Shut down with the kickstand.

randy1149

New member
It's been batted around about using the kickstand to shut down the bike could cause serious damage to the DCT tranny. I would like to clear up that false advice. Their defense to support the myth is things like it's in the owners manual how to shut the bike down, or the bike does not go in neutral when you use the kickstand for example. Well they tell you how to shut the bike off for the same reason how to start up the bike, there's no underlining of damage to the bike if you don't use the owners manual recommendation. The bike remaining in gear when you use the kickstand is another "reason" why not to use the kickstand... it is pure BS.

Try this yourself. Start the bike with the kickstand up and put the bike in D. You will hear the clunk with the DCT engaging 1st. gear. Now put the kickstand down. You will feel the bike go into neutral and hear the transmission disengage. What you hear is the shift forks separating the gears. It's not as loud as the gears engaging. Now the transmission will be in neutral the transmission gear indicator disappears and the neutral indicator (N) is lite up on the meter. All displays indicates the bike is in neutral... and it is. If your bike stays in gear when you put the kickstand down take it back to the dealers... the bike has a trouble.

"They" want us to believe Honda has a flaw in all DCT motorcycles that could cause serious transmission problems by using a safety function built into it for the riders action that is exactly the same that is was engineered for (shut the bike off) that has been and all motorcycles made for over 20 years. I don't believe it and will continue to use the kickstand whenever.
 
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Merlin III

New member
It would be hard to believe that Honda would sell a system that wasn't "idiot proof". The engineers have to have figured that many people would shut down the bike differently than the manual tells you to do. So I agree with you 100 percent. I try to shut down the bike the way they say in the manual, but, because of old habits, fail 10 percent of the time. I have never had an issue in my 3000 miles on the DCT.

Having said that, there is obviously a potential defect in the DCT because some percentage of riders experience getting stuck in gear, and it just isn't first gear. Honda even gives you a recommended course of action if it happens which is prima facie evidence they know there is a bug in their product.
 

Steven

Member
All I know is that occasionally I forget to put it in neutral and put the kick stand down, killing the engine with never a problem. If Honda had done it right, it should have just put the bike in neutral, that would have made more sense. What I do more often is to try and put it in gear with the kick stand down, which, of course, nothing happens, and until I realize that the stand is down, I momentarily think something is wrong with the bike... Silly me!
 

ofdave

Member
If it works for you, that's a good thing.
I see the kickstand switch as a safety feature to prevent starting in gear. I have always used the key to shut off the bike.
Old habits die hard I guess.
 

randy1149

New member
Since the DCT tranny is a combination of PCM electronic & mechanical controlled there's no doubt "glitches" occur and $hit happens including stuck in gear. But I won't put the blame on the kickstand when there's not one shred of evidence it's the culprit. There's a lot of incorrect "facts" being posted to make people believe it... I'm not one of them
 

ofdave

Member
@randy
It does seem like putting it in neutral would be better than risk being stuck in gear.
Don't have a DCT so am not real familiar with sticking in gear.
 

randy1149

New member
@randy
It does seem like putting it in neutral would be better than risk being stuck in gear.
Don't have a DCT so am not real familiar with sticking in gear.

Yes of course it is. But that is a work around when your waiting for your appointment to the dealer, because the bike should NEVER shut down with it in gear...never. The PCM puts the bike in neutral before shutting down when you: shut the key off or put the kickstand down or press the kill switch or press the Neutral switch. So what I'm saying there is something wrong if your bike shuts down in gear. The premise of this thread to clear up the misinformation the "other" forum is telling people it's the kick stand causing it and its in the owners manual that you MUST put the bike in neutral as an inference that shutting down in gear is something normal if you use the kick stand. What they should be telling people is there is something wrong if the bike shuts down in gear no matter which method used to turn the bike off. It's like going to the doctor because your shoulder hurts when you lift it, and the doctor tells you not lift it as the fix.

There are postings with DCT problem not only stuck in gear and stuck in neutral as well as stuck in first and stuck in 2nd. Is it the kick stand causing these DCT glitches too?

So at the end of the day, if my bike does NOT not go into neutral when I shut the bike off, no matter how I shut if off, I'm not going to keep pressing the N button as the fix, it's going to the dealer. If there is a problem how is Honda ever going to fix if we keep pressing the N button?

I've done some searching Honda's MC service bulletins for DCR problems on bike with the DCTs... there are no bulletins.

I also understand that manual transmission still have there glitches, so why not the DCT's?
 
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ponydrvr

Member
I'm a little late to this thread but I agree with everything you say. @Randy1149 I've called BS on both moderators on the other site but have been rebuked. For the record, I have spoken to several Honda service engineers and local top level service techs - each agree these two guys are full of it. Not just this subject but on several other items as well.
 

Steven

Member
I'm a little late to this thread but I agree with everything you say. @Randy1149 I've called BS on both moderators on the other site but have been rebuked. For the record, I have spoken to several Honda service engineers and local top level service techs - each agree these two guys are full of it. Not just this subject but on several other items as well.

I've called BS on them too, maybe that's why I'm no longer a member? :)
 

ponydrvr

Member
I haven't been BANNED .... yet. I have deleted as many of my old posts as possible so as to not give any impression of support or agreement with them on any subject. IMHO their ONLY role as moderators is to ensure proper decorum.

There can be little doubt of the magnitude of mis-information on forums such as these. Most of the time it resolves itself with little mod input. Those moderators are not the fountain of knowledge they believe themselves to be. Members with true knowledge of a subject will nearly always rise to prominence in each forum.
 

randy1149

New member
Moderators that lack the knowledge on the forums primary subject, they will just create more members with the same deficiencies.
 
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