[Abubakar Ali]

I left Kenya touring eastern Africa, headed to Uganda then Rwanda after 1,700 kms, bike gets stuck in gear 4 or 6 whichever am at the time. Did rotate the rear tyre for the 1st n 2nd time and it was ok. 3rd n 4th was a nightmare, it was no longer working hence had to ride 40 kms to the nearest town on gear 4.

This was after very steep slopes and sharp bends(twisties) which i tackled on S2 and +/- now i still have 2,500 kms remaining in the journey or head straight home 1,500 kms away. All the surrounding countries dont have a dealer.

Surprisingly, the bike disengages gears after cooling for an hour or more But gets stuck in less than 50kms when is start riding again.

I tried to remove the DCT filter and clean it using petrol as per a mechs recommendation that it might be clogged. Results to be known in the morning

Am near Burundi border and the remaining leg is just a straight line no steep hills and the worst case scenario is ride it on limp mode home. Will it have any major effect on the engine or transmission?

Any suggestions?
Not in the mood for manual vs DCT bashing🫣

 

[Abubakar Ali]

Thats part of todays route

 

[AT-Dragon]

Sounds like an oil issue, as in getting to hot/thin to operate the trans correctly, if it is not a clogged filter.
Especially, with it shifting good at first and good after it cools down.
Do you change your own oil?
What is in it?
But that is kinda strange too, generally the cooling system on the AT is really good..

 

[Abubakar Ali]

Sounds like an oil issue, as in getting to hot/thin to operate the trans correctly, if it is not a clogged filter.
Especially, with it shifting good at first and good after it cools down.
Do you change your own oil?
What is in it?
But that is kinda strange too, generally the cooling system on the AT is really good..

I do my own service, am using Wolver 10W40 semi-synthetic ( German ). Same oil i used for the previous 8,500 kms. I changed the oil 1,000 kms before this trip and it was OK. The first 3 days covered 1,400kms woth no issues. Today i realized downshifting using the button delays 3 to 5 seconds. Then started using the resr brakes to downshift. Suddenly gear number disappeared.

I didnt change filters this service hence the mech suspected the filters.

If not, can it be the gear selector or gear shift sensor that under stress gave up today?

 

[ViperTech18]

You did not say what year your bike, or Kms ridden.
I would suggest you to remove, open , clean and lubricate the DCT motor.
Perhaps the brushes are wear out?
Perhaps there is too much brush dust and it is making the motor stuck, overheats, and computer defaults it to limp in.

 

[rustynut2]

If you search shift motor you’ll get a few threads like,

Anyone one know what is wrong with DCT in this Video

Please, if anyone has any idea as to what is wrong with the DCT in this video let me know.....

www.africatwinforum.com

From what I’ve read it happens around 35-40k miles. Temporary fix is remove and clean, best is replacement. I too have a dct so have been looking at these threads

 

[swimmer]

I left Kenya touring eastern Africa, headed to Uganda then Rwanda after 1,700 kms, bike gets stuck in gear 4 or 6 whichever am at the time. Did rotate the rear tyre for the 1st n 2nd time and it was ok. 3rd n 4th was a nightmare, it was no longer working hence had to ride 40 kms to the nearest town on gear 4.

This was after very steep slopes and sharp bends(twisties) which i tackled on S2 and +/- now i still have 2,500 kms remaining in the journey or head straight home 1,500 kms away. All the surrounding countries dont have a dealer.

Surprisingly, the bike disengages gears after cooling for an hour or more But gets stuck in less than 50kms when is start riding again.

I tried to remove the DCT filter and clean it using petrol as per a mechs recommendation that it might be clogged. Results to be known in the morning

Am near Burundi border and the remaining leg is just a straight line no steep hills and the worst case scenario is ride it on limp mode home. Will it have any major effect on the engine or transmission?

Any suggestions?
Not in the mood for manual vs DCT bashing🫣

If you happen to be a member on advrider, post this question over there in the crf1000l thread as I think someone else had the same problem.

