2005 Honda CRF450X

I MAINLY USE MY BIKE ON THE OFF-ROAD SETTING, BUT OCCASIONALLY ROAD IT DOWN THE HIGHWAY. IT SO HAPPEN THAT ON THE EVENING OF THE 27TH OF AUGUST I WAS TRAVELING DOWN THE HIGHWAY FOR ABOUT SIX MILES WHEN MY MOTORCYCLES STARTED TO MAKE A CLICKING NOISE SOMEWHERE IN THE ENGINE AREA. I SLOWED FROM 65 MPH TO ABOUT 55 MPH WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN MY REAR WHEEL LOCKED SKIDDING MY BIKE OUT OF CONTROL. LUCKILY I BROUGHT THE BIKE TO A STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY WITH NO INJURY TO MYSELF OR ANYONE ELSE. I TRIED TO SHIFT MY TRANSMISSION THROUGH THE GEARS, BUT WAS ONLY ABLE TO GET TO SHIFT TO THIRD. I MANAGED TO ROAD MY BIKE HOME IN THIRD GEAR. I WAS VERY CURIOUS OF WHY MY BIKES TRANSMISSION HAD SEIZED SO I CHECKED SOME SITES OUT ON THE INTERNET. TO MY SHOCK I WAS NOT THE ONLY PERSON THAT THIS HAD HAPPENED TOO. ON THE SITES THAT I FOUND MANY OF THE PEOPLE THAT HAD THEIR TRANSMISSIONS FAIL SAID THAT THE THIRD OR FIFTH GEAR SEIZED TO THEIR SHAFTS AND THE PRICE TO GET IT FIXED FROM THE DEALER WAS ANYWHERE FROM 1000 TO 1500 DOLLARS. THE NEXT DAY I DECIDED THAT I WOULD TAKE THE ENGINE OUT OF MY BIKE, WHICH ENDED UP DISASSEMBLING MOST OF THE BIKE. WITH THE ENGINE OUT I TOOK IT TO MY LOCAL HONDA DEALER TO GET THE ENGINE CASE SPLIT IN HALF SO I COULD FIGURE OUT ALL THAT HAD FAILED INSIDE OF THE TRANSMISSION. I AM STILL WAITING TO HEAR BACK FROM THE HONDA DEALER OF HOW MUCH ITS GOING TO COST, BUT I'M PRETTY SURE ITS NOT GOING TO BE CHEAP. *NM

MY '05 HONDA CRF450X IS A GREEN STICKER MOTORCYCLE WHICH IN CALIFORNIA IS STREET LICENSABLE WITH ADDITIONS TO MEET THE LIGHTING STATUES AND DOT LEGAL TIRES. MY BIKE WAS INSPECTED BY DMV AND ISSUED A STREET LICENSE. THE OWNER'S MANUAL RECOMMENDS THAT YOU SHOULD PUT .69 OF A US QUART IN THE TRANSMISSION SIDE OF THE BIKE. WITH 20 HOURS OF OPERATION, AND THREE CHANGES OF BOTH THE MOTOR OIL AND THE TRANSMISSION OIL, MY BIKE SUFFERED A MAJOR TRANSMISSION LOCKUP AT 55 MPH, CAUSING ME TO GO INTO ON-COMING TRAFFIC IN A RIGHT HAND TURN, AS EVEN PULLING THE CLUTCH LEVER WOULD NOT LET THE REAR WHEEL FREE SPIN. HAD THERE BEEN AN ON-COMING CAR, I WOULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED OR POSSIBLY KILLED. UPON INSPECTION BY A HONDA MOTORCYCLE DEALER IT WAS FOUND THAT THE TRANSMISSION'S UPPER STACK OF GEARS HAD THIRD GEAR WELDED TO THE UPPER COUNTER SHAFT DUE TO LACK OF LUBRICATION. HONDA FAILED TO WARRANTY THE REPAIR EVEN THOUGH I STILL HAD THE STOCK TIRES ON THE BIKE. INTERNET FORUMS SUCH AS THUMPERTALK HAVE PAGES OF DOCUMENTED OTHER FAILURES OF THE EXACT SAME DESCRIPTION UNDER THE 450X "TRANSMISSION FAILURE" THREAD. THE CONCLUSION OF THOSE WHO ARE MECHANICALLY KNOWLEDGEABLE AND THE OWNER'S IN AUSTRALIA IS THAT YOU HAVE TO RUN A QUART OF TRANSMISSION OIL TO LUBRICATE THESE GEARS. THOSE IN AUSTRALIA, WHERE THE BIKE IS STREET LICENSABLE, LIKE IN CALIFORNIA, STATE THAT THEIR MANUAL REQUIRES MORE OIL THAN MY MANUAL. HONDA DID PROVIDE "GOOD WILL" WARRANTY OF TWO KNOWN UNITS IN COLORADO BEFORE THEY REALIZED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS SYSTEMIC. SOMEONE WHO IS UNKNOWING OF THIS FACT WILL BE SERIOUSLY HURT ON THIS BIKE BECAUSE HONDA DOESN'T WANT TO TELL IT'S OWNER'S THAT THEIR SPECIFICATION IN THE OWNER'S MANUAL IS INSUFFICIENT TO LUBRICATE THE TRANSMISSION WITHIN THE EXPECTED USAGE OF A "CROSS-COUNTRY" MOTORCYCLE (450"X"), ONLY BECAUSE THEY DON'T WANT TO PAY FOR THE REPAIRS OR FACE A LAWSUIT FOR SOMEONE WHO HAS ALREADY BEEN INJURED. I DO HAVE THE FAILED PARTS. *JB

