dct box very noisy

[andy e 12]

hi,i have just joined the forum.I have a 2012 nc700 dct,with only 7000 miles on the clock.L live in guernsey so never go above 35 -40 mph due to the speed limit.I have had the bike for 2 years and it as ran perfectly.The bike was serviced about 4 months ago by a local garage,not honda dealer,and in the last couple of months the gearbox as become very noisy between gears,it is changing fine but clonking and clanging in between,probably best described as like knocking 2 spanners together.Sometimes it is a lot quieter than others and seems to be more prominent up to 4th  but it doesnt get up to 6th very often due to the speed limit.I have asked the garage to confirm what oil was used as i have read that it has to be the correct oil and they are going to get back to me next week,in the meantime is there anyone who may have any ideas on possible cures,many thanks Andy e

[Andy m 23,608]

Welcome to the forum. 

 

The wrong oil would be an old favourite especially now the weather is warmer,  also the extra filter. Did they also set the chain bowstring tight? 

 

Andy 

[poldark 1,531]

DCT initialisation is required at each oil change, could be they didn't and that will stop the changes from being the normal super smooth.

 

Easy to do yourself, search here and be sure to follow pre-2017 process, as throttle position required changed.

[dave 971]

next time we meet up Martyn I'll get you to do a initialisation on my Bike, I've never done it. changed the oil 1000 miles ago and all's well with it. We had a chat about the DCT today, how important it is a select neutral before switching off and how the rear brake starts the changing down process when needed (maybe only in Sport2). 

 

Welcome to the Forum andy e, why do you have a big bike on a 40mph limited island ?

[andy e 12]

Hi dave, it is actually only 35mph limit, always fancied a bike but couldn't afford to lose my licence so for 35 years stuck to cars then at 53 took the plunge, best thing I ever did ,absolutely love it ,so good to get away from the phone,wife and kids!

[andy e 12]

5 hours ago, poldark said:

DCT initialisation is required at each oil change, could be they didn't and that will stop the changes from being the normal super smooth.

 

Easy to do yourself, search here and be sure to follow pre-2017 process, as throttle position required changed.

Hi poldark, had a little bit of time earlier and tried this, went for a quick spin and seemed a lot better,but it was warmed up so will go out in the morning and see how it is 

[Skidt 1,316]

The other thing that makes the biggest difference on the smoothness of gear changes on my NC DCT, is having the chain correctly adjusted and regularly cleaned and oiled. 
Hope you get it sorted.

[andy e 12]

just want to say a big thank you to you guys who offered advice on my gearbox problem.I re initialized the bike yesterday as poldark suggested and have gone on a decent run this morning and the gearbox is miles quieter so it appears to have solved the problem.I will also check the other things that have been mentioned for peace of mind.Once again,thanks to you , Andy e

[Skidt 1,316]

Glad you got it sorted. 👍

[andy e 12]

hi,just just wanted to add a further update to my issues with the noisy gearbox problem.After re-initialising the gearbox the noises seemed to have gone but then returned a few days later.L returned to the garage who had fitted the new tyres and changed the oil and they suggested going to the honda dealer.The mechanic took the bike for a quick spin and said straight away that it was not the gearbox at all and that the chain was too loose and knackered! I then spoke with my boss who recomended taking the bike to a friend of his who has over 60 years experience as a bike mechanic.He had brief look,said the chain and sprockets were fine but needed a bit of adjustment and oiling and would do it the following week and check if anything else was causing the knocking. In between this i decided to paint the rear swing arm due to minor rust and whilst doing it also painted the side and mainstand.This was the 1st time i have used the mainstand and left it on it for 2 hours whilst the paint dried.When i then rode the bike next i then realised that the knocking had totally gone and as been perfect since last monday!I can only assume that  when the tyres were changed that the stand had somehow mis-aligned and was catching on the chain.The chain as now been adjusted and the bike is as smooth as silk again so happy days ,cheers

[jeremyr62 2,576]

So the improvement from the DCT reset was just imagined? Colour me not surprised. I have done it a few times and never noticed any difference. 

[MatBin 5,101]

Thanks for updating.

[andy e 12]

hi jeremy,i definetly think the re-initialisation works as it as helped lots of others, in my circumstance it obviously didnt sort it as it was something  completely different .

[jeremyr62 2,576]

35 minutes ago, andy e said:

hi jeremy,i definetly think the re-initialisation works as it as helped lots of others, in my circumstance it obviously didnt sort it as it was something  completely different .

Yeah maybe. I think we want it to work so we imagine it does. I have two DCT bikes and it makes no significant difference to either. I am glad you found your problem anyway. 

[Wedders 18]

Mine is also very noisy but the gear changes are smooth and everything works well. Do what I did get better earplugs 

[Defender 3,837]

Sorry I've only just seen this post, I have a 2012 NC700X DCT with well over 30000 miles on it and almost all of those put on it by me in the nine + years I've owned and ridden it along with many years of experience owning and riding many other bikes.

Yes, the up shifts can be noisy and sound quite 'mechanical' when the bike is cold or cool, but once it's warmed up it's quite a different story, smooth and almost seem less.

Mine is coming up for an oil change and I'm expecting even more smoothness once it's done.

BTW, IIRC the '700's only had a single balance shaft fitted, where as the '750's have two crank balancers, which should make the latter bikes smoother and more refined?

I hope this of some help?

 

[Defender 3,837]

On 13/08/2022 at 17:57, dave said:

next time we meet up Martyn I'll get you to do a initialisation on my Bike, I've never done it. changed the oil 1000 miles ago and all's well with it. We had a chat about the DCT today, how important it is a select neutral before switching off and how the rear brake starts the changing down process when needed (maybe only in Sport2). 

 

Welcome to the Forum andy e, why do you have a big bike on a 40mph limited island ?

They have some steep hills to climb, quickly!