Mar
06
The Key to Finding Neutral on a Ural
Filed Under (Training) by Anthony StClair on 06-03-2008
It’s all about the feel
The other night, I had a horrible time finding neutral. Just could not do it — it was like my first days on the bike all over again. The next day I spent some time just working on neutral, and I think I figured some things out. These are just my observations and what seem to be working for me and my 2007 Ural Patrol; YMMV (your mileage may vary).
The quest for neutral, the gear of no-gear
- Shift all the way into first gear
- Put nearly even pressure on both the toe bar (down-shifting) and heel bar (up-shifting) of the Ural’s heel-toe shifter, with just slightly more pressure on the heel up-shifting bar
- Tense your calf muscles
- Press down, slowly, on heel up-shifter
- Pay close attention — feel for a “slip” of the gear into… nothing. Neutral is like the zen of motorcycle gears — it is the “no-gear” of motorcycle shifting. You’re feeling for not being in gear, of feeling between gears, because, well, that’s exactly what neutral is
- If it feels like you’ve shifted and suddenly the shifter feels like it’s come to a good stopping place, you’re in second gear, not neutral. Let out the clutch a little, bring it back in, downshift into first, and start over
- Continue until you consistently are feeling that “slip”, the feeling that you are out of gear, that the shifter is just hanging off in its own zennish nirvana nothingness. That’s exactly where you want it to be. Hint: it will always be less movement than you think it should be. If you feel you’ve moved the shifter enough, you’ve probably just moved it too far and are in second. If you’re confident you’ve hit neutral though…
- Prove it: Go on, let out that clutch all the way. Don’t worry if you stall, just go back to the beginning and try again. If you did get neutral, do a quick couple of fist pumps, pop the rig back into first gear, and continue on your way.
Repeat a few, oh, dozen times, and you’ll just be starting to get the hang of finding neutral on a Ural.
I must say…finding -N- is a pain in the butt sometimes. I myself do not use -N- that often. I stay in First when at a light. If something is going to happen, like getting hit then I’m ready to get out of the way. If I’m in -N- the seconds it takes to pull in clutch step into 1st could be life seconds to get out of a bad situation.
I pretty much only try to hit it when I’m at a stoplight and it looks like I’m going to be there for a bit. After much practice and more swearing, neutral’s not too much of a problem anymore.
The only issue I have noticed now and again is when I’ve been running the bike for a while, then sometimes it’s very hard for me to shift into neutral. Not sure if it’s something to do with the bike running/being warm, or if it’s that I lose my touch over the course of the ride.
If you do need to slip into N though, you can also try shifting up into second and then shifting down by pressing the toe shift. That’s worked for me too.
I hear you though - at stop signs and such, I’m generally leaving the bike in gear and feathering out clutch as soon as I can.
I am also pretty new new to Ural riding. I bought a used 2005 last summer here in Denver.
I also have noticed that it gets harder to find neutral as the bike gets warmer so I don’t think it’s you losing your touch.
I just discovered your site this morning and I am really enjoying it. Keep up the great work!
Thanks Mike, I wondered if it might be just a universal thing. One trick I have picked up from other Ural riders is when you get a stop and you’ve been running the rig for a while, give a little throttle to keep the Ural from stalling. That’s been helping.
Glad you like the site man! Keep the comments coming. How’s your Ural 2005 been running? What model did you get?
Here’s another idea on finding neutral on a Ural. John BG on the Soviet Steeds Message Boards has a good tip on getting into neutral on a Ural from first at a stop - check this out:
Soviet Steeds :: View topic - htf neutral and hard into first gear when really warmed up
http://sovietsteeds.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2717
“The easiest way to find neutral is while the bike is in first gear, with the cluctch lever pulled in, reach down and pul the reverse lever half way back and then move it fully forward and you should be in neutral. Some folks can move the lefer aft and back with their foot, I have not mastered that”
I was reading “Driving A Sidecar Outfit” and read…The transmission must be in neutral before reverse can be engaged. I was wondering about that. Hopin I’m not messin up my bike, this is what I’ve been doing…Hit kill switch with bike in first gear when I park it then when I get on it to back-up I pull in the clutch and engage reverse and after I back-up take the bike out of reverse it’s in neutral. It works great for me because I’m backing out of most places I park. Do you think this is a no-no?
You know, I’m not sure about that. I can’t find anything to corroborate it, but I keep thinking I remember reading something that said you could shift into reverse while in either first or neutral. Could be wrong though. Is there anything in your Ural manual?
Just found my answer…Attempting to engage reverse gear while the motorcycle is moving may cause SEVERE damage to the gearbox and will void the warranty. I never use it while the bike is moving. It also says…Engage the reverse gear only when the motorcycle is completely stopped and is either in 1st gear or neutral. Sounds like I’ve been doing it right. It works out great to be in neutral after you back up. I stop my bike in first gear then shut off the kill switch. When I start it I pull in the clutch turn on the kill switch then put it into reverse. Finding neutral can be a drag when I want to kick start the bike. I’m hopin my way isn’t bad for the bike.
That’s what I do too - I put it in neutral, hit reverse, then stop (rear brake only - never front brake when going backwards, it can mess up the discs) and put it back in neutral, then shift into first.
I don’t think you’re doing anything wrong, Dena. The boys on Soviet Steeds could back that up better than I can though.