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I spilled on the up in the mountains yesterday (I'm fine) and had to get a tow. I went down on the left side and fear I might've done something to the gearbox or shifter. I was able to ride maybe 500 feet then all acceleration stopped functioning.

  • I can put it in neutral, the little green "N" lights up fine.
  • But when I shift up to 5 and down to 1, none of the numbers appear on the dash.
  • Engaging the clutch in any gear doesn't kill the engine.
  • Shifting gears sounds and feels normal.
  • There is no visible damage, bent parts, or leaking fluids.

Any ideas for troubleshooting? Thanks so much for your brain cycles.

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  • Welcome to Motor Vehicle Maintenance & Repair! You were able to ride the first 500 ft and now nothing? Does the bike load up at all when engaging the clutch (as you normally would)? Or, just nothing?
    – Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 ♦
    May 16, 2021 at 16:42
  • Thanks for the welcome! Correct, 500 ft and now nothing. What does "load up" mean? When I engage the clutch, I hear/feel no difference in the engine.
    – dixieflatline
    May 16, 2021 at 17:29
  • That would be not loading up. If it were to load up, it would draw the engine rpm's down.
    – Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 ♦
    May 16, 2021 at 17:36
  • Understood! Correct, bike does not load up when engaging the clutch. Re-reading my original post maybe I have my "disengage" and "engages" switched in my head. I thought "engage the clutch" meant squeezing the clutch with my left hand. From your comment it sounds like that would actually be "disengaging the clutch?" If so I'll correct my post.
    – dixieflatline
    May 16, 2021 at 17:48
  • Correct. To "engage" the clutch, means for it to connect the engine to the transmission and put power to the ground. When you "disengage", it disconnects the two, cutting off the supply of power.
    – Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 ♦
    May 16, 2021 at 18:04

2 Answers 2

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The first thing I would try is to see whether rolling the bike while in gear and the clutch fully engaged (i.e. let out) turns the engine or not:

  • If you put it in first and roll it but the wheel drags or turns the engine then you know that the mechanism that transfers power from the engine to the back wheel is at least partially in place, and that the clutch is at least partially engaged.
  • If the wheel spins without resistance then you know have a problem somewhere between the engine and the wheel: the clutch is not engaged, the transmission is busted or you have a problem with the drive belt

From your description it sounds likely that the wheel will just spin while in gear, if that's the case I'd trace the clutch cable to see if there's any obvious defects like breaks or kinks, then I'd have a look at the drive belt. Anything more than that's going to be a bigger job and you'd want to think seriously before tackling it yourself.

EDIT: apparently the wheel doesn't spin when in gear but does spin when out of gear or the clutch is disengaged. The drive belt is fine, and it revs when out of gear.

According to this forum post about losing the gear indicator there may be no gear position sensor, instead it could be a problem with a switch or sensor, and it could be tied to the loss of power - the ECU may not be supplying power because it isn't getting information. I would suggest you read the diagnostic codes from the OBD port to see if there's a clue there.

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  • The wheel does(!) drag, so that's good! Clutch cable looks undamaged. Here's a video of inside. Looks fine, too: youtube.com/watch?v=ntc6jCfYJ84
    – dixieflatline
    May 18, 2021 at 1:29
  • Maybe I don't understand the symptoms. Are you able to rev the engine in neutral? Can you describe in more detail what happens when you put it in gear and try to ride off?
    – GdD
    May 18, 2021 at 10:03
  • Yes, I can rev in neutral. When I put it in gear and try to ride off, the engine revs but the bike doesn't move. The digital gear indicator displays no value instead of displaying the gear.
    – dixieflatline
    May 19, 2021 at 14:28
  • Does the rear wheel spin in neutral or with the clutch disengaged?
    – GdD
    May 19, 2021 at 14:46
  • Yes, spins in both.
    – dixieflatline
    May 20, 2021 at 15:40
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Turns out I burnt the clutch. It needs to be replaced.

Remember to kill the engine if you go down!

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