Helix
Member
- Joined
- Aug 23, 2016
- Messages
- 27
- Reaction score
- 28
- Points
- 18
- Location
- Little Rock, Arkansas
On 9/14/19 I related a DCT problem on my 2016 NC700XD with 36,000 miles. It was stuck in 2nd gear and wouldn’t start. I finally got it back in neutral and functioning normally after lots of fiddling but my concern at that time was that I didn’t know for sure what had caused the problem and how to avoid it in the future.
On 12/26/19 at 38,500 miles it happened again with me limping home in who knows what gear (none displayed) and once again finally getting it back in what looked like normal function again. The next day I took another ride and everything worked fine until I stopped after about a one hour ride. Upon restarting and riding ~100’ gear position showed no gear but “-“ fast blinking. Thinking I could fix that using the same procedures as before I stopped and turned it off. Bad decision. It wouldn’t do anything at all. Called my roadside assistance and was towed to the Honda dealer.
Since this dealer has zero experience with the NC700XD they called Honda Tech and were told that they are seeing high mileage bikes with a loose Star Bolt causing similar problems (as mentioned in other posts). They were told to remove and replace the bolt after applying locktite. My shop manual says it’s supposed to be locktited but for some reason Honda didn’t do that on some or all, I don’t know which. Mine was not loose and did not have locktite on it, but it does now. So that wasn’t the problem. While in there, I asked them to check the clutch pack for wear and they reported all looked very good.
Dealer was then told by Honda to replace the shift motor which they did. They buttoned it up and it still displayed D+S but it functioned like normal and I could switch between D & S so I went through the calibration process with the side stand up and starting while holding the brake to finally get it back to normal function. I’ve now ridden it about 350 miles and hope the problem is solved since I’ve had no malfunctions.
Feedback from the Honda Dealer was that the shift motor had an open short. They said the motor over heats causing the motor to fail. Why the motor overheated was not explained. Often I do ride in D using frequent downshifts with the paddle shifter while exiting a curve or going up an incline. Other times I’ll be in S2 and let it do all the shifting, but I don’t think I do anything to overtax the shift motor.
So, I do admit to having my confidence in the DCT shaken but it does seem to be fixed and I hope to ride many more miles on this bike. I’m now 79 and really like the ability of not having to use a clutch/foot shift and I particularly like the different modes to change the character of the bike.
Ride aware and in the moment.
Helix
On 12/26/19 at 38,500 miles it happened again with me limping home in who knows what gear (none displayed) and once again finally getting it back in what looked like normal function again. The next day I took another ride and everything worked fine until I stopped after about a one hour ride. Upon restarting and riding ~100’ gear position showed no gear but “-“ fast blinking. Thinking I could fix that using the same procedures as before I stopped and turned it off. Bad decision. It wouldn’t do anything at all. Called my roadside assistance and was towed to the Honda dealer.
Since this dealer has zero experience with the NC700XD they called Honda Tech and were told that they are seeing high mileage bikes with a loose Star Bolt causing similar problems (as mentioned in other posts). They were told to remove and replace the bolt after applying locktite. My shop manual says it’s supposed to be locktited but for some reason Honda didn’t do that on some or all, I don’t know which. Mine was not loose and did not have locktite on it, but it does now. So that wasn’t the problem. While in there, I asked them to check the clutch pack for wear and they reported all looked very good.
Dealer was then told by Honda to replace the shift motor which they did. They buttoned it up and it still displayed D+S but it functioned like normal and I could switch between D & S so I went through the calibration process with the side stand up and starting while holding the brake to finally get it back to normal function. I’ve now ridden it about 350 miles and hope the problem is solved since I’ve had no malfunctions.
Feedback from the Honda Dealer was that the shift motor had an open short. They said the motor over heats causing the motor to fail. Why the motor overheated was not explained. Often I do ride in D using frequent downshifts with the paddle shifter while exiting a curve or going up an incline. Other times I’ll be in S2 and let it do all the shifting, but I don’t think I do anything to overtax the shift motor.
So, I do admit to having my confidence in the DCT shaken but it does seem to be fixed and I hope to ride many more miles on this bike. I’m now 79 and really like the ability of not having to use a clutch/foot shift and I particularly like the different modes to change the character of the bike.
Ride aware and in the moment.
Helix