[Phantom Duk]

Rode my '09 for about 30 minutes yesterday. When I got her back to the garage and tried to shift to Neutral, tranny made a VERY LOUD clanking sound when I hit 2nd gear. All other gears made normal sounds (click). Is this the first sign of a clutch issue? Bit of a rookie on the tranny. By the way, I'm running a Rekluse clutch, but I always use clutch lever out of habit. Thanks for any help!

[JimDirt]

Welcome to the site !!

I have a Few questions myself , .......... Was the bike running when you were shifting ?? , and on the stand ?? , or were you just moving the shifter by hand or with foot with the engine off ??? , this makes a big difference

Do you normally do this procedure ?? , if so , what was the prior outcomes ?? , or what was the specific reason for the shifting that led to this issue ?? , since you were not actually riding , not sure why you were shifting the bike

Are you positive you are not hearing chain slap on the swingarm ?? , A Rekluse can sometimes be dragging , and if you were shifting with the engine running and on the stand , its possible that it was forcing it into gear because the clutch was partially engaged , so clarification of the bikes state at the time of shifting is important to know

[Phantom Duk]

Thanks for the welcome, JimDirt.

Great questions...
1. When this happened, the engine was running and I was searching for neutral before shutdown. It was not on the stand. I was still on the bike.

2. Yes, I have a habit of shifting into neutral when I shut down. Easier to roll into garage, etc. All other times the shifting has sounded normal.

3. I had not thought of the chain slapping. I will try to recreate the noise later today and check that out.

Thanks for the help!

[JimDirt]

Thanks for the welcome, JimDirt.

Great questions...
1. When this happened, the engine was running and I was searching for neutral before shutdown. It was not on the stand. I was still on the bike.

2. Yes, I have a habit of shifting into neutral when I shut down. Easier to roll into garage, etc. All other times the shifting has sounded normal.

3. I had not thought of the chain slapping. I will try to recreate the noise later today and check that out.

Thanks for the help!

#2) Was not sure by your original description if you were on the bike , which is why i was thinking it was on a lift stand , being on the bike and shifting to neutral would not be a issue normally , , so yea lets rule out chain slap from the chain being under load then shifting due to possible clutch adjustment , again , working with Rekluse makes normal situations , not so normal , as I have found that they seem to drag a bit , but trying to find neutral while under a load could cause the slap because the tension is suddenly removed from the drive train , so I am guessing you went from 4th, 3rd, with no issue , then to 2nd, and then out of second getting to Neutral when this actually happened correct ?? , not from 3rd to 2nd , correct ?? , .....

Hopefully the issue does not duplicate itself , and was just that , chain load .....report back after next ride and doing the same scenario , to see if this happens again ...... Question ?? , how long have you had the bike ?? , and was anything recently done as far as engine tear down ?? , did you install/adjust the clutch ?? , or someone else ?? , and has the clutch been in for a while , and then it did this ?? , or was the clutch recently been installed/serviced ?? , or has there been issues since the clutch was installed ??

[Phantom Duk]

Thanks for the welcome, JimDirt.

Great questions...
1. When this happened, the engine was running and I was searching for neutral before shutdown. It was not on the stand. I was still on the bike.

2. Yes, I have a habit of shifting into neutral when I shut down. Easier to roll into garage, etc. All other times the shifting has sounded normal.

3. I had not thought of the chain slapping. I will try to recreate the noise later today and check that out.

Thanks for the help!

#2) Was not sure by your original description if you were on the bike , which is why i was thinking it was on a lift stand , being on the bike and shifting to neutral would not be a issue normally , , so yea lets rule out chain slap from the chain being under load then shifting due to possible clutch adjustment , again , working with Rekluse makes normal situations , not so normal , as I have found that they seem to drag a bit , but trying to find neutral while under a load could cause the slap because the tension is suddenly removed from the drive train , so I am guessing you went from 4th, 3rd, with no issue , then to 2nd, and then out of second getting to Neutral when this actually happened correct ?? , not from 3rd to 2nd , correct ?? , .....

Hopefully the issue does not duplicate itself , and was just that , chain load .....report back after next ride and doing the same scenario , to see if this happens again ...... Question ?? , how long have you had the bike ?? , and was anything recently done as far as engine tear down ?? , did you install/adjust the clutch ?? , or someone else ?? , and has the clutch been in for a while , and then it did this ?? , or was the clutch recently been installed/serviced ?? , or has there been issues since the clutch was installed ??

After stopping, I dropped the bike into first gear and then did the old "gentle bump" up to get it into Neutral. When I did this, it shifted to second gear and gave me the "clunk". No other shifts created this noise.

I've had the bike since April and have put 3 to 4 hours on it total. This is the first time I've heard it. I'm unsure as to what was done to it before I bought it.

I will check it out again and let you know. Thanks!

[JimDirt]

Since it went (with a gentle shift) from 1st to 2nd , i would guess there is some drag on the clutch itself , I would personally lay the bike on its left side (rest the bars on a crate or something) , then remove the clutch cover (it has a O-Ring seal , so no worry about ruining the gasket) , and look at the clutch basket itself , and see if you notice any grooves where the tabs of the plates rest , if you see any grooves , this will make it hard to find neutral , and also cause the clutch to stick or drag slightly , making shifting not as precise

This is what a worn basket looks like

[Phantom Duk]

Since it went (with a gentle shift) from 1st to 2nd , i would guess there is some drag on the clutch itself , I would personally lay the bike on its left side (rest the bars on a crate or something) , then remove the clutch cover (it has a O-Ring seal , so no worry about ruining the gasket) , and look at the clutch basket itself , and see if you notice any grooves where the tabs of the plates rest , if you see any grooves , this will make it hard to find neutral , and also cause the clutch to stick or drag slightly , making shifting not as precise

This is what a worn basket looks like

Thanks again. I will check it out......