Neutral/shifting issues when cold
-- Oil level at L to halfway between L and F when bike is level and oil is cold (before starting). Overfilled oil has a negative effect on shifting smoothness, especially when cold.
-- Right type of oil (as per manual); I have found heavy duty diesel (dino) oils such as Rotella 15-40 and synthetics provide slightly better cold shifting than standard non synthetic motorcycle oils. Car dino oils are the worst, YMMV.
-- Clutch adjustment (free play) is per manual specs so that clutch can fully engage. Make sure your pinky, signal housing, grip, etc. are not interfering with clutch lever travel.
-- Make sure your shift linkage is clean (thanks RandyO).
-- Start in neutral and allow 15-30 seconds of warm-up before trying to shift into first. Then take it easy on the RPMs and shifting for 1-2 minutes to allow the engine and oil to fully reach operating temperature.
-- On the first shift after starting, walk the bike forward so you are moving forward as you shift. This will smooth the shift into first.
-- Hard shifting is normal when the oil is cold.