Shifting from 1st to 2nd

[deadant]

My 2004 1500fi Nomad with 21,000 miles doesn't seem to shift from 1st to 2nd smoothly. I hit neutral alot and sometimes even grind it a bit going into 2nd. I don't have any problems with any other gear. Is this normal? Is it time for a clutch spring?

I did ride my bosses 2000cc Vulcan and noticed the same shifting as my Nomad, so I'm assuming its a Kawa thing, but just wanted to get some other opinions.


My 1978 GS1000 and 1979 GS750 Suzuki's shifted extremely smooth. Weird how a 30 year old bike could have such a smooth tranny, and this almost prefect, modern machine seems to lack refinement in the tranny.