 

[Abubakar Ali]

You did not say what year your bike, or Kms ridden.
I would suggest you to remove, open , clean and lubricate the DCT motor.
Perhaps the brushes are wear out?
Perhaps there is too much brush dust and it is making the motor stuck, overheats, and computer defaults it to limp in.

Year 2016, 82,000 kms done

 

[Abubakar Ali]

I

If you search shift motor you’ll get a few threads like,

Anyone one know what is wrong with DCT in this Video

Please, if anyone has any idea as to what is wrong with the DCT in this video let me know.....

www.africatwinforum.com

From what I’ve read it happens around 35-40k miles. Temporary fix is remove and clean, best is replacement. I too have a dct so have been looking at these threads

I will do that once in a good place. Is riding in limp mode gear 4 causing any harm to the engine or transmission?

 

[ORVdaveVA]

Things I learned today.
The expected life of the shift motor is 35k.
Does your shifting style affect shift motor wear?

Mr Ali.
What were your shifting habits over the time you have been riding your AT?

11,000 miles, I've settled into about 70% in S2 mode, 25% S3 and 5% paddle shifting.

 

[Ghostrider.1127]

You can replace the brushes after 35K , but not really needed . I saw shift motor with over 100k , working without issue .
What you need to do is : take it off and clean inside it .
It s sound to me more an harware problem

 

[ExKTM1050]

Hi @Abubakar Ali

Attached a pdf about maintenance of the DCT Shift Motor including pictures. Unfortunately in German but I think it's clear from the pictures.

In addition I would perform the DCT reset (initializing) procedure (see owners manual).

Good Luck!

 

[ExKTM1050]

Hi @Abubakar Ali

Attached a pdf about maintenance of the DCT Shift Motor including pictures. Unfortunately in German but I think it's clear from the pictures.

In addition I would perform the DCT reset (initializing) procedure (see owners manual).

Good Luck!

 

[Relhok]

ABS sensors can cause it not to shift, at least on a 2022. I saw a front tire mounted backwards cause this. You might want to wipe off the ABS sensors if they are dirty.

 

[akitatwin]

I do my own service, am using Wolver 10W40 semi-synthetic ( German ). Same oil i used for the previous 8,500 kms.

Is that really a suitable oil for the AT?

 

[DoubleThumper]

Is that really a suitable oil for the AT?

Possibly he is using the "4T" version of Wolver 10W40? (who knew?)

Wolver Four Stroke Racing 4T 10W-40 - Katalog :: Wolver Lab GmbH - Your tribology expert!

Wolver Four Stroke Racing 4T SAE 10W-40 - is special high performance semisynthetic oil elaborated for modern four stroke engines of motorcycles and small machinery....

en.wolverlab.de

 

[rustynut2]

Thread has derailed to an oil debate, lol.

 

[AT-Dragon]

Thread has derailed to an oil debate, lol.

Lol not really, it could also be something with the oil too, since our bikes shift on the engine oil. It dose make a difference too, They shift so much smoother when you first change the oil or if you go from organic to synthetic you can feel a difference.
I just brought it up, from what I’ve read above, because it seemed like the issue was occurring after the oil got hot, but he said he’s used that type b4 with out issues..

 

[AT-Dragon]

I do my own service, am using Wolver 10W40 semi-synthetic ( German ). Same oil i used for the previous 8,500 kms. I changed the oil 1,000 kms before this trip and it was OK. The first 3 days covered 1,400kms woth no issues. Today i realized downshifting using the button delays 3 to 5 seconds. Then started using the resr brakes to downshift. Suddenly gear number disappeared.

I didnt change filters this service hence the mech suspected the filters.

If not, can it be the gear selector or gear shift sensor that under stress gave up today?

Another question..
How old is your battery?
You would be surprised just how many strange issues that has solved around here. Even if the bike starts fine. The ECU’s on our bikes are nitrous for creating problems if the voltage drops below 12v at anytime.

 

[Little Bill Daggett]

Another question..
How old is your battery?
You would be surprised just how many strange issues that has solved around here. Even if the bike starts fine. The ECU’s on our bikes are nitrous for creating problems if the voltage drops below 12v at anytime.

Or battery terminals?.....cost nothing to check them..