[Murphy]

Hey Folks, After reading all the post about tranny issues, I was wondering if I did something wrong by putting the Kury floorboards on my 06' wing ? I run high quality Spectro 15-50 full syn in my wing. I baby the bike and I've been riding for fourty years . I'm getting nervous about what I'm reading.Any suggestions ? Should I take the boards off ?

Regards,Murf:-(

 

[kmassey]

I run the same boards and dont see any problems. I just always check that there is no tension where it connects to the shifter. No binding no problem.
Kurt

 

[William Anzik]

I have Kuryakyn floorboards with a heel/toe shifter and no problems here either. I baby my Wing with fresh dino oil every 8,000 miles.

I'd just make sure not to be stomping on the shifter.

 

[GWNorman1800]

You shouldn't have problems, the hard part is getting used to the boards and once you do you won't want to be without them.

 

[31261]

Hey Folks, After reading all the post about tranny issues, I was wondering if I did something wrong by putting the Kury floorboards on my 06' wing ? I run high quality Spectro 15-50 full syn in my wing. I baby the bike and I've been riding for fourty years . I'm getting nervous about what I'm reading.Any suggestions ? Should I take the boards off ?

Regards,Murf:-(

This is just my opinion, but based on facts too. There are so many reasons given about this it boggles the mind. The plain fact is oil is oil is oil and does not affect this situation at all, as neither does having a heel/toe shift, or not or the use of heavy boots or tennis shoes.

It is rare for the 1800 to develop this situation, and it seems worse than it is simply because we do discuss it a lot on the forum. So most of the bikes will never realize this situation.

On those that do develop the problem it is the tolerance in the stationary gears on the output shaft and the ones that slip and are moved by the shift forks. The shift drum is the key to moving the forks and the forks are what actually move the shift gears. There are 4 lugs or dogs if you will that mate to the stationary gears. With some bikes the tolerance between where the stationary gear is set on the main shaft and to where the fork mates the shift gears is too much. So with time it does wear more, and will occasionally jump out of gear, normally on deceleration, not always but most of the time .

Then one day when conditions are just right, the thing pops out of gear, bends the fork, and now creates the classic transmission failure. When you go to the shop , they just tell you it is because of a shift fork, and leave it at that. Basically it is an assembly deal, human error.

I honestly see no way the use of a heel/toe or not, heavy boots or not effect anything. Maybe if the bike is not running , nothing is rotating and one tries to stomp it into or out of gear when it is stubborn would do harm, could do this, but how many people do this? Most take care of their bikes and would not stomp the gear lever. I see no way ordinary use will hurt anything, I would not think this would ever be a factor to the ordinary person.

Honda is never going to admit that fact that for a time there they had a problem with tolerances........but they did......tis the luck of the draw if you get one where the assembly jig was a bit off.

And naturally with time and wear it can happen anyway, but takes a lot of miles to round off the dogs. That clunk you hear when you shift is the dogs mating to the stationary gears.

Kit

 

[Teaser 1]

I theorize it's not the accessories so much as operator error. Repeated mis shifts and partial shifts contribute to this. Me, I've ran synthetic lubes and a Rattlebars H/T 36000 miles and she shifts like a new one. I have never babied mine and occassionally even shift clutchlessly to boot.

 

[211Chuck]

Hey Folks, After reading all the post about tranny issues, I was wondering if I did something wrong by putting the Kury floorboards on my 06' wing ? I run high quality Spectro 15-50 full syn in my wing. I baby the bike and I've been riding for fourty years . I'm getting nervous about what I'm reading.Any suggestions ? Should I take the boards off ?

Regards,Murf:-(

I've never seen in any motorcycle shop I've worked in an 1800
Goldwing or any Goldwing for that matter that has driver
floor boards with heel toe shifter with 100,000 miles on it with
out trany problems.


But I've darn sure seen thousands of Wings with (NO) driver
floor boards/heel toe shifters over the years with well over
250,000 miles on them with no trany problems ever. I've
also seen many Wings without heel toe shifters that had over
1 million miles on them with no trany problems, for that matter
they had no major problems ever in 1 million miles.


You can do what you want with your Wing, it's your money
and it's your loss of riding time if your bike goes in the shop
for weeks or months at a time during prime riding season.


