Hey m8... Having the same exact problem. It's gotten worse. Dealer tightened the clutch cable but made no difference. Taking it in for service. Did you get it resolved and do you know what it was?

 

I am having the same problem and am scheduling service on it. The service manager isn't aware of this issue but then again they haven't sold many of the KLX300s. Did you get it fixed and what was the issue? How's it riding now?

 

Not quite true. The main bikes I've seen with the shift star issue were around 2009. Kawasaki made a better shift star pattern a year or so after that. It is not on every bike. A search on shift star in this forum should get the posts and show pictures.

 

How many of you are riding new bikes trying to adhere to the ridiculous break in rpm limits? That is a mistake. That break in was fine with bikes that didn't rev over around 6500 rpm, but the small bores need more rpm. When I was selling in a dealership, with the approval of the Honda service rep, we told customers:

• Do not bog the engine - shifting at too low an rpm under a load, it is a harder load on the new engine parts, and I'd go one step further, don't bog the engine at all. That's why you have six gears, to keep it in the good power between 4000-8000 rpm - Do it! Downshift if you are below 4000 rpm and trying to accelerate. Only exception might be putting around town under little to no load.
• Do not redline the engine - stay below around 80% of redline and don't run hard or steady rpm for long periods in the first several hundred miles, don't go out and park on the freeway at 70 mph or go drag racing.
• Do vary the rpm in the mid range up and down - on a KLX250 that would be between 3500-7000 rpm
• We recommended riding the hilly countryside around our area

The gear box may be notchy when new and also when the transmission is under load at low rpm. You will find the bike will shift better over time and you will find it shifts easier at the higher rpm being able to handle the load on the gear box easier. And no, there are no synchronizers in the gear box like cars may have. Running proper rpm they are unnecessary. The gear box load has to do with shifter dogs being able to engage. Higher rpm less load easier engagement.

Remember, the KLX is a small bore and small bores simply are built to rev higher, as shows by the high redline. My KLX650 had I think an 8000 rpm redline, best power between 3500-6500, my KLX250 has a 10,000 rpm redline, best power between 5000-9000 rpm. With that in mind a 4000 rpm limit in break in recommended on both bikes is just foolishness. Here is a great video from Ari Henning and MC garage:


Even my 1975 Kawasaki 400 triple two stroke had that stupid 4000 rpm for the first 600 miles or whatever. My friend, the Kawasaki trained service manager, told me the two strokes needed to be worked between at a minimum, 4000-6000 rpm (in the good power range) and the rings were seated in at a couple hundred miles. From there he said ride normal but not over around 80% of redline and not hard all the time until around 1000 miles. Fact is if a rider tried to follow the break in on the two strokes the engines would carbon up and load up due to the oil mix fuel. The bike needed wound up to clean it out - for real. The two strokes wouldn't kick in with good power until around 5500 rpm, below 4000 was lugging the engine badly.

 

Here is a good write-up and fix for the shift star problem on the early KLX300's:
https://web.archive.org/web/20170607...shift-fix.html

 

Here's a link to one of the threads when I did a search for shift star click here

 

My 19 model was experiencing jumping out of gear in 5th and 6th gear, usually under power. There had been some discussion about dropping the bike on the left side and the shifter being struck hard enough that it could bend, I'll call it the neutral locating pin. This is a threaded stud that bolts into the case and limits the up and down movement of the shifter. I figured it was either that or that the engagement dogs on those gears had worn, or possibly the shift forks had bent. It took some digging and this locater pin was on back order, but figured I'd give it a try before going to the trouble of disassembling the engine to get to the trans.
Parts and shipping were $20 +/-, so laid the bike on its right side, removed the sprocket cover, sprocket and shift mech cover. The pin didn't appear to be bent, but I had a new one anyway. Noticed the old one wasn't really torqued down, and thought I could see where the shifter arm, would bottom one way and there appeared to be a slight gap at the other. Got thing bolted back up, and took it for a brief spin. So far I am not experiencing it jumping out of gear, but this was just in a field at the back of the farm. Real test will be to get it out on the pavement under power. But I am optimistic. Also and I am the second owner, the bike had to be in neutral to start, and there is some kind of neutral start switch on the case immediately forward of the sprocket, whether the wire was loose or disconnected, I reinstalled it, and now it will start in gear so long at the clutch is depressed and the kickstand up like it is supposed to. I intend to chuck the old stud in a drill and see if it wobbles just out of curiosity.

 

Pretty sure this problem with the shift star profile was fixed with a different shift star. If I remember right it was an issue in the 2009 only.

Here is a link to one of the threads. click here

 

My 2021 would occasionally not go into sixth and kick back into fifth, until I installed a shorter Honda Grom shift lever. It never happened again. I heated it up and bent it outward to provide clearance for the case cover. The travel is shorter so shifting is more positive. My feet are small so it works great.