New Rider

[samuellebovic]

Hello Everyone,

I hope you all don't mind helping out a new NTV rider. I recently purchased a 1996 NTV 650 with only 19k miles! I'm on the Island of Mallorca and would like to learn how to maintain the bike as much as I can by myself. (I have the Haynes service and repair manual, but I'm just a handy beginner at the moment)

As of now, the bike runs fine, just it has some (hopefully) just minor problems. The following is a list of the things that need adjusting or fixing. Can anyone be of help to get me started?

1) Neutral is nowhere to be found. Everything else is fine with gear changing up and down, just I have no neutral which can be a pain at lights and so on...Is this a minor adjustment somewhere??

2) In first gear, at times, there is some intermittent backfiring. ?? Is this minor? Any tips for this?

3) From what I've already read, it seems that the motor clunkyness and shakyness at slow speeds is normal for this bike at very slow speeds? True?

4) Both illuminating lights for speedomotor and tachometer are not working. Is this an easy bulb change?

That's it for now and than's for helping out a newbie!

[rj2para (Bisto)]

Jul 8, 2009 20:48:26 GMT 1 samuellebovic said:

Hello Everyone,

I hope you all don't mind helping out a new NTV rider. I recently purchased a 1996 NTV 650 with only 19k miles! I'm on the Island of Mallorca and would like to learn how to maintain the bike as much as I can by myself. (I have the Haynes service and repair manual, but I'm just a handy beginner at the moment)

As of now, the bike runs fine, just it has some (hopefully) just minor problems. The following is a list of the things that need adjusting or fixing. Can anyone be of help to get me started?

1) Neutral is nowhere to be found. Everything else is fine with gear changing up and down, just I have no neutral which can be a pain at lights and so on...Is this a minor adjustment somewhere??

2) In first gear, at times, there is some intermittent backfiring. ?? Is this minor? Any tips for this?

3) From what I've already read, it seems that the motor clunkyness and shakyness at slow speeds is normal for this bike at very slow speeds? True?

4) Both illuminating lights for speedomotor and tachometer are not working. Is this an easy bulb change?

That's it for now and than's for helping out a newbie!

1. I think this could be a simple as the neutral light sensor (if my memory is working

2. No idea

3. clunky (can indicate the oil is getting low apparently ;D) But shaky?

4. Check your fuses as this fixed this for me.

Good luck, there is some good technical stuff on here and I am sure you will have more help soon of a higher quality.

[McF]

1. - I presume you are finding neutral, but the light isn't coming on?
This will be quite a pain, not just at lights, but also when starting.

Start by checking the neutral switch (behind the plastic cover on the left side of your crankcase. There are two wires, one to the oil pressure switch, the other to the gearbox, neutral switch.
The oil pressure switch is the one that has the wire (probably blue/red) screwed to it, the neutral switch has a push on connector and probably green/red wire.
Check the push on connector is - pushed on and connected!
If so, remove the connector and check it and the post it connects to are clean.
Ignition off, put the bike in neutral (gear shift all the way down, then up one) and test if the post has continuity to earth (put a multimeter on resistance (or ohms) then one probe on the post and the other to an earth. If the bike is in neutral, and the switch is working, you will see a circuit.
No circuit = make sure the bike is neutral, try again, then leave the multimeter connected and try changing through the gear box to see if you can make the circuit.
Now put the bike back into neutral, switch the ignition on and earth the wire (just touch it to the frame (where it is bare) or another suitable earth, eg bolt head, the neutral light should come on, if not, you have a fault in either the wiring or the neutral light has blown.

2. Backfiring should not be related to which gear you are in. Most likely cause could be a tiny hole somewhere in the exhaust system. Check your collector box (the only none chromed part of the silencer, under the engine. The seals from header pipes to collector box and the seal header pipe to cylinder head.
If that all looks good, you might want to try checking all the inlets from the carbs, a tiny leak that side can cause backfiring, usually when you throttle back.

3. Do you mean gearbox clunkyness? Your clutch could be dragging a little, check the clutch cable adjustment. Heavy engine oil, or due an oil change could cause the clutch to stick. Cold engine oil too, but the temperatures you're likely to be getting in Majorca at present, I'd imagine the oil is staying quite warm all the time.
There are other potential causes, but on a low mileage bike, let's stick to the simple ones for now.
Unless you know when it was changed and what oil was used, I'd suggest an oil and filter change, then report back.
The NTV gearbox isn't the best that Honda ever produced. If you're still concerned about it, get someone to take a video of you with engine running in neutral, then putting it into first, try the same selecting second gear too.

4. There are 2 bulbs in both speedo and (I think) Rev counter. It's easy to get at them, but a lengthy (as are a lot of aNTy jobs) process involving removal of other parts. The bulbs are small all glass with flat blade type and easily changed once you get into the housing.
If you have no instrument illumination, I'd suggest a common fault, possibly the earth, especially as it could be associated with the neutral light.

Anyway, try the simple things above first and report back.

Good luck!