Ok guys. Heres the deal. Some of you may remember a post from me a while back regarding rough shifting from first to second gear on my bike. The problem has not changed, even after a fresh oil change and adjusting of the clutch cable.

I have contacted several places asking about shift fork service as I have been lead to believe that may be my problem. I contacted two honda dealerships and a private owned shop (known in the area for quality work).

Every shop I talk to insists that they must split the case to replace or inspect the shift forks and that I might as well rebuild the transmission at that time.

I have an OEM shop service manual for the 02 CBR 954 and it specificly states in the clutch/gearshift linkage section (which covers shift fork replacement)that all service can be performed with engine installed in the frame.

When you refer to the instructions for shift fork/shift drum removal there is even a foot note stating that shift fork/shift drum removal can be performed with engine installed in the frame. So why are all the shops wanting to split the case? Is it just because they want to make the extra labor $$$ or is it because its easier on them to do it that way rather then accessing them through the bottom of the motor?

Not only will the cost be much greater if they do it this way but alsoI dont want the case to be split if it doesnt have to be. Can anyone shed some light on this possibly?



Im taking the bike to oneof the honda dealers tomorrow to have them take a look at it. I will talk to them more about it thenand seeif I can get anymore answers.


Thanks in advance for any info on this.

 

I think youre correct about not having to split the case for inspection and removal of the forks. You will need to drop the exhaust, oil pan and remove the right side cover though. From there you should be able to access the shifter assembly on the right side and the gear drum/shift forks from underneath. If you do end up splitting the cases, I would go ahead and undercut the the tranny for more positive engagement. I installed a Factory Pro shift kit in my 954 and it does make a noticable difference.

 

Just as an update I did finally take a trip down to a somewhat local honda dealer and had the service manager take it for a ride to get his opinion. He brought the bike back and said thathe could findnothing wrong with the transmission, but that I do need a clutch (which I already knew was getting to the end of its life). He guaranteed that it would be much better with a new clutch.Going to replace it very soon...

 

do the clutch yourself. takes like 30 mins. also, i do not see how rough shifting has anything to do with the clutch. I was one of the people that posted awhile back. your symptoms were the same as mine and it ended up being a shift fork.

 

Yes I do plan on replacing it myself. Yea I thought the same thing about it not being symptoms of the clutch. I tend to over-analyze things though and the problem may not have been as bad as I once thought.Over the last couple weeks I have been playing with the clutch adjustment and it seemed to get better as I tightened up the clutch cable. So, I'm hoping this is all it ends up being.