Joined
·
1,408 Posts
The sysmptom were:
I engaged the reverse when I parked the bike to make it hard for someone to roll it away. Now the reverse won't disengage. The reverse button comes out and the neutral light comes on, but after a few seconds, the reverse light starts flashing. The reverse stays engage so I can't roll the bike anywhere - even onto a trailer to tow it home.
The switch is good. With the ignition switch off, I push the reverse switch in and turn the ignition on. The reverse light comes on and the actuatur pully turns to the counterclockwise position. When I turn the reverse switch off (release it to the out position), the neutral light comes on, the actuator pully turns to the clockwise position, and the reverse light starts blinking. The bike won't roll so I know the revese is still locked in. When I hit the starter button, at least one starter relay activates with a loud click.
Also, at all times, the headlights are off.
----
As it turns out, the cables pulling the actuator had stretched and weren't fully dis-engaging the system. The adjusting system is simple and easy to access. It is right behind the right-side engine cover above the oil dip-stick. The upper cable pulls the system out of reverse.
The service manual has steps for inspecting the actuator cable pully in the front of the bike. You have to remove some plastic to see it (the black piece of fairing in the middle right behind the front tire and possibly the lower peice to make room to get the upper piece out). Then the pully is mounted horizontally so it is hard to find. Instead, you can inspect the cables and operation of the system by watching the mechanism behind the engine cover. If I did that yesterday instead of taking the front fairing apart, I would have discovered the problem and fixed it then.
Any cable will stretch and this is a long one for what it does. If you've used the reverse much, you may want to adjust the upper cable by making the adjuster longer by an eighth of an inch or so.
I engaged the reverse when I parked the bike to make it hard for someone to roll it away. Now the reverse won't disengage. The reverse button comes out and the neutral light comes on, but after a few seconds, the reverse light starts flashing. The reverse stays engage so I can't roll the bike anywhere - even onto a trailer to tow it home.
The switch is good. With the ignition switch off, I push the reverse switch in and turn the ignition on. The reverse light comes on and the actuatur pully turns to the counterclockwise position. When I turn the reverse switch off (release it to the out position), the neutral light comes on, the actuator pully turns to the clockwise position, and the reverse light starts blinking. The bike won't roll so I know the revese is still locked in. When I hit the starter button, at least one starter relay activates with a loud click.
Also, at all times, the headlights are off.
----
As it turns out, the cables pulling the actuator had stretched and weren't fully dis-engaging the system. The adjusting system is simple and easy to access. It is right behind the right-side engine cover above the oil dip-stick. The upper cable pulls the system out of reverse.
The service manual has steps for inspecting the actuator cable pully in the front of the bike. You have to remove some plastic to see it (the black piece of fairing in the middle right behind the front tire and possibly the lower peice to make room to get the upper piece out). Then the pully is mounted horizontally so it is hard to find. Instead, you can inspect the cables and operation of the system by watching the mechanism behind the engine cover. If I did that yesterday instead of taking the front fairing apart, I would have discovered the problem and fixed it then.
Any cable will stretch and this is a long one for what it does. If you've used the reverse much, you may want to adjust the upper cable by making the adjuster longer by an eighth of an inch or so.
