whats with the shifting problems
#11
06-30-2006, 11:18 PM
whats with the shifting problems
MortisFK where in PA are you? I am in hazleton and have some spare parts we could troubleshoot your problem with if you are near me.
Check my thread on 450 es shifting problems for a post I made today. I have found that part of the problem is lack of a good seal on both the motor and the sensor. Neither is hard to take care of.
Check my thread on 450 es shifting problems for a post I made today. I have found that part of the problem is lack of a good seal on both the motor and the sensor. Neither is hard to take care of.
#12
03-17-2007, 02:35 PM
whats with the shifting problems
Foreman ES 4X4 2007
Hold up or down shift button and turn off machine. Keep holding button and turn machine back on. Try this until gear number or letter stays on solid.
Watch out for branches over 1/2 foot thick and do not attempt to hydroplane when you are only going anout 5 mph. Following this advice should help you avoid the ES problem.
This has been another forbidden word from Grumpalump
Hold up or down shift button and turn off machine. Keep holding button and turn machine back on. Try this until gear number or letter stays on solid.
Watch out for branches over 1/2 foot thick and do not attempt to hydroplane when you are only going anout 5 mph. Following this advice should help you avoid the ES problem.
This has been another forbidden word from Grumpalump
#13
03-17-2007, 02:50 PM
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whats with the shifting problems
E.S has its advantages though. Have you ever had a long deep muddy crossing and found out you needed another gear? Putting you foot back down in the deep goo is a last resort. Or if you get stuck in some deep stuff and you need your reverse for a second charge at it,again you have to but your feet back into the deep water. My old Big Bear was foot shift only and I would get alot of soakers but my old 450 Foreman E.S would keep the feet dry.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]
#14
03-17-2007, 04:18 PM
whats with the shifting problems
You are right about that. I don't care much about whether I get wet or not. I live on the Oregon Coast and almost every time I go riding it ends up raining or something. I should look into getting a snorkle. My neighbor has it installed, but his bike is rarely even getting muddy.
#15
03-17-2007, 05:51 PM
whats with the shifting problems
why do people who has never had an es model sit here and talk smack!! it was said before, dont buy a quad unless you are willing to take care of the up keep. if you actually off-road it , you will have a problem sooner or later, whether it be bad bearing, brakes,, or even a angle sensor! everyone that thinks the es system isnt reliable, probly dont have one!! on my rancher es, my brakes have went out, and i broke a rod in the bottom end on a 1 year old machine, granted i ride hard but you dont here me saying honda has a shoty bottom end. i promise it cost more to repair that than any angle sensor. my point is if you dont want it dont buy it, if you like the idea ,run with it and dont worry. im sure it wont be long b/f there are a few people complaing about power steering. and as far as having to shake it a little to get it into gear, on my manual shift that had to be done too!
#16
03-17-2007, 06:31 PM
whats with the shifting problems
As a ATV tech at a multi line dealer and mostly have worked on Honda's. The earlier 450's from 1998 to 2001 when they didn't have 4x4 selector and the ealry model ranchers, you cann't pull trouble codes out. These earlier models don't have the same conpoints are the newer ones do.
It is hard to figure out those twice a month it acts up problems, but here is what you can do to help out with the techs repair, tells us what gear, mphs, about what throttle postion (1/2 or full what ever). The type of things that service wrtires don't ask.
Honda says that the water depth that they say is ok, is just under the floor boards, over that and you can get water in places that causes ES problems. Now that doesn't mean going ***** out through it.
Other things I have seen is the guys that take it to the car wash and clean there ATV's with that 5000 psi pressure washer. You can blow water right past seals and electrical connectors.
Not seen really any problems with wiring harness or wiring, unless it's cut or pulled on, aka sticks. Yes angle sensors, speed sensors. They did have a recall on 250es and 350es, Honda supplier didn't not make to there specs. Shift buttons sometimes, mostly cause tipped over and shoved mud and crap into them.
I hope this helps you all out some. All other brands have problems to guys, just go and look.
It is hard to figure out those twice a month it acts up problems, but here is what you can do to help out with the techs repair, tells us what gear, mphs, about what throttle postion (1/2 or full what ever). The type of things that service wrtires don't ask.
Honda says that the water depth that they say is ok, is just under the floor boards, over that and you can get water in places that causes ES problems. Now that doesn't mean going ***** out through it.
Other things I have seen is the guys that take it to the car wash and clean there ATV's with that 5000 psi pressure washer. You can blow water right past seals and electrical connectors.
Not seen really any problems with wiring harness or wiring, unless it's cut or pulled on, aka sticks. Yes angle sensors, speed sensors. They did have a recall on 250es and 350es, Honda supplier didn't not make to there specs. Shift buttons sometimes, mostly cause tipped over and shoved mud and crap into them.
I hope this helps you all out some. All other brands have problems to guys, just go and look.
