Clunky gears

[Fearless]

My 2002 Suzuki DF140 (250 hours) gear select can be a bit clunky unless you select gear rapidly. This occurs in both ahead and astern selection. I have spoken to others and they say this is quite common. The outboard and gearbox was serviced recently and it still occurs. I have only recently bought the boat so cannot state how long this has been happening. Is there something that I should inspect or change to eliminate this/
New to the forum so hope that I have posted this correctly.
Thank you.

[Harper]

It's normal....and you should put in gear or change gear briskly. If actually changing between forward and reverse, do pause in neutral, but still move the lever briskly when re-engaging.

[keakar]

if in neutral and you push the slack out going forward or in reverse (not actually shifting it into gear) you shouldn't hear any gears clicking, if this is ok then the shift linkage is not set correctly, if not adjust it.

as for clucking into gear its normal but wait until the engine idles down all the way. some rev a little above idle for a few seconds after starting.

another helpful thing is switching to full synthetic gear oil will help smooth out shifting and give better protection for it. the dealers often will only have "blended" gear oil but you can use any gear oil as long as it is the type listed in your manual