do honda guys have this problem ??

[TuningFork426]

Why do 426/450 gearboxes die? And why so commonly?

I broke my fourth gear, and the mechanic says i have to replace all the gears for one reason or another chips, scrapes, scuffs, 500$.

Yes there were two owners before me so it had wear and tear, but how do i preserve/prevent this from happening agin ?

[boer]

I have heard about more honda gearboxes failing than yamahas. Do yourself a favour and do some searches on the honda forums....

I believe any dirtbike which is riden hard on the road or long strecthes of desert without cush drive hub will sooner or later start with gearbox problems. Correct me if I'm wrong Remember nothing will last forever, and there are many factors involved eg oil cleanliness, riding/shifting style etc.

[simon@vic]

some wrs have failed. but all due to abuse. mine was about to go so i replaced all the gears before it happened.

Honda's fail too. if you change your oil every 500km and don't make sloppy shifts the Honda and yami should last for ever.

[MountainMax]

What do you mean by 'Sloppy Shifts' I want to make sure im not doing any? what about shifting without using the clutch at all? I do this quite often, just use the clutch for starting off........

[TuningFork426]

what is a cush drive?

I guess its too late to add one of those.

[PBDBLUE]

What do you mean by 'Sloppy Shifts' I want to make sure im not doing any? what about shifting without using the clutch at all? I do this quite often, just use the clutch for starting off........

All of the new generation 4 strokes have transmissions designed for reduced weight. As such they are not as robust as their predecessors. Add to that the fact that these motors make a tremendous amount of torque. You'll see all kinds of opinions but my view is that it's probably ok to go clutchless when shifting up but not such a good practice when downshifting. That said I try to use the clutch as often as possible since as you are finding out it's pretty expensive to put these motors back together. I have owned four 4xx's and ride with several others regularly and none have had any problems (transmission or otherwise).

[MountainMax]

Ok, but what is a 'SLOPPY SHIFT' i still dont understand?

[Wasabi]

what is a cush drive?

I guess its too late to add one of those.

Rear hub dampener on the rear wheel. Google it.

[Wasabi]

Why do 426/450 gearboxes die? And why so commonly?

Is it really that common? I know 3rd and 5th used to go on the older models but I thought that was all fixed with '04 models?

What oil do you use and how frequent do you change it? If you are going to abuse your bike, at least give it good protection.

[PBDBLUE]

Ok, but what is a 'SLOPPY SHIFT' i still dont understand?

Basically banging it into gear with the transmission/engine speed mismatched.

[MountainMax]

Basically banging it into gear with the transmission/engine speed mismatched.

Ah, i see, a bit.

[bg10459]

I usually short shift on the road. You definitely don't want to wind it all the way out in 3rd or 4th and then bang the next gear. Tire spin will absorb some of that on the dirt, but on the street it goes right into the trans.