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Transmission sticks in "N" or "-"

30K views 42 replies 26 participants last post by  rob310gs 
#1 ·
Has anybody experienced an issue with their transmission sticking in either Neutral "N" or or even displaying "-" on the gear indicator after several downshifts? It has happened to me a couple of times. I am a new rider (since May) and this is my first bike so operator error may very well be coming into play here. Thanks!
 
#6 ·
It seems that most mechanics cannot read chain tension specifications which are usually shown on the swinging arm or chain guard. I have had two bikes recently which had the chain tension set at 25mm at their 600 mile service, when the both of them should have been 40-50mm (including the G310R). It seems that they think all bikes should have a chain tension of 25mm.
 
#5 ·
If you roll back a bit you will find that it is much easier to get into neutral from first. If you don't roll back, the gears will be forced against each other, making it harder to disengage, the added force required to disengage will cause you to go straight from first to second.
 
#11 · (Edited)
Not saying I know about your issue, but worth checking: since the gear indication potentiometer is externally mounted so you can easily check, at least, if the cable looks fine and the connection still well made.
See #1 on this graph, make sure it's still connected & check the routing and that cable itself is OK.
If it is properly connected and the cable is fine, then it might the potentiometer itself that failed, your wizards will tell you. And if it's only that, it should be a quick & easy fix. Good luck and keep us posted.

PS: being there you can also verify the potentiometer itself is still bolted-on tight :) (bolts indicated by #1 on 2nd picture.)
 

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#18 ·
sorry my bad english is not my first language. it looked like the oil lost viscosity (?) so worn out yeah hehe
 
#19 ·
Thanks for the information on the "worn out" oil causing shifting issues. It is good to know that 8500 km in a hot climate is most likely the maximum that we can expect the 15W50 BMW oil to last. The recommended oil change interval is 10,000 km according to the manual, and that is probably OK for cooler climates with less severe riding conditions. I am guessing that we should be changing it sooner than the manual recommends when running in hot and severe riding conditions.
 
#20 ·
I have the same issue with the tranny hanging up in N. Having driven MANY manual transmissions, I know that letting things "mesh" can sometimes put things right. Been able to deal with it, but it is one of the two issues I have. I will give it 1000 miles and then take it in.

Cheers!
JDR
 
#24 ·
I wouldn't do 6k oil change intervals....it's too long for a motorcycle, especially a high-strung single. I think BMW chose an abnormally high viscosity 15W50 in their line-up for these extremely long oil change intervals (so the oil doesn't shear down to a 20 or 30W with a lot of miles)

I'd change it every 2 years or every 3k miles. If you do many short trips, I would make sure you take a longer trip at least a couple of times a month where the engine reaches full operating temperature and the fan comes on. This helps burn off moisture collected in the oil by condensation. When do you many short trips, unfortunately the oil gets diluted with moisture/water.
 
#25 ·
so on a further notice. this problem reappeared once more. took it to the dealer. stated the sensor was bad and requested a replacement two weeks later it came they changed it and it works fine again. started showing at 6k worst at 8k. not working by 9k.
good thing is they told me that I could still ride it with no issues so I didn't care. this bike moves great. im not tired of saying this lol
 
#26 · (Edited)
You are a low mileage rider which is not uncommon. I am also, and have been for many years. I have a 16 year old Suzuki GZ250 with only 32 K miles on it! Most of my driving consists of 10 to 15 mile "errand trips" in a small town with a few 60-80 mile trips at random. I ride these short "errand trips" year round as long as the roads are dry and free of ice. That means I spend more than a few hours a year riding in 30 to 50 degree Fahrenheit temperatures.

I was informed many years ago by an oil engineer that the oil additives do not last forever and that the oil should be replaced at least once a year regardless of mileage. This is because of the the possibility of corrosion due to the reduced ability of the "aged and worn" additives to neutralize the effects of moisture and fuel contaminants in the oil. If your trips are short, particularly if you ride in cool weather where the oil does not come up to operating temperature, you will usually have more moisture and unburned fuel contaminants which only compounds the issue. Because of this, I always replace the oil at least once a year even though it may have only 1000-1500 miles some years when I was very busy away from home on business.

