Honda CMX250C Rebel, first service

This year I took the plunge. After many years driving I took a
motorcycle course then bought an '04 Rebel (a great starter bike!).
I've put on about 600 miles and have done all the usual service things
like oil change, clutch adjustment etc. I don't have the full service
manual though so I'm curious about a couple of things - any help would
be great.

Should I adjust the valve lifters (tappets as I'm an ex-pat Brit in
the US They sound a little bit clicky but not bad. Any advice on
the process?

Even after clutch cable adjustments, I often find I just cannot get
the bike out of first gear when stationary. I'll go blue in the face
trying to lift the gearchange; sometimes it works, but usually not.
Also, when moving, it seems to me the gear changes aren't as solid as
they once were - a silent change is nice, but it used to find a gear's
'home' in a more positive fashion. And it's popped out of gear at
least once. Something tells me I need to make a gear adjustment. I've
stripped many a car but I'm something of a newbie with a bike. Any
thoughts there?

Thanks all.

Pete

In article <2691fe4b.0409070952.20113c29.TakeThisOut@posting.google.com>,
healdp.TakeThisOut@hotmail.com (Pete) wrote:

 > This year I took the plunge. After many years driving I took a
 > motorcycle course then bought an '04 Rebel (a great starter bike!).
 > I've put on about 600 miles and have done all the usual service things
 > like oil change, clutch adjustment etc. I don't have the full service
 > manual though so I'm curious about a couple of things - any help would
 > be great.
 >
Get the Honda manual. If you plan on doing maintenance it will be
invaluable. They're typically not that expensive. Helm inc
(www.helminc.com) is the distributor in the USA, and they will sell you
one direct. Chances are that your dealer would order from these guys if
you bought one from them.

It's worth checking eBay or any model-specific forum or group for used
copies for sale. You might get lucky.

 > Should I adjust the valve lifters (tappets as I'm an ex-pat Brit in
 > the US They sound a little bit clicky but not bad. Any advice on
 > the process?

Not without a manual. Adjusting valves without knowing the spec is
playing Russian roulette with your engine, and is a very bad idea.

 >
 > Even after clutch cable adjustments, I often find I just cannot get
 > the bike out of first gear when stationary. I'll go blue in the face
 > trying to lift the gearchange; sometimes it works, but usually not.

Often it's almost impossible to shift gears unless the bike is/has been
moved slightly. Try pushing the bike forward a bit while shifting (with
the bike off) and see if that helps.

 > Also, when moving, it seems to me the gear changes aren't as solid as
 > they once were - a silent change is nice, but it used to find a gear's
 > 'home' in a more positive fashion. And it's popped out of gear at
 > least once. Something tells me I need to make a gear adjustment.

There is likely some information (e.g. about the amount of slack that
should be in your clutch cable) about adjustments in your owners manual.

--
Later.
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