2012+ How many neutrals

[Tank]

I was on my was to work this morning in our wonderful 36 degree weather and something strange happened. I was rounding a turn and accelerating in third, when I shifted up to fourth the bike went into neutral. So I pulled up on the shift lever again and this time I did shift into fourth. This is the only time it happened. The rest of the ride to work and home went fine. So how many neutrals did mother Honda see fit to give us? My bike is a 2014 with only 600 miles on it. Please don't tell me I've got mechanical issues already.

[MMR]

Tank, you do NOT have mechanical issues already. There is nothing wrong with your bike, or the transmission.

This happens to many of us as we get older...things just don't pop up as well as they did when we were younger. Oops...wrong subject.

Okay, back to the shifting issue. This happens to many of us, as we get used to the Honda trans, and learn that you have to make a definitive action when shifting, and not just casually shift from one gear to the next.

In all seriousness, this issue will happen less than 0.001 % of the time. It is simply a "ghost" neutral, meaning that you did not engage the shifting fork as far as you should have, and the next gear did not engage. Yes, the fault is yours...own it....and yes Honda could have built a more perfect transmission, but.....now that you have experienced this "ghost" neutral, your mind will be more attentive in the future when shifting.

Heck, I still do it once in a blue moon, and I have been riding these things since before Obama learned to lie to the public, which was a long time ago. It makes me unhappy when I do it, but I know it was MY fault, so I simply shift again, and all is well.

There is NO damage being done to your transmission.

[Tank]

Glad to hear nothing is wrong other than my shifting. I have no problem owning up to it. Will these ghost neutrals appear between every gear if I can't get it up properly? Er...I guess I'll have to try to keep my mind in it and concentrate on shifting more. Thanks for the response MMR.

[Yellowbird]

The same thing happen to me a couple of days ago, MMR is right all of my shifting problem are due to my lazy habits and quick shifting. I do agree the wing transmissions are one of a kind they just don't shift like other motorcycles.

[MMR]

Will these ghost neutrals appear between every gear if I can't get it up properly?.

Tank, the short answer is...yes. Most likely it will be when shifting up to 2nd. Rarely is it when shifting up to 3rd. But the second most common one is when shifting up from 4th to 5th.

But keep in mind, it will NOT happen 99.999 % of the time. You may go for 100K miles and not have it happen, and then suddenly you let your guard down, and it happens twice in the next week.

The gear shift does not need to be jammed, or shifted hard....it is just a intentional movement. We, as humans...sometimes get caught up in the laziness of our actions, and the movement of the left foot does not equal the intention that was thought out by the right side of the brain.

The last and only mechanical participant in this action that may possibly be at fault is the viscosity of the oil you are using. Again, a 93.14159% chance that the oil you are using is not the culprit, but...being that your bike is a 2014 model, with ONLY 600 miles on it, which tells all of us that you "just bought the bike yesterday" ,.... When you do the first oil and filter change, be mindful of what oil you do install in the engine/trans. Meaning......(to avoid a major thread for the 1000th time about oils)....try to avoid a super cheap oil from K-mart, and please use a decent major brand, like Mobil 1, or Rotella, or Honda's oil....somehting like that. Bottomline is that if you were to use that 40 year old can of H-D oil, with the 30w-50 weight, you may not like how it shifts.

I know the bike currently has the OEM break-in oil in it, so you can remove the oil issue from your mind.

[sorcerer]

When I first got my F6B I had similar shifting woes and I had come off a Valk. I've found that when I hit that (neutral) that I need to do 2 up clicks of the shifter to truely get the gear I wanted. If don't I get the gear I was just shifting out of. Now with 14,000 miles it shifts almost like butter. Now if I can ever get used to the clutch engaging just off the grip, life would be grand.

[MMR]

Sorcerer, I would like to suggest that you bleed your clutch fluid...making every attempt to remove old fluid....refill with new fluid...and the point of this exercise is to try to get any trapped bubbles out of the system. It may not look like there are any bubbles in the system, but what you described of how your clutch acts...is indicative of a system that needs to be bled.

I too have an F6B, and my clutch works perfectly.

[sorcerer]

Sorcerer, I would like to suggest that you bleed your clutch fluid...making every attempt to remove old fluid....refill with new fluid...and the point of this exercise is to try to get any trapped bubbles out of the system. It may not look like there are any bubbles in the system, but what you described of how your clutch acts...is indicative of a system that needs to be bled.

I too have an F6B, and my clutch works perfectly.

Being that mine is a 2013 the break, clutch and rear end fluids are some place around 2 years old and due to be changed. With the onset of winter that will be a spring time job. 👍

[MMR]

Being that mine is a 2013 the break, clutch and rear end fluids are some place around 2 years old and due to be changed. With the onset of winter that will be a spring time job. 👍

Yeah, I gotta do the same with my '13 F6B. It is in my shop right now getting all new brake pads up front, service the rear diff, and got a new tennis shoe (tire) on the front. I suppose I might as well go ahead and replace all brake and clutch fluids too. Oh...and the coolant.

I normally don't have to replace brake pads at this low of mileage...currently 45K on it...but when I removed my front tire the other day, I checked all four pads up front, and one of them must have been sticking on the slider pins, as it was down a lot more than the other three. Honda does not put as much lube on the slider pins as I do, so....I will replace all four pads up front, and service the front calipers my normal way, with lots of lube so the pads easily move in and out as they should. Typically I have done my front pads at about 65K miles on previous 1800 Wings.

[h2otech]

I've done it also. 1st to 2nd. Just lazy shifting on my part. Coming from a Kawi Nomad the goldwing is much nicer to shift. Just got to engage the gears fully. At least on the goldwing the 1st to 2nd doesn't engage with a loud head turning bang.

[JerseyDevil]

I think shifting early or at lower rpm plays into this equation as well. These things are meant to be wound.