having trouble with reverse in cold weather

[valoue]

i have an 04 and could not engaged reverse on cold days .it was very hard to pull the reverse it was full of snow and my buddy with 03 had same problem.brought to dealer in verner on canada and told me yamaha had screwed up with the reverse and he put more lub and it didnt solve problem any of you guys have same problem

 

[Convert]

On occasion especially if on a slope. I've found that if i just move it forward a fraction of an inch then retry it goes in fine 8)

 

[LazyBastard]

If its doing that as a result of cold weather (and not the normal non-meshing issue), then its probably because your oil is getting too viscous. Switch to a good synthetic and/or slightly *lighter* chain oil.

 

[JDKRXW]

I had the same problem.... especially on slopes (having to inch ahead a little bit before the lever could be pulled out). Towards the end of the season I noticed that reverse would engage very easily, every time, by pulling the lever at ~a 45 degree angle outwards (away from the gastank) and back. I thought my linkage needed adjustment, but now that I figured this out it's perfect

 

[Buckeye]

I agree. I don't think it is temp related. I think it is how it is put into forward that sometimes makes it difficult to go into reverse. Maybe if the linkage isn't all the way forward it affects how it goes into reverse. :exc:

 

[Swiss Sledder]

Valoue, it is temp related and you are not the only one. Here is the link to a prior discussion and solution on the topic.

http://www.rx1.info/viewtopic.php?t=3143

 

[Scooby]

Sledder someone told me that you told him to wiggle around a little on the seat and that will help. It seems to help sometimes.

 

[LazyBastard]

If it is a gear mesh issue, then rocking the machine front to back can help. Otherwise, just drive forward slightly.

 

[SIMMER]

Ahhhh LB....you Muskoka riders wouldn't understand.. .Suisse is right...it's a COLD weather thing, it's not the gear mesh thing because it happened to me on several occasions and my reverse gear worked perfectly otherwise.

In extreme temps and riding conditions I had it happen to me as well. Quite literally, the handle freezes to the point where you can barely move it. I lubed mine up (the shaft where the spring is) with a Slick50 type of lubricant that doesn't freeze up as easily. Seemed to have worked for me and the symptoms went away even during extreme cold weather riding.

 

[Silver]

I did the same as RX Wonder same slick 50 lube never froze up again and work fine the rest of the winter.

 

[Swiss Sledder]

Yeah Scooby, wiggling you butt on the seat works too. But this only works once the reverse is warm. When it is very cold, RXWonder's post is the way to fix it.

When the reverse doesn't want to engage when you pull the lever out, wiggling your butt on the seat is a technique another TY guy posted to fix the problem, and it works. Just ask Dukester as I had to use that technique to get the reverse engaged on his Warrior.

 

[LazyBastard]

Ahhhh LB....you Muskoka riders wouldn't understand.. .Suisse is right...it's a COLD weather thing, it's not the gear mesh thing because it happened to me on several occasions and my reverse gear worked perfectly otherwise.

In extreme temps and riding conditions I had it happen to me as well. Quite literally, the handle freezes to the point where you can barely move it. I lubed mine up (the shaft where the spring is) with a Slick50 type of lubricant that doesn't freeze up as easily. Seemed to have worked for me and the symptoms went away even during extreme cold weather riding.

See my first post in this thread about the chain lube. Yes, I am familiar with this problem. There is a very well known issue with *all* mechanical reverses, that there is a problem with the lubricants at very low temperatures. I have not, however, ever experienced any problems with the linkages freezing - it wouldn't be any issue anyways, since you can always apply elbow grease.

 

[Swiss Sledder]

I would still use the lubricant that RXWonder suggested. My fear with the "elbow grease" method is that you might brake something and I don't want to ride backwards to the mechanic when out in the bush.

 

[LazyBastard]

If the grease on the reverse linkage freezes, then so will the wheel bearings - particularly since there will be water in the wheel bearings.

 

[airboss]

A couple of tips which I picked-up on this site seem to work for me. First, I keep the linkage lubed with silicone spray. Secondly, on the odd occasion that the lever won't move into reverse, I'll give the throttle a quick blip to nudge the sled ahead a tad, and then the lever goes into reverse every time!