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Strange Behavior This Morning

Posted: Wed Dec 01, 2010 12:33 pm
by tinytrains
I rolled the bike out this morning and it started right up to it's normal cold idle. About 30 seconds later, it just stopped dead. Hit the starter and all is fine. Weird. Then I get to my first stop light. No one is around so I put it in neutral, get the big N, let out the clutch and it jerks and stalls. It's still in gear, but giving me a neutral light! I found the real neutral and restarted. The rest of my 24 mile commute went normally. It was 49 degrees, which is cold by So Cal standards, but that should not have been a factor.

Anyone else ever have these issues?

Thanks,
Scott

Re: Strange Behavior This Morning

Posted: Wed Dec 01, 2010 1:23 pm
by jess
I've had the second issue once or twice, where the display said it was in neutral but as soon as I let out the clutch it engaged, jerked, and stalled. It wasn't during cold weather either, so I tend to believe that it's just a slight misalignment between the gear position sensor and the actual gears.

If you're really talented, you can get it into a position where the gear display is blank.

I can't speak to the first problem.

Re: Strange Behavior This Morning

Posted: Wed Dec 01, 2010 2:08 pm
by tinytrains
Now I am spooked about starting it on the side stand in neutral. I guess one should roll it a foot to make sure.

Scott

Re: Strange Behavior This Morning

Posted: Wed Dec 01, 2010 6:05 pm
by tobes
jess wrote:
If you're really talented, you can get it into a position where the gear display is blank.
I get this often.

I haven't had a false neutral yet though. I had the engine shut off once when down shifting from 2nd to 1st gear while rounding a corner. That was a bit scary but it never happened again.

Re: Strange Behavior This Morning

Posted: Wed Dec 01, 2010 9:11 pm
by highwaymanbw
I have had the false neutral happen several times in cold weather and had neutral with no light, but always with cool to cold weather. Very difficult to warm the bike up on the side stand.

Re: Strange Behavior This Morning

Posted: Thu Dec 02, 2010 7:17 am
by Ric
Yes....I've had that exact thing happen to me; first back in the mid 60's on my Honda and many many times on many different bikes since...it's called motorcycling...... :roll:

Re: Strange Behavior This Morning

Posted: Thu Dec 02, 2010 7:20 am
by Ric
tinytrains wrote:Now I am spooked about starting it on the side stand in neutral. I guess one should roll it a foot to make sure.

Scott
Where's your safety cut-out ? It shouldn't start without the clutch being disengaged.
I dropped a CB750 that way.

Re: Strange Behavior This Morning

Posted: Thu Dec 02, 2010 3:16 pm
by tinytrains
Ric wrote:
tinytrains wrote:Now I am spooked about starting it on the side stand in neutral. I guess one should roll it a foot to make sure.

Scott
Where's your safety cut-out ? It shouldn't start without the clutch being disengaged.
I dropped a CB750 that way.
If it thinks it is in neutral, it will start with the clutch out. If it is really in gear, that will be bad. Since I roll it out of the garage first, I will at least know if it is in gear. Just something to keep in mind for all of us.

Scott

Re: Strange Behavior This Morning

Posted: Thu Dec 02, 2010 4:29 pm
by mogu83
Isn't amazing how easily we come to depend on and trust these gadgets that people rode without for decades. What happened to rolling the bike a little before you kicked (start) it just to check if it was in neutral, or letting the clutch out a little at a light to check for neutral, or just knowing how the trans sounded or felt when it was in neutral.
This is the first and only bike I have with a gear indicator and when I started riding this I figured I just wouldn't look at it. Now when I pull up to a light or stop when I'm on my other bikes I look at the gauge area to see if I'm in neutral, when on the road I look for the indicator instead of the tack to see what gear I'm in. Same with the GPS, I only use it on the Beemer and when I'm on another bike and see an interesting road, instead of looking down the road to see where it goes, I look at the handlebars for the GPS.
I guess this goes back to the list member that thought ABS was a useless farkle, but I'm glad I have a bike in the garage that has one cylinder a headlight,a taillight,a kickstarter,a frame,a tank and fenders just so I can get out and ride a motorcycle now and then and not pilot half a car.

THE POINT: I don't know , just getting old I guess

Image

Re: Strange Behavior This Morning

Posted: Sun Dec 12, 2010 1:11 am
by lewellen
Ric wrote:
tinytrains wrote:Now I am spooked about starting it on the side stand in neutral. I guess one should roll it a foot to make sure.

Scott
Where's your safety cut-out ? It shouldn't start without the clutch being disengaged.
I dropped a CB750 that way.
Yes, it shouldn't.

... which is why I make a habit of starting the bike with the clutch pulled in. :-)

Good roads,

- Lewellen