CB650F Bike doesn't like the oil

[koofdome]

I was due for my normal scheduled oil change, so I went with Mobile 1 4T Racing Oil 10w-40 for my 2018 CB650F (3qt. of oil) & a K&N oil filter.

Now, remember this is supposed to be some of the best motorcycle oil in the world aside from Motul.

Ever since, the bike just seems to not like it. I can't really explain it.... I am getting false neutrals a bit more, or on hard acceleration or aggressive downshifting/upshifting sometimes it will slip. The engine also feels a bit sluggish but maybe that's my placebo since the speedometer says otherwise...lol

It's August here in Chicago, so it gets hot. I assumed the 40 oil is just fine over the 30.

 

[Brammers]

That oil should be fine. It is probably something else. Your clutch may be one the way out if it's slipping. Is freeplay correct?

 

[koofdome]

That oil should be fine. It is probably something else. Your clutch may be one the way out if it's slipping. Is freeplay correct?

The bike has 4,000 miles on it when I purchased it brand new in February. I have not once adjusted the clutch lever, perhaps try that?

 

[Brammers]

Yes, check that.

 

[Itchytoe]

I tried that same oil. I had clunky shifts, a harder time than normal getting through neutral to either first or second, and oddly enough a hard time finding neutral sometimes. At a stand still, it wanted to be in either first or second, not neutral. When accelerating, it seemed to like neutral. My bike didn't like that oil either. I went back with OE Honda stuff and my issues vanished. Now she runs like she should.

Are you sure your clutch is actually slipping? That's extremely unlikely on a bike with 4,000 miles and 6 months of riding on it.

 

[Brammers]

Happy to stand corrected and recommend Castrol oil Power4 Racing 10w30. Running it for 4 years and 25k miles, no issues - still on it's first clutch

 

[Itchytoe]

No no, I'm not trying to correct anybody. Mobil 1 4T is very common and used with great success all over the planet. I'm just pointing out that my particular clutch didn't like it. The standard Honda oil is what my clutch seems to like. If 4T, or Castrol's Power4 is working well for you, use it.

 

[koofdome]

I tried that same oil. I had clunky shifts, a harder time than normal getting through neutral to either first or second, and oddly enough a hard time finding neutral sometimes. At a stand still, it wanted to be in either first or second, not neutral. When accelerating, it seemed to like neutral. My bike didn't like that oil either. I went back with OE Honda stuff and my issues vanished. Now she runs like she should.

Are you sure your clutch is actually slipping? That's extremely unlikely on a bike with 4,000 miles and 6 months of riding on it.

Maybe it's not slipping and I just don't know what a "slipping clutch" feels like. What would one feel like? I am fairly new to bikes, only been riding 2.5yrs

 

[Itchytoe]

A slipping clutch will allow your engine to rev up while in gear without the bike accelerating. Best way I know of to check for a slipping clutch is to get the bike going, put it in 6th gear and completely open the throttle. If the engine revs up smoothly and normally, it isn't slipping. If it's slipping, it will rev faster than you accelerate.

 

[koofdome]

A slipping clutch will allow your engine to rev up while in gear without the bike accelerating. Best way I know of to check for a slipping clutch is to get the bike going, put it in 6th gear and completely open the throttle. If the engine revs up smoothly and normally, it isn't slipping. If it's slipping, it will rev faster than you accelerate.

Thanks for the knowledge. I checked this technique while coming back from lunch today. 6th gear rolled on the power very smoothly, this was consistent in all the gears. So slipping clutch would be out of the question.

My clutch lever does have a lot of "loose" room, and I never tightened it up since I got it 4,000 miles ago. I think I need to adjust the lever tension!

Thank you again u guys.

 

[koofdome]

Happy to stand corrected and recommend Castrol oil Power4 Racing 10w30. Running it for 4 years and 25k miles, no issues - still on it's first clutch

From an MC garage article "When you get a false neutral, your best bet is to pull in the clutch and re-shift. Unfortunately the transmission may make an unpleasant noise when it finally goes into gear(...)"

Maybe that is why when I hit a false neutral and re-shift, the engine goes CLUNK. It sounds bad :/ but I guess that's it just catching the gear.

