Brand new 2015 stuck in 5th gear. WTF!?

I didn't do any work on the bike besides shifting it gently and stripping the lower fairings.

But anyway...

Dealership just picked it up. The driver started the bike and shifted it into gear. It clanked so loud it sounded like someone hit a bucket with a wrench. Shudder.

Here's some pics of the leakage. Looks like a mix of chain wax and oil. Weird

 

All wet clutch bikes clunk when you put them in gear. That's why you never let the clutch out in neutral with the bike running.

I dont know what that yellow substance is. But it is neither engine oil, nor coolant. Factory sealant? Assembly grease? I can't tell from the pics, where exactly it is.

 

Never heard of that! I do all the time.

 

Any word from your dealer?

 

Never heard that either. Can you enlighten us Sniper?

As for the leakage that looks like chain grease. Mine looks far worse than that.

 

Whoever told you that should be slapped in the face! You absolutely can let the clutch out in neutral with the bike running. It is done by thousands of people every day. Just out of curiosity, what exactly is the reason you think this can't be done?

 

[video=youtube;Qw9oX-kZ_9k]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qw9oX-kZ_9k[/video]

 

Maybe the gear lever is loose on the shaft. The dudes that uncrate and "assemble" new bikes at dealerships don't get paid the big pesos.

 

A. minigator strikes again.
B. minigator strikes out again.
C. minigator has three strike against him.
D. All of the above
E. Neutral and who gives a shit anyway.

 

D and E, all of the above and I do not give a shit.

 

Because it goes CLUNK when you put it in gear. If you enjoy that clunk sound, have at it. If you dont like the clunk sound, dont let the clutch out in neutral. But if you did park it in neutral, and the dealership guy comes to ride off on your bike, so he can wipe off the chain lube, dont bitch. Lol

And yeah, l know just about everybody does it. Just about everybody is in debt, too. Doesnt make that a good idea either.

 

The dastardly clunk can be avoided by not reading or listening to any thing minigator has so say or by engaging first cog from neutral whilst slightly rolling the bike forward.

 

^Absolutely!

Its called rev matching.

I live on a hill, and occasionally do the rolling first gear engagement.

No sense of grinding, and clunking mechanical things, if you dont have to.

 

And I had 11 in, when you got started. That line of thinking proves exactly nothing.

The OP came to ask whether anyone else has experienced this sort of failure, not to be questioned about his ability to change gears on a bike. This isn't a teenage squid here, it is an experienced rider who dailies on two. Respect is due, IMO.

I am expecting a failed part, perhaps a random loose chunk which got wedged, to be the cause.

Sorry for the one buyer who just happened to get that 1/100 of 1% quality control miss.

 

Final analysis is going to be with the dealership and Honda Inc. If the OP keeps fucking with the bike it lessens the chances for satisfaction.

 

Maybe minigator is just looking for reverse on his bike...

 

Nobody that l know of, parks their Mustang/Camero/Challenger in neutral, then pushes the clutch in 85% of the way, and crunches it into first gear. Yet, (some) guys do the equivalent of that, with their motorcycle all the time; and think nothing of it.

 

Apples/oranges.

The crunch happens in a bike because of the wet clutch, where even disengaged, there is still measurable torque being transferred because of the oil's stiction between the plates. Difficult to avoid that, but they are made to be ok with it. Pulling the lever of a properly adjusted clutch two seconds before moving the gear lever minimizes the effect. I don't know of anyone who shuts off the engine to put a car in first, either. And it'd be worthless anyway, since a trip through neutral is required with each and every change of gear. Motorcycle transmissions are constant-mesh, with only one neutral location.

I think that most people are ham-fisted with manual transmissions in cars, in large part because they don't understand the parts or physics involved in rotating masses.
The clutches in my cars have lasted for eons, even with tons of competition use. Although different than motorcycle systems in many ways, they share design elements and functional equivalencies. Wear is a factor every time a clutch is in any status other than fully engaged. Motorcycle clutches do not have "throwout" or crankshaft "pilot" bearings like cars (commonly abused to the point of premature failure in cars), but wear to internal parts occurs every time the lever is pulled back towards the grip.

I'm guessing that you are espousing never being in neutral unless the engine is shut off. I disagree that it is a good idea, or necessary in any way.

Yes, I know that the MSF teaches being in gear with clutch pulled in at traffic lights. Pretty much zero safety advantage, I think, and unnecessarily hard on affected parts. An aware rider can get first gear and move a bike quickly if needed. A daydreaming rider will be toast, whether in gear or not, and more likely to stall upon the circumstance of a suddenly required acceleration.

IMO

 

Thanks for your lengthy reply, exactly right. I was going to try and find the video of the two $200,000 RC213s on the paddock where the HRC techs are putting the engines through their paces by reving them in neutral without pulling in the clutch, then they got on the bike and ran through the gears on a stand without shutting off the engine first. If a HRC tech does it, than that good enough for me.

 

Does this apply to bikes that have cable operated clutches or are pre unit?

Much as I'd like to think all these informative posts are 100% fact, they ain't.