Notchy gear change

[Paul-Kent]

Would oil change help?

Bikes done 26k pretty well maintained and serviced in May when I bought it from dealer

Gears change fine but certainly clunks more than my yamahas ever did

[Snod Blatter]

Would oil change help?

Yes. Motul 5100 gives lovely changes for a short while, fully synthetic is like the bits of metal merely kiss each other before slotting neatly into position (as it were!).

The very cheap oil I'm currently using from Eurocarparts does not lead to nice changes even when new, it really makes a difference. Chain tension and lubrication also make a difference, I swear Honda must develop their gearboxes on a jig with a perfectly tensioned belt - as soon as the chain gets a bit slack or stiff the change seems to go to pot.

[fastbob]

An oil change is never a bad thing but it won't reverse the wear and tear that leads to a notchy gear change. What's probably going on here is that the metal pegs that are called dogs have inevitably taken a battering over countless thousands of gear changes. Although made of very hard steel , some wear still occurs causing play that creates a knock that is exaggerated by the gear lever making gear changes feel notchy. It's nothing to worry about, in fact I've just replaced my engine which had a very clunky gear change with a newer engine that has a very smooth action and now I can hardly tell whether I've made the gear change or not ! One thing that might help though is for you to replace the rubber cush drive in the rear wheel .

Worn dogs

[Grumpy Old Git]

Honda do tend to be a little 'clunky'!

[Tango]

What's your chain tension like?......If it's a bit loose you can get clunky gear changes.......I'm guessing that the clutch is adjusted ok too.....If it's dragging a bit you'll get clunky changes.....

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

Is this the old version CB500? I have a 2006 CBF500 which is basically the same bike and it's done 27k so similar mileage. I run it on Halfords bike oil 10W/40 and that's fine in it. As said above, clutch adjustment, chain tension and alignment can make a huge difference. On mine the gearchange is very slick. Going into first has a very positive click - other than that there's hardly anything. I had an older CB500 before that and that was much the same.