ONLY happens when I am in a false neutral. I thought something was broken...ok I get it now

 

[koofdome]

Happy to stand corrected and recommend Castrol oil Power4 Racing 10w30. Running it for 4 years and 25k miles, no issues - still on it's first clutch

Or what about this? Remember when i posted a question a few weeks back saying I downshifted "too much" gears down on accident (from 6th to 3rd) and the bike jerked forward? Did I ruin something?

"If however you’re still having issues with the bike hitting false neutrals or jumping out of gear, you should check the adjustment on your shift linkage. You could also have damaged gear dogs, a bent shift fork, or maybe the shift star is loose on the shift drum."

 

[Rafe]

I wouldn't read into it too much until you chalk off the easy stuff like oil, clutch freeplay and gear shift lever position. I know from experience that searching for answers on a particular issue ends up filling your head with all sorts of stuff. Go with the easy stuff and take it from there.

 

[miweber929]

It is extremely hard to break a transmission by 1 missed shift on a modern motorcycle. Not saying it can’t happen but it’s unlikely.

When you say “false neutral”, between what gears? How often? Anything else change: new boots, tip the bike over, adjust anything, only when rushing somewhere? Just looking for other ideas.

As far as oil, I can say I’ve experienced some changes in feel with different weights, brands and types but it’s all been very mild and I’ve used Mobil 1 over the years without any issue. Not saying that is not possible, but just not been my experience. Been a long time since I’ve used it, however.

Best way to rule it out is to spend the money on new oil, change it out and see if everything you experience disappears.

 

[koofdome]

It is extremely hard to break a transmission by 1 missed shift on a modern motorcycle. Not saying it can’t happen but it’s unlikely.

When you say “false neutral”, between what gears? How often? Anything else change: new boots, tip the bike over, adjust anything, only when rushing somewhere? Just looking for other ideas.

As far as oil, I can say I’ve experienced some changes in feel with different weights, brands and types but it’s all been very mild and I’ve used Mobil 1 over the years without any issue. Not saying that is not possible, but just not been my experience. Been a long time since I’ve used it, however.

Best way to rule it out is to spend the money on new oil, change it out and see if everything you experience disappears.

I noticed most false neutrals happening between 4-5 and 5-6, which i read online are the common areas to happen. I have adjusted the shifter position a bit, so maybe my foot isn't kicking up hard enough to fully engage the next gear. It seems to only happen with very rapid acceleration on a nice empty street, for example if me and a friend are ripping it together.

I have adjusted the clutch lever freeplay, after 4k miles it was definitely loose. Tightened it back up and the bike feels tight again, things seem smoother. I will see how it feels this weekend, so far it hasn't happened again. I think I am just not kicking UP hard enough to engage the next gear when speed shifting

 

[koofdome]

I noticed most false neutrals happening between 4-5 and 5-6, which i read online are the common areas to happen. I have adjusted the shifter position a bit, so maybe my foot isn't kicking up hard enough to fully engage the next gear. It seems to only happen with very rapid acceleration on a nice empty street, for example if me and a friend are ripping it together.

I have adjusted the clutch lever freeplay, after 4k miles it was definitely loose. Tightened it back up and the bike feels tight again, things seem smoother. I will see how it feels this weekend, so far it hasn't happened again. I think I am just not kicking UP hard enough to engage the next gear when speed shifting

Sometimes it will also slip OUT of gear, but i honestly feel like now that I think about it, that I am being lazy with the shifts and not fully kicking it into gear. I want to make a minor adjustment to the shift linkage to lower the peg a bit, but that vertical bar does not seem to want to raise/lower the shifter. Only the rotational adjustment.... if you know what I mean.

How do i make the minor adjustments?

 

[Brammers]

Check out the sticky thread on how to do it.

J

 

[Brammers]

All 650's - Adjusting gear lever

Adjusting the gear lever height is one thing that will make your CB(R)650 feel much nicer to ride. Here's how you do it... due to me having a massive argument with the BB code implementation on the forum post editor, it's a webpage. http://bramleys.org/cbr650f/gear_lever/ J

650f.bike

J

 

[Itchytoe]

Definitely try lowering the gear lever. Getting the controls in the right place can make a big difference. I lowered mine quite a bit to get it where I wanted it. It's a very simple process.

 

[cats_in_a_trenchcoat]

Interesting thread, I've been having similar shifting events (low mileage bike also, about 8k). Mostly in the higher gears it finds a neutral/slips out of gear occasionally nowadays. I must be getting lazy with shifting and should check the simple things. It'd be interesting to know what solves your problem OP