I have a 2013 Blade and when out riding I was accelerating and going up the gears when I somehow unsinked my hand and foot and managed to attempt to change gear without the clutch badly, well long story short there was a crunch and well 5th gear was collateral. I can get into 5th gear and when accelerating there are no issues still rides normal but when I let off the throttle and the engine braking sets in it rattles quite badly. I drained the oil to see if there was any shiny bit and low and behold I found a tooth off my 5th. The bike is a 2013 ABS model so I'm reluctant to drop the engine (The ABS makes it unfavorable). My question is can I access the gears to replace the damage part without dropping the engine? Say by lying on the floor or something and doing everything from underneath? Any help would be great Thank you. Craig
I've never done it on a blade engine however I'd imagine the engine will need to come out. Even if it's possible to do whilst in the bike you would want the comfort of having it on a bench/jig to work on. Bound to be a few here that can advise further on the matter. Change 3rd gear whilst your in there too!
I can see where you're coming from with the bench as I currently have the engine from a different bike out of the frame to work on but the ABS is so temperamental I'm reluctant to disturb it on the blade, in my mind a little discomfort is better than having to deal with the ABS. The other bike is 22 years old so hasn't got ABS therefore I've never encountered or worked with it fully and don't currently have the confidence yet, the down time would be upsetting if it was to go wrong.
I am no expert on this but I thought they were a cassette gearbox that can be removed to change ratios if required, without removing from the frame.
I rather like the abs lol and the cassette was on the 08 model sadly they changed it so I believe you go through the sump and clutch I think
I might be wrong but I think you have to split the cases to get to the gearbox internals. Not sure if it's an issue on the later ones but third gear is known to be weak and is usually the one that lets go and sheds teeth, so while your in there you could replace third as well. think you can get an uprated third output gear from Nova Racing
This makes me sad lol. I'm going to take the sump off for an inspection in the meantime as a friend had suggested. Looking into it though it appears the blade doesn't have a sump gasket and instead uses a bond. Not sure how I feel about that. I'll be able to assess what I'll be able to do once the sump is off.
Hi everyone, I’m new here and will be picking up my 2011 Blade on Tuesday. After reading through a few threads on here I’ve now had the fear of god put into about the issue with the ABS, as mine is the ABS model. Is there anyone out there that hasn’t come across the issue who has an ABS model (by the sound of it, it’s every bike).
Think the only people who don't experience it are people who do very low mileages or keep on top of the brake bleeding.
I kept on top of the bleeding and it still did it! Might be worth checking if any of the paperwork with this 11 plate mentions the abs error code in any of the service records etc if it still has any with it? Personally I'd cancel the purchase.
Lol, let me re-phrase then....if you do very low mileages and you bleed it every year you might get lucky and not experience the issue.
Cheers for the help lads. I’ve read that pulling the fuse for the ABS can solve the problem and it just means you have normal mechanical brakes (if I do experience the issue)
Lozzy is the expert here, she was silly enough to buy one without doing some research. Mine is Non-ABS
Sorry Andrew but there's no way I can recommend buying a sports bike with a known defective abs system that's capable of speeds up to 180 and will be ridden in a manner that requires decent braking.
Consequences are too severe to risk. Enough evidence on this forum alone to say it's a Russian roulette at best.
If the deal is not set in stone then I would urge changing to non ABS. There are enough hazards out there without losing the ability to stop, and you can bet it will happen at the worst time when it does. There are a load of bikes out there to pick from. Hello and welcome by the way
Not had any issues with mine, but a dealer mechanic said that he’d come across issues where riders had feathered or pulsed the brakes. Not an excuse as the brakes should work irrespective of how they’re used. I ride like miss daisy anyway so could probably stop quicker with my feet