Good Luck and ride SAFE, but above all ENJOY"

PS: if heel toe shifters were safe to use on a Goldwing trany
Honda would have put them on from the factory like other
motorcycle companies do that build their tranys to take the
abuse they will get from the heel toe shifters.

 

[ksiceman]

Just from my limited view of the scope of this problem, I have seen a lot of posts from people without boards having tranny problems too. Personally I feel that many manufacturers will blame everyone and everything in an effort to avoid engineering and standing behind their product properly.

I've never seen in any motorcycle shop I've worked in an 1800
Goldwing or any Goldwing for that matter that has driver
floor boards with heel toe shifter with 100,000 miles on it with
out trany problems.


But I've darn sure seen thousands of Wings with (NO) driver
floor boards/heel toe shifters over the years with well over
250,000 miles on them with no trany problems ever. I've
also seen many Wings without heel toe shifters that had over
1 million miles on them with no trany problems, for that matter
they had no major problems ever in 1 million miles.


You can do what you want with your Wing, it's your money
and it's your loss of riding time if your bike goes in the shop
for weeks or months at a time during prime riding season.


Good Luck and ride SAFE, but above all ENJOY"

PS: if heel toe shifters were safe to use on a Goldwing trany
Honda would have put them on from the factory like other
motorcycle companies do that build their tranys to take the
abuse they will get from the heel toe shifters.

 

[Hogdog]

my bike had shifting problems from the get-go.. when new it wouldn't always shift from 1st to 2nd, it would hit neutral instead of second. then it started jumping out of 5th. then it started grinding and jumping out of 5th. after the rebuild, 20000 miles ago, it shifts like its suppose to. thats my experience with the transmission.:razz:

no boards, no heel toe shifter, no steel toes:shrug:

 

[211Chuck]

Just from my limited view of the scope of this problem, I have seen a lot of posts from people without boards having tranny problems too.

That is why I posted this on another thread:

Gary;

I am a motorcycle mechanic for over 40 years now, I'm not going
to guess what is wrong with your Wing (even though I probably
could come close to knowing what it is)

The reason I am posting on this thread is to hopefully help you
and others avoid this problem in the future.

Back from the time I started in motorcycle repair I've noticed that
motorcycle tranys were fairly weak. Meaning if you pound on the
shifter while shifting you will bend the forks. Also if you rest your
toes on or under the shifter while riding you will burn the shift forks
out of it.

I'm sorry to say this on a Wing forum, but it is absolutely 100%
true. The strongest motorcycle trany out on the market is Harley
Davidson hands down. They are the only trany out there that has
always been able to take the abuse of a heel toe shifter and that
is why up until a few years ago the motorcycles made in Japan
never had heel toe shifters.

The two major cause's of trany failures in all my years has been.

#1 Heel Toe shifters on bikes that don't come with stock.

#2 Wearing steel toe work boots or very heavy large boots while
riding.

What I'm telling you and everyone reading this is: if your
motorcycle did not come with a heel toe shifter from the
factory (NEVER PUT ONE ON IT)

Also ever since the late 80's when most the motorcycle companies
started trying to save weight on their motorcycles, the one place
they have taken out a bunch of weight out of is the tranys.

The 1800 Wing was Honda's first touring bike with a lightened
trany. So now it is much more prone to steel toe/heavy boots
or heel toe shifters breaking them, just like the problem we've
had on sport bikes and adventure bikes for a long time now.

The sport and adventure bikes do not use floor boards but they
do wear heavy or steel toed work boots back and forth to work.
The adventure bike guys are wearing heavyer and heavyer boots
when they ride off road. This is mostly due to the guys riding
them are getting older and older like Wing guys. Old guys like to
protect their feet. Thats just life LOL"

I just happened to notice in your picture of you and your wife
that your wearing heavy riding boots or steel toed work boots.
This can be some of your cause of your problem's. I'm not in
any way trying to pick on you or anyone else at all. My post is
to help my fellow riders the same as I do in my shop.

Riders of modren light wieght motorcycles just need to be more
awhere of what they do with their feet and the foot wear the use
while riding to help make their trany's last.