ON DEC 17TH I RECEIVE THE LICENSE PLATE FOR MY MOTORCYCLE HONDA CRF450X IN ORDER TO COMPLETE THE DUAL SPORT KIT AND BE ROAD LEGAL. ON THIS SAME DAY I HAD CHANGED BOTH THE TRANSMISSION OIL AND ENGINE OIL ACCORDING TO THE HONDA MANUAL. THIS WAS THE 2ND CHANGE IN 175 MILES SINCE IT WAS NEW. I STILL HAVE THE OIL JUGS LEFT WITH SOME IN THEM. THE BIKE WAS LOADED INTO OUR TRAILER FOR THE 1200 MILE TRIP TO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA (GLAMIS) TO RIDE DUAL SPORTS AND SAND DUNES FOR 8 DAYS. DECEMBER 22ND WE LEFT AND ARRIVED IN GLAMIS ON DECEMBER 24TH. DEC 26TH MYSELF AND 5 OTHERS PUT OUR RIDING GEAR ON FOR A 110 MILE RIDE. 4 MILES DOWN THE ROAD WE HIT THE PAVEMENT AND TURNED WEST ON HWY 78. 3.4 MILES OF CRUISING AT 65 MPH ON THE HWY THE REAR TIRE OF THE MOTORCYCLE LOCKED UP, THE BIKE WENT SIDEWAYS AND EVEN WHEN THE CLUTCH WAS PULLED IN THE REAR TIRE WAS LOCKED UP. FINALLY RECOVERING AND GETTING TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, I FOUND THAT I ONLY HAD 3RD GEAR TO MAKE IT BACK TO CAMP. AFTER RETURNING TO CAMP AND FIGURING THE TRANSMISSION WAS STUCK IN 3RD GEAR. WE LOADED THE BIKE BACK ON THE TRAILER JAN 1ST AND HEADED HOME A COUPLE DAYS EARLY. I TOOK THE BIKE TO THE DEALER I PURCHASED IT FROM IN MARCH 2005 AND THEY TOOK IT APART AND FOUND THAT THE 3RD GEAR WAS SEIZED ONTO THE COUNTER SHAFT. THE TECH THOUGHT THAT THE TOLERANCES MIGHT HAVE BEEN TO SMALL OR SOMETHING WAS TIGHTENED TO MUCH BY THE MANUFACTURER. HONDA WAS CALLED AND THERE CLAIM IS A LACK OF LUBRICATION. AFTER NUMEROUS CALLS BETWEEN THE DEALER, HONDA OF AMERICA AND MYSELF, HONDA WOULD NOT RECOGNIZE THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THERE MOTORCYCLE. I HAVE BEEN LOOKING ON THE NET AND FOUND AT LEAST 7 OTHERS THAT HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM AND HAVE THE SAME RESULTS FROM HONDA. BUT THERE ARE AT LEAST 4 MORE THAT HONDA HAS DONE WARRANTIES ON BUT WILL NOT ADMIT IT TO THE OTHERS THAT CALL THERE CUSTOMER SUPPORT CENTER. *NM......*AK