Hard to up shift

[evil_hero]

Hey all.
Drove to work today in the AM, not a problem. Went to head home today, stopped at a red light and had to readjust my backpack so I had to shift to N, I tried and tried, and finally and had push my foot way up, so i could get enough leverage to get it into N. After that, it was crazy hard to shift up, shifting down is fine. What I ended up doing was instead of shifting up with my toe i had to reach my foot over and kick it back with my heel. Few miles of that, then it started shifting easy again.....then few more miles down the road, extremely hard again.

Any ideas?

Thanks

[Rookie Rider]

Hows your oil level, check your sight glass with the bike straight up and NOT on its sidestand.

[Water Warrior 2]

Have you ever lubed the shift linkage? There are 2 little rubber boots on each end of the shift rod by the shifter. Just squirt some chain lube in under the boots. Also check to see that the locking nuts on the rod are tight. If they came loose that would probably do it too. Be careful not to damage them. Other than that it might be the suggested low oil level or a need for an oil change if you are close to the regular scheduled oil change interval. Keep us updated, it should be an easy fix.

[evil_hero]

Thanks

The oil level is at full, although it does look dirty. Could dirty oil cause this? It's a 2003, with 3k miles now. I dont know if the previous owner ever changed the oil, so it is probably due.

I haven't lubed the shift rod yet, I will try that and change the oil today, and see what happens.

It's low miles, so I dont think (read hope) anything major is wrong.

Thanks for your help

[JWR]

The best thing with a New to You bike, do a full service.

This is the best way to get to know your bike and to know it is safe.

Lots of good people and help on this board.

Enjoy.

[evil_hero]

Thanks guys. Quick oil change, and it shifts crazy smooth now. I could probably shift it with my pinky toe lol!
I also lubed the shift rod.
Crazy how oil can affect it like that.

Thanks again!

[Rookie Rider]

Good job, this forum is where i learned alot about my 2000 gz. And like JWR said, you get to know your bike when fixing and changing things.

[Water Warrior 2]

A little TLC goes a long way. Regular maintenance is the key.

Years ago when I had my 1st bike I would lube anything that moved. Probably more than needed no doubt. A good friend of mine was itching for a demo ride of my little 125. 20 minutes later I was starting to worry a bit when he showed up with a strange look on his face. Uh oh I thought. All he said was "everything works and it's so smooth."