Light wieght slim boots and no heel toe shifter's is the answer to
long trany life, now more then ever on these lighter wieght bikes.

I hope my post will help you and others from more trany problems.

Good Luck and Ya All" ride SAFE out there!
__________________

 

[wingmanbriar08]

What in the shift?

I thought the argument about boards was the hell-toe shifter and too much pressure being put on the shift forks? My 08 has always had a false neutral on the 1-2 shift but has got better over time and Syn Rotella. And.... Maybe better driver. As I have read most of the trans problems were found to have a bent shift fork(s). Jim

 

[ksiceman]

I don't disagree with you at all, but ultimately it's not the H/T shifter or the boot, it's the transmission.

This sums it up for me:
"Also ever since the late 80's when most the motorcycle companies
started trying to save weight on their motorcycles, the one place
they have taken out a bunch of weight out of is the tranys."

Because the manufacturers are cutting corners and using lighter materials the transmissions are not durable and don't hold up to normal wear and tear. I would argue that a person should not be prohibited from using a heavy boot, steel toe boot or aftermarket shifting assistant because the transmissions were improperly designed to withstand normal use.
Just my opinion though, I am just the end consumer that wants to buy a quality product for a fair price and expect it to perform as any other quality product at a fair price would. Maybe I should have bought a Harley. They probably have bad fluid in the turn signals.


By the way Chuck, thanks for the information, I will strongly weigh your comments as I contemplate the addition of boards on my bike.

 

[Murphy]

Tranny Issues

Thanks everyone for your thoughs and insight on this issue. I am leaning towards taking the boards off and going with the mini boards and the stock shifter set-up. It will be the first bike without floorboards since I was a kid. I always had floorboard, Harleys, Yamaha made a kit for my 85 venture and I had boards on my 77' wing. But to be safe, and stop my own worrying over it,I'll pay it safe.. Regards,Murf

 

[ksiceman]

Thanks everyone for your thoughs and insight on this issue. I am leaning towards taking the boards off and going with the mini boards and the stock shifter set-up. It will be the first bike without floorboards since I was a kid. I always had floorboard, Harleys, Yamaha made a kit for my 85 venture and I had boards on my 77' wing. But to be safe, and stop my own worrying over it,I'll pay it safe.. Regards,Murf

I hear ya man! I am thinking the same thing. The dealer have no reservations whatsoever selling you the boards and installing them on the bike but in an effort to eliminate ANY potential problems in the future, it may be best just to live without them. :frown::wrong: I too have always had boards on the bikes in my stable. Not so any more.

We consumers are always the ones on the short end of the stick. Now if you will excuse me I must run to my mailbox and check for my GOV bail out money.

 

[kikker]

As with the others, I also have the Kurakyn floorboards and shifter without any problems.

 

[211Chuck]

As with the others, I also have the Kurakyn floorboards and shifter without any problems.

Yeah" and the big question would be do you have over 100,000
miles on your 1800 with no trany problems with your heel toe
shifter?????????

That there is the key to everyone who says (I've got a heel toe
shifter and I don't have any problems)

Famous last words.........LOL" :shock:

Good luck and I wish you well with your Wing..

 

[211Chuck]

Thanks everyone for your thoughs and insight on this issue. I am leaning towards taking the boards off and going with the mini boards and the stock shifter set-up. It will be the first bike without floorboards since I was a kid. I always had floorboard, Harleys, Yamaha made a kit for my 85 venture and I had boards on my 77' wing. But to be safe, and stop my own worrying over it,I'll pay it safe.. Regards,Murf

Yes Yamaha did and they set a world record for the most trany
failures on any touring bike ever built in history. I rebuilt more
Venture tranys in the first 5 years Yamaha built the Venture then
I ever care to remember.

if not for their CRAPY trany the Venture would have been the best
touring bike ever built! Great" bike with only two problems that
killed that bike.. To Bad

 

[211Chuck]

I don't disagree with you at all, but ultimately it's not the H/T shifter or the boot, it's the transmission.

This sums it up for me:
"Also ever since the late 80's when most the motorcycle companies
started trying to save weight on their motorcycles, the one place
they have taken out a bunch of weight out of is the tranys."

