Loud Banging Noise With Gear Change

[mkaczmarek]

Hi All,,,

I recently got to take my 1979 GS1000E for the very first ride after getting it back to road worth condition (it sat for 4 years in the previous owners garage).

She seems to run pretty nice, but most of the time when I would shift gears it would make a loud banging noise and I would feel it. I tried to do more "gentle" gear changes and it kinda worked sometimes, but it still wasn't perfect.

Would this be more clutch related, or perhaps gear oil level? I wasn't sure where I should start to look first. Granted my engine oil wasn't at the FULL mark, but was within range nearer the bottom (could this be the culprit). I have topped it up since but haven't had a chance to go for a ride yet.

Oh, there was no clutch slippage at all, the engine is extremely strong and smooth and acceleration through all the gears was amazing, just the noise at the changes that has me wondering.

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1979 GS1000E

"NEVER MESS WITH A GS"
"The less you know, the more you believe."
"We thought that we had the answers, it was the questions we had wrong."

[gridrunner]

just a thought, like, but I usually know when my chain needs to be tensioned because it starts banging off the centre stand when I let the throttle off, worth checking?

[Tarbash 27]

yes check the chain, when mine gets dry its sounds like a scalded monkey and makes all funky noises when i shift gears and stuff. but once i lube it up with chain lube, it quiets up and everything is silent.

[mkaczmarek]

Good you guys reminded me, I meant to lube the chain yesterday and forgot, but this bang doesn't happen when I let off the throttle, it happens at the exact time I shift gears, there is no noise when I let off the throttle, or release the clutch...at all.

And it does sound like something internal, transmission or the like...hmmmm

[Guest]

I have been told that if a bike sits over an extended period of time, the plates in the clutch can 'bind' together, causing very clunky shifing. Not certain if this is true. Perhaps the clutch cable is not adjusted correctly..i.e., it is not fully engaging when you try to shift??

[Tarbash 27]

well did you ride it since you lubed the chain?, because mine use to make a clank whenever i shifted and a funking grinding when ever i let off the clutch. once i lubed the chain, it all shut up. if you want take off the clutch cover and check to make sure everything is intact.

[mkaczmarek]

lubing the chain didn't have any effect, and as I mentioned before touching of the clutch or throttle didn't have ANY effect on this noise, it simply happens when I shift the gear shift lever.

Its most notable when I shift into 1st, and 2nd, and gets much quieter through the rest of the gears. I know you're supposed to feel/hear (maybe slightly) when a gear is selected, but this was a tad too loud at first. On my second ride last night I noticed it was a bit quieter after I topped up the engine oil but still not as quiet as I'd like. I'll keep fiddling, I think the next thing I want to do is check my Gear Oil...is this simply just taking off the gear shift lever, and the chain cover/housing...I haven't checked this out in the manual yet, any hints or tips?

[Tarbash 27]

There is no seperate gear oil, the oil you put in is for the motor and tranny. Is your clutch adjusted good? because when it doesnt dissengage enough, the bike shifts hard.

[rustybronco]

i've not much to compare it to but my 850 kwacks into 1st and 2nd has for the last 4k+ miles that i've owned it 3rd 4th 5th are MUCH quieter, when i first got it it was very un-nerving to me to listen to it but it hasn't changed at all (used to my old kow h1's for to many years i guess) it is a lot better with the 20w50 that i'm currently using than with the 10w40 oil that was in it.

[mkaczmarek]

I have been told that if a bike sits over an extended period of time, the plates in the clutch can 'bind' together, causing very clunky shifing. Not certain if this is true. Perhaps the clutch cable is not adjusted correctly..i.e., it is not fully engaging when you try to shift??

Clutch cable works real good, its just the clunking at the very moment when a gear is engaged..I think I'm going to be taking the clutch cover off and checking what's going on inside...I noticed a new noise today after my lengthier ride, near the end of some semi-spirited riding I noticed an increasing rattle (while riding), nothing major, but I think it may be coming from the tranny/clutch itself.

Actually I currently am riding on 20w50 suzuki dyno oil as I knew I would be changing it after only a few hundred km just to get rid of the dirt that could have been builtup in the past.