2004 Honda CMX250C

BIKE WILL NOT SHIFT PROPERLY, UPSHIFTING ISN'T THE PROBLEM AS MUCH AS TRYING TO GET THE BIKE INTO NEUTRAL OR FIRST GEAR IS NEAR IMPOSSIBLE. MAKES ROAD DRIVING IMPOSSIBLE. BOUGHT THE BIKE USED FROM A DEALER, HASN'T WORKED PROPERLY FROM DAY ONE. REPLACED CLUTCH AT 5,000 MILES, THINKING THIS WAS THE PROBLEM JUST TO FIND OUT, IMPROPER SHIFTING MECHANISM WAS THE CAUSE. HAVE BOUGHT NEW SPRINGS FOR THE SHIFTING MECHANISM, HOPEFULLY THIS FIXES THE PROBLEM, AS TO IT SEEMS THE ONLY ALTERNATIVE NEXT TO JUST SCRAPPING A POORLY DESIGNED BIKE. READING SIMILAR CASES ONLINE IT IS UNDER MY BEST ASSUMPTION THAT IMPROPER INSTALLATION OF THIS SPRING HAS LED TO POOR OPERATION. IN MY RESEARCH OF ONLINE SERVICE MANUALS, IT HAS BEEN CONFIRMED THAT THE SPRING NOT INSTALLED TO SPECS. NOT SO MUCH BACKWARDS AS UPSIDE DOWN. BIKE DOES NOT WORK. *TR

I HAVE A 2004 HONDA 250CC REBEL MOTORCYCLE. IT HAS HAD SOME PROBLEMS GETTING IT INTO NEUTRAL OR FIRST GEAR SINCE I BOUGHT IT IN 2004. THEN I STARTED HAVING PROBLEMS IN 2008 SHIFTING INTO LOWER GEARS WHILE IN TRAFFIC. THIS CAUSED TRAFFIC TIE-UPS DUE TO THE LACK OF BEING ABLE TO PROPERLY START IN TRAFFIC NEARLY CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. THIS HAS HAPPENED MORE THAN ONCE. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO A HONDA REPAIR SHOP IN MAY 2009 AND THEY SAID THAT ALL PARTS ARE IN SPEC. BUT ADMITTED THAT THEY ALSO HAD PROBLEMS GETTING THE BIKE IN NEUTRAL AND THAT IT WAS HARD TO SHIFT. THEY SAID THAT THEY COULD DO NOTHING MORE FOR ME. I HAVE SEEN MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS ISSUE ON THE INTERNET WITH ONLY 500 TO 8,000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. MINE IS NOW HAVING MAJOR SLIPPING PROBLEMS WITH ONLY UNDER 7,000 MILES. WHILE TRYING TO ACCELERATE, THE CLUTCH SLIPS AND I CAN NOT GAIN SPEED TO KEEP UP WITH TRAFFIC. IT APPEARS THAT I NOW HAVE A BIKE THAT IS TOO DANGEROUS TO RIDE WITH NO HOPE OF ANYONE WILLING TO FIX IT CAN YOU PLEASE INVESTIGATE THIS PROBLEM AND LET ME KNOW WHAT I CAN DO? *TR

I WAS DRIVING MY 2004 HONDA REBEL DOWN THE HIGHWAY WHEN OUT OF NOWHERE I WAS UNABLE TO ACCELERATE. IT WOULD ONLY GO ABOUT 15 MPH AND I KNEW I HAD THE DREADED 2004 CLUTCH PROBLEM. I BABIED IT TO THE NEAREST HONDA MOTORSPORT DEALER AND IT CURRENTLY SITS IN THEIR SERVICE AREA. ON THE WAY THERE I WAS ALMOST HIT NUMEROUS TIMES BY OTHER CARS NOT TO MENTION ALMOST FALLING WHEN THE INCIDENT FIRST OCCURRED. THEY TOLD ME THAT I WILL PROBABLY NEED A NEW CLUTCH. I REPLIED "MY BIKE ONLY HAS 5000 MILES! HOW COULD I NEED A NEW CLUTCH ALREADY?" HE SAID HE WASN'T SURE AND WOULD LET ME KNOW ONCE THEY WERE SURE WHAT WAS WRONG WITH IT. I ALMOST GOT HIT BY A FEW CARS ON THE WAY TO THE DEALER AND I AM HOPING THAT THIS ISN'T GOING TO COST ME ANYTHING. *TR

MY 04 REBAL 250, BOUGHT USED WITH 1,500 MILES ON IT HAS LIKED TO SLIP FROM 2ND GEAR TO FIRST. I HAVE JUST REACHED 8,000 MILES ON MY BIKE AND NOW THE CLUTCH HAD FAILED. I HAVE BEEN RIDING FOR YEARS AND HAVE NEVER SEEN A CLUTCH FAIL LIKE THIS IN SUCH A SHORT TIME FRAME. THAT INCLUDES HARD RIDDEN AND ABUSED DIRT BIKES THAT I OWNED FOR YEARS BEFORE EVER REPLACING A CLUTCH PLATE. I HAVE TAKEN THE BIKE TO THE DEALERSHIP A FEW TIMES ABOUT THE MATTER, THEY HAVE GIVEN IT AN OIL CHANGE TWICE -- I THINK JUST TO GET ME TO LEAVE. AN OIL CHANGE DOES MAKE IT BETTER BUT ONLY FOR A WEEK OR SO. *TR