85' Honda shadow 500, Doesnt seem to shift smooth

[shadowman]

I pull the clutch in tight to shift but sometimes it wont shift, Does this mean clutch is going out ? Or does something need to be tightened ???. My rpm gauge doesnt work would that have anything to do with the shifting ????

[Motorcycle Forum]

[shadowman]

I pull the clutch in tight to shift but sometimes it wont shift, Does this mean clutch is going out ? Or does something need to be tightened ???. My rpm gauge doesnt work would that have anything to do with the shifting ????

[Easy Rider]

Does this mean clutch is going out ?
Or does something need to be tightened ???.
My rpm gauge doesnt work would that have anything to do with the shifting

Probably not.
Might have too much slack in the clutch cable.
The "rpm gauge" is called a tachometer and no, that likely has nothing to do with the shifting problem

When it "won't shift", then what do you do ??

[artistic_gore]

My first thought would be to check the cable as well. You should rotate the rod that disengages the clutch through it's motion by hand (using a wrench) to see how far it can go from full off to full on and then watch how far it goes when actuated with the clutch lever. If the lever isn't moving it very far you need to adjust the cable and remove slack, otherwise you need to investigate further. Some more information would be helpful as well. Is it not downshifting into first from a stop? Is it not switching between gears while riding? Etc.

[Rickster]

A lot of things could cause hard shifting, one of the first things to check would be the engine oil for proper level and to see if it's dirty.