now shifts very easily through all the gears.

It is worth mentioning that I adjusted the slack out of the cable first, but it wouldn't shift into first on it's own until after I fixed the vacuum leak. Anyone want to explain this phenomenon?

Also, thanks for the help guys! I now have a very nicely running bike.