#17
09-05-2012, 01:30 PM
#18
09-19-2012, 08:19 PM
the wife has a 2000 350 es and we have never had a problem with the electric shifter, we had to ford a river to get anywhere and anywhere was muskeg and sand and she didn't spare the bike when it came to mud. friends of ours had a lot of problems with their 450 es and found that most of the problems were from having muddy gloves from tow ropes and winch cables and then shifting, sand was jaming the shift buttons. spraying wd40 in the switch buttons is a good place to start. it may not be your answer but it wont hurt it.
#19
09-26-2012, 07:13 PM
Trailblazer
#20
08-19-2013, 06:38 PM
Hello,
Thank You for sharing your knowledge with us. If you dont mind I have a question for you?
Would the electrical system on these honda es models make it not shift manually? I am having a hard time with one right now.
My 450 es will "only" shift up to first gear and down to reverse with the buttons.
It will not shift manually past first gear either.
So I was thinking it something broken in the tranny?
Thank You for any help you can give me.
GB, James
Thank You for sharing your knowledge with us. If you dont mind I have a question for you?
Would the electrical system on these honda es models make it not shift manually? I am having a hard time with one right now.
My 450 es will "only" shift up to first gear and down to reverse with the buttons.
It will not shift manually past first gear either.
So I was thinking it something broken in the tranny?
Thank You for any help you can give me.
GB, James
A headlight and an ES system are hardly comparable, logic dictates that. There are many more components in an ES system compared to a simple headlight system, so let's be reasonable.
Honda's ES system is not perfect, no doubt about it. However, it is about as reliable as any company can possibly make it, including Honda.
I don't understand some people. How can anyone possibly expect the ES system to be as bulletproof as a manual shift? Aside from a few minor differences, the internal transmissions on both models are identical. In addition to the internal transmission, the ES model has an extra wiring harness, various sensors, a shift motor, shift buttons, a computer, as well as a few extra seals and bearings. How in the world can you expect the ES system to be as reliable as a manual shift when it has so many more components? It can't. Expecting anything more is simply unrealistic.
Here's another way to look at it. Let's say a manual shift model has 10 parts that can possibly fail. Let's assume that only one of those parts fails on a semi-regular basis. That gives the machine a 10% failure rate on parts, pretty good right?.
Now, let's examine an ES model with 30 parts that can possibly fail. Let's assume that 3 of those parts fail on a semi-regular basis. This means that the ES model breaks down three times more often than the manual shift model. On the surface, this seems unacceptable, and shows a possible reduction in quality control and build quality. However, upon closer inspection, the ES model has the exact same 10% failure rate on parts, pretty good.
How can the ES model be expected to improve on the 10% failure rate on parts, when it has three times more parts that can fail? Bottom line, it can't.
Folks, the ES models have the exact same features as their manual shift counterparts, save for the thumb shifting. The transmission ratios are exactly the same on both models, the only difference is the way those same gears are shifted.
If people are so leary of the ES system, why not opt for the manual shift version? Surely, shifting with your foot isn't too much of a tradeoff for trouble free, reliable shifting, is it?
People, the reason Honda builds ES bikes is because there is a huge demand for them, and sales are very good. The reason they break down from to time is because there are so many more parts compared to the manual shift versions. And the reason you see so many posts about ES problems is because there are so many ES Honda's on the trails. Also, people don't generally make posts with the heading "5000 trouble free miles on my ES Honda".
Just my opinion and experience, folks.
Honda's ES system is not perfect, no doubt about it. However, it is about as reliable as any company can possibly make it, including Honda.
I don't understand some people. How can anyone possibly expect the ES system to be as bulletproof as a manual shift? Aside from a few minor differences, the internal transmissions on both models are identical. In addition to the internal transmission, the ES model has an extra wiring harness, various sensors, a shift motor, shift buttons, a computer, as well as a few extra seals and bearings. How in the world can you expect the ES system to be as reliable as a manual shift when it has so many more components? It can't. Expecting anything more is simply unrealistic.
Here's another way to look at it. Let's say a manual shift model has 10 parts that can possibly fail. Let's assume that only one of those parts fails on a semi-regular basis. That gives the machine a 10% failure rate on parts, pretty good right?.
Now, let's examine an ES model with 30 parts that can possibly fail. Let's assume that 3 of those parts fail on a semi-regular basis. This means that the ES model breaks down three times more often than the manual shift model. On the surface, this seems unacceptable, and shows a possible reduction in quality control and build quality. However, upon closer inspection, the ES model has the exact same 10% failure rate on parts, pretty good.
How can the ES model be expected to improve on the 10% failure rate on parts, when it has three times more parts that can fail? Bottom line, it can't.
Folks, the ES models have the exact same features as their manual shift counterparts, save for the thumb shifting. The transmission ratios are exactly the same on both models, the only difference is the way those same gears are shifted.
If people are so leary of the ES system, why not opt for the manual shift version? Surely, shifting with your foot isn't too much of a tradeoff for trouble free, reliable shifting, is it?
People, the reason Honda builds ES bikes is because there is a huge demand for them, and sales are very good. The reason they break down from to time is because there are so many more parts compared to the manual shift versions. And the reason you see so many posts about ES problems is because there are so many ES Honda's on the trails. Also, people don't generally make posts with the heading "5000 trouble free miles on my ES Honda".
Just my opinion and experience, folks.