ManxKat
Older but no wiser
Re: The Ducati I don't know what to call it
Just a thought but it looks like the bike is running non standard foot rests. Have you checked for play in the gear linkage mechanism? If there's any slop in the linkage then finding neutral will be really tricky. Generally speaking, Ducati gearboxes are on a par with Japanese stuff so if the clutch is OK (sounds like it is now), you're running the right oil and the gear linkage is tightened up then finding neutral shouldn't be a big issue.
If it's a case of there being actual resistance at the gear lever (rather than just dropping straight from first to second) then that might suggest a bent selector fork but I wouldn't panic about that until all the other boxes are ticked! Good luck.
Just a thought but it looks like the bike is running non standard foot rests. Have you checked for play in the gear linkage mechanism? If there's any slop in the linkage then finding neutral will be really tricky. Generally speaking, Ducati gearboxes are on a par with Japanese stuff so if the clutch is OK (sounds like it is now), you're running the right oil and the gear linkage is tightened up then finding neutral shouldn't be a big issue.
If it's a case of there being actual resistance at the gear lever (rather than just dropping straight from first to second) then that might suggest a bent selector fork but I wouldn't panic about that until all the other boxes are ticked! Good luck.