Talon Honda Talon Shift Problem, Pioneer 1000 too.

[PaulF]

I have the CA Tech shift plate and it works perfectly other than the paint rubbing off in the channels. I have not had any of the problems others have experienced with the stock or CA plate. Is there anyone that has gone from the CA to the one featured in this thread that can offer feedback? I like the reverse to low & reverse to high set up of the CA plate (R turning radius) and it only takes a split second to come to a complete stop and smoothly shift. IMHO I think some people believe they are driving a real car and not realizing the drivetrains origin is motorcycle technology. I also find it amazing that some people complain about having to stop to shift from low to high. Every 4x4 I have ever been in requires the same. The belt boys can't even shift out of 4WD without stopping. To me, it's the same as whining about the throttle response. if you want a mushy throttle get a belt machine.

And yeah.. That shifter handle is a b****. I rung my own bell when it came off and punched myself in the face.

Not everyone experiences the shift problems and some WAY worse than others. Personally, I believe it is a tolerance and/or assembly issue with the Sub-Trans. Some are put together from the factory at the tighter end of the tolerance and some the looser. For example...

• You might have one assembled at the tighter end of tolerance so it works better.
• Mine might be somewhat in the middle. I have had the "Bang" occur a couple times and it is a bit finicky to engage into low so I engineered the shift gate to mitigate it and so far it is working as expected.
• Then there are a few unlucky souls that have their Sub-Trans assembled at the loose end of the tolerance range and go bad in 500 miles or less. I believe one of them lasted 250 miles.

One of the members here said that his never felt quite right and after the dealer replaced "some parts" in the Sub-Trans, it was a totally different feel. Much less slop and engaged into Low much better. This may indicate that something is not right with the factory assembly.

Of course, this is all speculation but would certainly be a plausible explanation as to why the CA gate is not giving you problems.

 

[SpeedBuggy]

Not everyone experiences the shift problems and some WAY worse than others. Personally, I believe it is a tolerance and/or assembly issue with the Sub-Trans. Some are put together from the factory at the tighter end of the tolerance and some the looser. For example...

• You might have one assembled at the tighter end of tolerance so it works better.
• Mine might be somewhat in the middle. I have had the "Bang" occur a couple times and it is a bit finicky to engage into low so I engineered the shift gate to mitigate it and so far it is working as expected.
• Then there are a few unlucky souls that have their Sub-Trans assembled at the loose end of the tolerance range and go bad in 500 miles or less. I believe one of them lasted 250 miles.

One of the members here said that his never felt quite right and after the dealer replaced "some parts" in the Sub-Trans, it was a totally different feel. Much less slop and engaged into Low much better. This may indicate that something is not right with the factory assembly.

Of course, this is all speculation but would certainly be a plausible explanation as to why the CA gate is not giving you problems.

Appreciate the response. Great info. Glad to have one that is right. Regarding the cold start and clunky shift issues, I have always warmed up my bikes before heading out. It takes more time to warm up and bring to operation temperature the 7 quarts the Talons hold than the 2.5 RZRs use. Other than 4 tires these things are more like motorcycles than cars. First time owners need to know the fundamentals of motorcycle care and operation.

 

[hondabob]

Most all the forum guys that have had the shift bang or shifting issues know how to avoid it. Many dealers have had the shift bang as they move the Talons up front in the morning and back at closing. My Yamaha dealer has a used Talon and experienced the shift bang and it got his attention. I told him how to avoid it and that the sub trans gear dogs are huge so they can take a lot of shift bang without damage. Mine is worse then most with the shifting into low on cold start problem. I need it everyday so I will wait until I sell it at 20,000 miles before I get it fixed. Both of my RZR buddies are over $10,000 in repairs. The 2018 RZR1000 is just over 10,000 miles and the 2019 RZR Turbo is over 13,000 miles now. They both have extended warranty but the repair time really sucks and getting it towed out has be difficult.

 

[hondabob]

Forgot to say poor some alcohol in the shift knob to reinstall it.

 

[PaulF]

@hondabob

Do you think there is any need for a modified shift gate for the P1000? Does the P1000 suffer from the same issue and could a modified shift gate help them too?

 

[hondabob]

I had 3 Pioneer 1000's and didn't have any problems in 24,000 miles. My stage 3 shift gate is still working great. I'm over 12,000 miles now.

 

[PaulF]

I had 3 Pioneer 1000's and didn't have any problems in 24,000 miles. My stage 3 shift gate is still working great. I'm over 12,000 miles now.

Good to know about the Pioneer.