My suggestion to you is to replace the oil at least once a year. I would replace the oil filter at 3000 to 5000 mile intervals regardless. It is quite expensive to have a dealership do the oil replacement so I would recommend that you change your own oil. Of course you will be unable to reset the service light but as long as you keep accurate records and retain receipts for the oil purchase, I see no reason to not do it yourself. Make sure that you replace the little drain plug washer at each oil change and use a good 15W50 MA2 synthetic blend as a replacement oil. Motul 5100 or Belray EXS synthetic ester blend come to mind but there are other very good quality economical oils as well if you find the BMW synthetic blend a little pricy...

Here is a very good post on the forum which I find excellent which will show you how to change the oil.
http://www.g310rforum.com/forum/305-service-maintenance/2729-tutorial-engine-oil-change.html


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#30 ·
Thanks! I have seen the dash starting to show up occasionally on my GS as well. Will keep an eye on it.
What I Have had happen a few times though, is after gearing down to 1st gear and coming to a stop, sometimes I go to depart and the dang thing seems to have gone into neutral on me, leaving me looking like a dope at the lights when I rev it up and go nowhere, holding up traffic. grrrrrrr!
Anybody else get this?

2018 G310GS
 
#31 ·
I'm facing the same issue!
As far as I can see, I can still drive, but it's annoying to do it without the Neutral indicator considering the short transmission.

I'll check everything you said, 'cause I can't afford several days without my bike, but I can tell that the issue appear after a while, when te engine is hot (over 70celcius), so I might change forward oil change date (I'm 1 month away from year check, so it's no big issue).

I hope it's nothing else than the oil or the potentiometer, because this is my second 310r, and the second that fails.
 
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#34 ·
I don't know that willy-nilly replacing the sensor is necessary. When this happened on mine, I took the sensor off the engine, put it through its paces manually and saw it was functioning normally again somehow, then put it back in. Has been faultless since. Perhaps they just get out of alignment somehow. The only other reasonable explanation is a large bad batch I suppose, otherwise it's a bad design and the part needs to be redesigned, or we'll be going back time and again for this, every time getting a new sensor that will soon also fail.
 
#38 ·
Didn't work for me

Sometimes just unplugging a connector and then reconnecting ("reseating") it will fix these low current / voltage sensor issues.
There are also contact cleaner fluids such as DEOX which can de-oxidize the connections but it is expensive. There are some less expensive alternates. I have even had people say that a kerosene like solvent like charcoal lighter fluid will clean and prevent a poor connection.
neither this. Well, indeed it worked, but only for a few months...


Past monday I left my bike at dealer because the Cold start issue, and they found a "sporadic" failure with the Gear Position Sensor (Gear Shift Position Circuit Low). So, as it was sporadic, they erased it. But when they were test riding before giving me back the bike, the sensor failed. So they replaced it and reprogrammed the computer.

Now it works fine, and I hope it continues to work well...
 
#35 ·
Sometimes just unplugging a connector and then reconnecting ("reseating") it will fix these low current / voltage sensor issues.
There are also contact cleaner fluids such as DEOX which can de-oxidize the connections but it is expensive. There are some less expensive alternates. I have even had people say that a kerosene like solvent like charcoal lighter fluid will clean and prevent a poor connection.
 
#36 ·
I have had this bike for about 6 months and have complained since the first week that the bike has trouble getting into N when still (you have to move the bike forward or backward a few inches to get it to take), but more often than that - it wants to pop into N from 1st when I am coming to a stop. What a drag - I go to take off - and it pops into N from 1st gear.
 
#37 · (Edited)
My 2017 G310R did not have any problems, my 2018 G310GS sometimes shows the "--" indication and engaging '1' when standing at the traffic lights is more difficult.
But it is not very often, and by putting in the gears better I think "--" never shows.
And for sure I will keep an eye on it (!)
Currently 800 kilometers 'under the wheels' only. :wink2:
 
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