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Honda support for my DN-01 Saga

Burchsc

New member
Joined
Sep 8, 2023
Messages
20
Location
Mchenry Illinois
Reaching out to the community for thoughts on my attempt to get my Dino back on the road here’s a short history

While riding all of a sudden when taking off after a stop the bike had no power kind of like it did not go into low gear at the stop

I pulled over and turned the bike off hoping it would reset which it did then ran normally

I repeated this process several times in order to get to the dealer

Here’s the short history between me, my dealer, Honda customer support and Honda dealer technical support

Dealer - Hondamatic control unit replaced
oil pressure switch
they are asking us to do a Oil pressure test to see if the pressure is to high
The also want us to do a pin fitment check on the ECU & TCM
I also found out that no one at Honda is an expert at the DN-01 the guy who is helpping us is familiar with the Hondamatic transmission only not the hole bike

My first contact with Honda customer support below -

Description: Hello,
My dealer is not receiving timely support from Honda dealer technician services
My motorcycle has been in the shop for weeks and in this part of the country the riding season is short
Please expedite Honda dealer technical support for my case number Case ID # 16247561 to include sending a support technician onsite to my dealer
To be clear my dealer is doing a good job and trying to solve the issue but we need your help
Thanks

My second contact -

My dealers Case ID # 16247561, my case number 16316425
I am contacting your team again because there is no resolution to the issues with my 2009 DN-01
We need to identify the technical expertise within Honda that can support my dealership in implementing a solution
At this point the technician assigned by Honda is one who is experienced with Honda ATVs which have a similar transmission but not experienced with my particular machine
We are now playing a guessing game with the Honda technician suggesting the dealer try solutions without providing adequate reasoning, the result is an expensive witch hunt without solutions
The dealer is unwilling to continue this work without some well defined answers from Honda technical support
I am asking that Honda identify the proper technical resources to assist with the solution
Perhaps it would be well for Honda to look globally for these resources as my Honda motorcycle model has a higher popularity in the European and Asian markets
We would appreciate escalating our case to those within Honda with the authority to execute our request

To all - please share your thoughts…I’m out of options
TIA
 
Yes, Dino was the only road bike they made with HFT and just 2 Quad bikes iirc, but their HFT was not identical due to off-road use. Search this forum, as search is your best option.

they are asking us to do an Oil pressure test to see if the pressure is too high Too high eh? The relief valve would have to be inoperable to cause that. Hydraulic relief valves rarely fail, and when they do it's in the open condition (low pressure).
 
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With the age of these bikes, a typical problem can be caused by bad continuity for the oil pressure sensor that's bolted to the clutch cover. It's fitted using a thread locking adhesive which, over time, can prevent it earthing properly. It's part number 20 here:
https://www.cmsnl.com/en-gb/honda-nsa700a-2008-8-englandmkh_model21069/partslist/E__0600.html
using a multi-meter, check continuity between the body of the sensor and the clutch cover. Just a gentle re-seat (1/8 turn either direction) may be enough to fix it. I know, it happened to me..

This is just one thing to look for, though....
 
So Honda Tech Support dropped my dealers case
As a result I emailed Honda Powersports VP and manager below
I’m thinking that if I can’t get my Dino repaired I’ll have to try and sell maybe someone else would have better luck than me
Other than the trans issue bike is in very good condition with low miles
I don’t want to go through parting it out
Any ball park ideas on what I should ask? TIA
 

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If you get a reply from Honda manager, I think s/he will say. 'thank you for being a loyal Honda customer. Due to the age of your machine we are no able to help you.'
 
That's bizarre! Obviously something very odd causing that to display. I'd disconnect the battery earth for a short while, reconnect and report back.
 
Damn!!!

Was it showing this 'code' before it went to the dealer?

Did the dealer do the TCM initialisation procedure after fitting the new one?

Has the shift motor been removed and checked for binding?

When the shift motor is removed has the driven gear been checked for ease of rotation?
 
Not that I saw
Dealer said they did the initialization
Do you mean the swash plate motor?
I don’t know if they even looked at it or the angle sensor
I asked for a breakdown of everything they did
Seems like they did whatever dealer tech support told them to do
The dealer had no experience with the Dino
The Honda dealer tech support guy only had experience with the hydrostatic trans on the ATVs
 
Do you mean the swash plate motor? Yes.

The dealer had no experience with the Dino. It was not produced for long, so that's typical as you'd know.

The hydrostatic drive for the ATVs is basically the same but again, not made/sold in big numbers.
 
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