Because the manufacturers are cutting corners and using lighter materials the transmissions are not durable and don't hold up to normal wear and tear. I would argue that a person should not be prohibited from using a heavy boot, steel toe boot or aftermarket shifting assistant because the transmissions were improperly designed to withstand normal use.
Just my opinion though, I am just the end consumer that wants to buy a quality product for a fair price and expect it to perform as any other quality product at a fair price would. Maybe I should have bought a Harley. They probably have bad fluid in the turn signals.


By the way Chuck, thanks for the information, I will strongly weigh your comments as I contemplate the addition of boards on my bike.

The new generation out there wants LIGHTER,FASTER,BETTER
HANDLING and they don't care if it is desposible. They don't
keep them very long anyways because they are Social Club
motorcycle owners that don't ride, but they need the latest
and greatest to show up on for Social Club events to impress
everyone. Honda knows this and delivers what they ask for!

Everything is desposible to this new generation inclueding life
unfortunetly!!

Thats the way of America, just look at the hole we're in if you
don't believe me"

 

[Roadie]

This is just my opinion, but based on facts too. There are so many reasons given about this it boggles the mind. The plain fact is oil is oil is oil and does not affect this situation at all, as neither does having a heel/toe shift, or not or the use of heavy boots or tennis shoes.

It is rare for the 1800 to develop this situation, and it seems worse than it is simply because we do discuss it a lot on the forum. So most of the bikes will never realize this situation.

On those that do develop the problem it is the tolerance in the stationary gears on the output shaft and the ones that slip and are moved by the shift forks. The shift drum is the key to moving the forks and the forks are what actually move the shift gears. There are 4 lugs or dogs if you will that mate to the stationary gears. With some bikes the tolerance between where the stationary gear is set on the main shaft and to where the fork mates the shift gears is too much. So with time it does wear more, and will occasionally jump out of gear, normally on deceleration, not always but most of the time .

Then one day when conditions are just right, the thing pops out of gear, bends the fork, and now creates the classic transmission failure. When you go to the shop , they just tell you it is because of a shift fork, and leave it at that. Basically it is an assembly deal, human error.

I honestly see no way the use of a heel/toe or not, heavy boots or not effect anything. Maybe if the bike is not running , nothing is rotating and one tries to stomp it into or out of gear when it is stubborn would do harm, could do this, but how many people do this? Most take care of their bikes and would not stomp the gear lever. I see no way ordinary use will hurt anything, I would not think this would ever be a factor to the ordinary person.

Honda is never going to admit that fact that for a time there they had a problem with tolerances........but they did......tis the luck of the draw if you get one where the assembly jig was a bit off.

And naturally with time and wear it can happen anyway, but takes a lot of miles to round off the dogs. That clunk you hear when you shift is the dogs mating to the stationary gears.

Kit

Good post. I'm thinking along the same thing with this transmission issue. It's not how the rider shifts or what kind of boots the rider wears...and there's been far too many failures with bikes that don't have H/T shifters to just blame H/T shifters. Honda won't ever admit it, but just like with the frame issue, Honda screwed up with some transmissions.

My 03 has shifted flawlessly since day one and has never dropped out of a gear or has it ever went into a false neutral...not once....I guess I got a good transmission... but my frame cracked though and Honda replaced that, but my transmission is good

 

[ksiceman]

Hey Chuck do you have a theory about why the H/T would cause premature failures of the transmissions?

I do agree that we are in a throw away society. Yep you are right about that big hole! Funny story - We went to dinner tonight and at 8:05 pm we walked into the all you can eat bbq joint. The buffet is still out with food on it. The cashier says "buffet closed at 8pm but you can still order off the menu." I asked if we could pay the buffet price and just go through one time to pick and choose our dinner. NOPE, buffet closed at 8PM she says. So I say what are you going to do with all that food? She says it will be thrown away. All in all we saved about 8 dollars by barely ordering off the menu. It was healthier for us anyway but I just had to laugh because 1) they have a timeline and can't stray from it at all and 2) rather than profit by selling a "buffet" five minutes after the deadline, they take it to the back and throw it away. Sorry, not trying to hijack the thread, just illustrating the point Chuck made about this new era. Don't forget your bail out!