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2012 Rebel 250 Neutral Problem

7K views 26 replies 12 participants last post by  SoakedKarma 
#1 ·
Shifting into neutral from 1st or 2nd while bike is on and stopped requires much force on the shifter, unlike my other bikes. With the ignition off it goes into neutral just fine. While driving, it goes through the gears just fine. I want it to shift into neutral while stopped and on like it does while stopped and off.

Is this just a Rebel quirk? Rocking it back and forth does nothing btw.

Any suggestions are much appreciated!
 
#3 ·
Your clutch is probably dragging when the lever is pulled. If it will go easily into neutral with the engine off that confirms it. This can be due to simple misadjustment (too much slack in the lever) or due to warped plates or basket.
 
#8 ·
I have the same thing, idling at a stop with the clutch fully pulled and finding N is difficult, keeps popping past it. turning off the engine, or trying to find it as I coast down to the stop is much easier.
when the engine is cold and just started it's much easier to shift into N.
 
#10 ·
In keeping with my training, and my fervent desire to avoid becoming the meat in a bumper sandwich, I never go to neutral at an intersection. I stop the bike with plenty of maneuvering room between me and the vehicle in front. The bike is downshifted to first and pointed in the pre-selected exit direction, right foot on the brake, right hand on the throttle, left foot down, left hand on the clutch, and glancing in the mirror for the driver that doesn't look like they are going to stop in time.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I do occasionally find neutral when upshifting. Generally, neutral, is a place I prefer not to go when riding.
 
#11 ·
I

In the spirit of full disclosure, I do occasionally find neutral when upshifting.
This type of missed shift is pretty much always due to bad shifting technique and can be entirely prevented by taking a little longer to complete your shift motion.
To get a smooth slick upshift, it helps to apply a little up preload pressure on the shifter pedal for a fraction of a second while still accelerating. The pedal will not move at all as long as the transmission is under load. Then when you roll off throttle and pull clutch the transmission will immediately upshift smoothly and you can release the clutch.
(in fact its not really essential to use the clutch at all with this method on the upshift, but I normally do)
Then continue to follow through on the upshift motion on the shifter until you feel the pedal stop against hard resistance at its upper stop and then hold it there for a moment before releasing it back to the rest position. You should feel the pedal resistance through the top of your boot for an instant.

You will never miss a shift again if you do it this way.

.
 
#12 ·
Thanks, Duckster, but I suspect it will continue to happen. I have chemo induced peripheral neuropathy, which causes lack of sensation/poor feeling in my hands and feet. In my truck, I'm subject to jackrabbit starts 'cause I can't tell how hard I'm pressing the pedal.
 
#13 ·
Ahh well sorry to hear that, Flite. Maybe the post will help others though. I know this is also a common problem with new riders, because they tend to be too tentative and hurried with their shifter input. The key thing about this method is that the shift lever is held at the top of its travel for a moment after the shift is completed and the bike is already accelerating in the next gear. This extra time does not actually slow the shifting process, since that is completed at the instant the lever is at the top of its travel.
The hold time at the top just ensures the shifter does reach its full travel, and also encourages a deliberate "pull" up on the lever rather than a tentative "stab" at it as beginners often do.
 
#15 ·
It's not normal on all Rebels. It's very easy to find neutral under any condition on mine. Experienced riders tend to find neutral easier than newbies on a given bike. However, I know that difficulty finding neutral is a very real issue on many bikes. Just this past weekend we had an issue with a Honda Grom on our training course that would not even shift out of first gear to second, let alone slip into neutral. Our Groms have had sticky transmissions, draggy clutches since they were brand new and Honda has not been able to fix them. They are terrible little bikes IMO and particularly terrible trainers.
 
#16 ·
I increased my idle speed and it shifts better. If I remember correctly the idle should be in the 1200–1400 range.
 
#17 ·
the book says 1400 rpm.
related: if I ease the throttle another 100-200 rpm with the clutch pulled it slips into N like butter.
 
#23 ·
It's almost impossible to shift into neutral unless the bike is moving, if only a bit. Things in the transmission have to line up, and to do so, the bike needs to move.

Please start your own thread instead of hijacking someone else's in the future.
 
#20 ·
I'm going to go hard on this problem. My wife's rebel is a 2004. It has 2000 miles on it. No way of knowing how old the oil in it is, though it looks like honey (color). But it must have sat for a long time, and the aging oil soaking into those friction plates may have resulted in undue "sticktion". Seems worse once the motor is warm. SO. I'm going to change the oil, the clutch friction plates, clutch springs and then see what happens. It's a shotgun approach, but parts are cheap
I have had the same issue on older British bikes when some of the clutch spring tension nuts back off. Causes the pressure plate to tilt instead of moving in and out parallel to the shaft axis. When this happened, the clutch would drag and keep the gears spinning, thwarting all neutral efforts.
I will report my results and findings. Cheers!
 
#21 ·
Adjust the clutch-play when the engine is at working temperature (to compensate for thicker clutchplates caused by the heat). Shift to "N", preferably if the Motor is running and the motorcycle is rolling.
The gearbox works best if the shafts both, are turning. If you have to stop with gears engaged and "N" is difficult to shift to...yes.. switch off the Motor and shift then.
 
#25 ·
Today I removed the primary drive (clutch) cover on my 2004 Rebel. With the cover off, I was able to discern that I can rock the entire clutch basket back and forth. WHAT!? The basket has a large gear (transmission input) that meshes with the smaller gear on the crankshaft. That gear should NOT exhibit end play. If it does, the primary gear mesh is affected. But that is beside the point. If the basket can be rocked easily by hand it indicates the clutch hub nut is loose. That's the nut with the four little indentations you see when you remove the clutch springs and all.

Now, this bike, although from 2004, has less than 2k on it, and has never been "opened". I'd guess it was that way since new.

If you have a Rebel that is hard to shift into neutral, it is not safe. The bike should function like any other normal bike and shifting into neutral should NOT be difficult. It should be "Click--Done!"
A loose clutch hub can allow the clutch plates to drag when you pull in the lever. It seems worse when the bike is hot/warmed up. This is not safe.

I'm awaiting arrival of the proper tool to remove the clutch hub nut. I will disassemble, replace the clutch plates and springs, re-torque the clutch hub nut to the proper spec and report the results.
Thank you for providing this informative forum.

I must say, Honda certainly has some tough gasket adhesive when they assemble these littl bikes!!

Regards!!
 
#26 ·
That nut cannot come loose if it was properly staked. Sounds like the factory messed up. See my note on the other thread about the judder spring and torque setting.
 
#27 ·
"hard to find neutral on motorcycle" is a common complaint about most makes of bikes
simple google search returns About 15,200,000 results
rolling stopped bike back and forth an inch or two while shifting is the common solution..
 
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