Issues getting into second (while moving)

1981 gpz 550. The bike has a very hard time shifting into second gear. I understand kawasaki's neutral finder feature, but I am talking about it happening while moving. I only times I have been able to get into second I have had to raise the rpms very high. The bike shift fine from 2nd to 3rd to 4th and so on. The other issue I am having is that the clutch bite is very late even after adjustment. I imagine the two issues are related. 

I have tried adjusting the clutch according to manual (I know that the 81 gpz with ball plate adjustment screw is rotate out (ccw)). I have adjusted the adjuster on the clutch cable next to the level all the way in and the bite is slightly better than if its all the way out but not much.

Please let me know if you have any ideas as I am out of them. Thank you in advance. 

How many miles?   Was it yours and maintained by you,  or just got it??

.......in general, the transmission should shift even w/out engaging the clutch ......moving.     Just by closing the throttle and shifting..    Not recommended as a normal practice (some do it all the time), but the clutch is only a safety device to disengage the engine to play it safe and avoid mistakes...like shifting with the throttle open.

No, I picked the bike up the end of last summer. I haven’t dug into any parts of the clutch until now. It has about 19000 miles on it.

Plates might be stuck.. I'd take them out one by one, oil them then put it back together.

Thanks I’ll try that. I should also mention that it’s not just not shifting into second, but shifting into neutral when I try to go to second. I have tried very deliberately to shift hard with the shift lever full up, so it’s not a technique issue. 

Might be a weak shift return spring.
Steve

wrote:

1981 gpz 550. The bike has a very hard time shifting into second gear.

Maybe a bent shift fork?

I think I will try all the suggested things in this thread tomorrow. Starting with checking return spring, then plates, then forks. I really hope it’s not a fork.

wrote:

Thanks I’ll try that. I should also mention that it’s not just not shifting into second, but shifting into neutral when I try to go to second. I have tried very deliberately to shift hard with the shift lever full up, so it’s not a technique issue. 

Looks like getting out of first is the issue. Deliberately shifting hard can bend the shift forks. All of the suggestions above are possibilities, but I will bet a few cents on bent forks.
A previous owner may have been ignorant of the neutral finder and really pounded the shifter out of frustration, or he could have been one of those ham-footed riders who think it is cool to lift his foot clear of the peg and shifter so he can use his whole leg to pound the shift lever as he downshifts.

P.S. Does the 550 clutch cable have a mid-adjuster? On the liter bikes, there is an adjuster in the middle of the cable, near where the exhaust pipe exits the head, that must be included in the routine.

I’ve tried the mid adjuster. I followed the adjustment procedure step by step for the gpz. I can’t even get to the shift return spring yet because all the bolts on the cover over the mechanism are seized. 

Can you feel the spring and it's not sloppy?
Steve