Others with the shift gate (and myself) are also reporting good results. I have not had any issue engaging Low since I started testing and have no reports of anyone else having problems either. Personally, I have about 500 miles of trouble free shifts. 2 of my outings were extensive rock crawling and it worked flawlessly, shifted into Low without looking every time and stayed there. I am pleased with the design (Paul pats himself on the back)

 

[NFA_Fun]

@PaulF @hondabob

Read through this entire thread. All mention of the shift bang was for low and reverse. I get the bang only in High and usually after 10-20 feet of forward travel. Do get the occasional grind while trying to engage Low.

Should have PaulF’s gate installed this weekend. Just not sure if it will help with the shift band in High...or if there are other problems.

 

[PaulF]

@PaulF @hondabob

Read through this entire thread. All mention of the shift bang was for low and reverse. I get the bang only in High and usually after 10-20 feet of forward travel. Do get the occasional grind while trying to engage Low.

Should have PaulF’s gate installed this weekend. Just not sure if it will help with the shift band in High...or if there are other problems.

I have never had (or even heard of) the "Bang" issue in High so my gate was not designed to address any issues with High. I don't believe that there are any issues with High if the cable is properly adjusted. Depending on how many times it has happened to you and how severe, there may (or may not) be irreversible damage to the High Gear Dogs. For example, it happened to me 3 times in Low and the first time was REAL bad. I was pulling a steep sand hill hard on the gas and it jumped/banged several times in a row before I backed off and stopped. With my gate, it has never done it again and Low works fine. Probably some minor damage in there but not enough to warrant a rebuild at this point.

Not sure my gate will help your issue but If you want to try and see if it makes any difference, I suggest that after you install my shifter and properly adjust the cable, you thoroughly test Low and High and see what happens. If it feels even remotely wrong, put the stock gate back on, re-adjust the cable and take it to your dealer. Most dealers have heard of the issue in Low so make sure you tell them it is happening in High.

 

[hondabob]

It can happen in high but the gear dogs have to stack then when you give it gas it will slam into gear. Its a mostly low and reverse issue and its more likely to happen on cold start. Paul's shift gate gives more throw into low and the Honda 10w40 synthetic blend with Moly made a HUGE improvement in my Talon with over 14,000 miles on it. It has never shifted this good. The sub trans is tough and can take a lot of the shift bang but eventually it will damage the gear dogs enough to need replacement.

 

[hondabob]

When you shift into high make sure the shift lever will wiggle back and forth in the shift gate. If it is loaded forward in the shift gate its not fully into gear.

 

[NFA_Fun]

Thanks Bob! The oil is next on the list....right after Paula gate later this week.

I always jiggle the stick (sounds bad! 😳) before taking off. A habit I have had since my manual trans days in Jeeps. Glad to hear the unit is tough....really my only concern.

 

[TripleB]

Thanks Bob! The oil is next on the list....right after Paula gate later this week.

I always jiggle the stick (sounds bad! 😳) before taking off. A habit I have had since my manual trans days in Jeeps. Glad to hear the unit is tough....really my only concern.

I bet that Paula gate will do u wonders lol

 

[Gotmud]

Great stuff guys. I have to think there is an Inherent problem that honda needs to own. I have a 2019 R with less then 500 miles in the shop with subtrans issues. Waiting on parts to come In for over a month. The effected gears are on back order. That alone tells us something about the problem. The absence of a belt was the deciding factor which turns out to be the pain in my ass. I guess things could be Worse. Sorry for the rant. Just the wife is tired of hearing about it. Lol.

 

[HUCK]

Great stuff guys. I have to think there is an Inherent problem that honda needs to own. I have a 2019 R with less then 500 miles in the shop with subtrans issues. Waiting on parts to come In for over a month. The effected gears are on back order. That alone tells us something about the problem. The absence of a belt was the deciding factor which turns out to be the pain in my ass. I guess things could be Worse. Sorry for the rant. Just the wife is tired of hearing about it. Lol.

I think we shoulda got RZRs

 

[Adam490]

I think we shoulda got RZRs

Probably so, then you could be flying off the side of a trail somewhere or on fire. They all have their problems, the Talon is only in its second year where Polaris has had quite a few years to get things right...

 

[highpocket74]

Please see my thread about my Talon Shifter plate. This could alleviate some of the shifting problems. Cable adjustment is critical also, which is why some people resort to trimming the back of the plastic plate for low. Our local dealer actually recommend this fix. My plate is designed for maximum throw into low gear, as allowed by the subframe.

Talon shifter plate link

 

[McCarthy]

I'm used to non gated Polaris shifters, so I always make a point to double check it's in gear after shifting. Never had an issue.