Hello all, When I was riding my bike, it would barely move in gear. It shifted through the gears, but giving it just a little gas revved the engine, but the bike would hardly go. I was told in another group that this sound like the Final Drive and/or shaft? Looking at the cost of parts it seems like this is going to be a really expensive fix. I was wondering if anyone has gone through this and was able to fix it and save a few bucks doing it a certain way or buying parts from a particular vendor?
At first blush, I'd say you have an issue with the clutch slipping. Curious why the other groups would condemn the final drive unless there is an issue with the spline coupling between the driveshaft and the final drive but need some info first.
Clutch questions;
1. How many miles on the bike?
2. Have you always used motorcycle specific engine oils when servicing? (Using automotive oils will cause the clutch to slip)
3. Have you moded the bike or raced it?
4. Can you find neutral easily?
5. How much freeplay is there at the clutch lever? The cable should have 2 millimeters slackness. Have you tried adjusting the cable?
6. Are you the original owner?
7. Any noises from the engine and location if there is?
Final Drive questions;
1. Require mileage?
2. Have you ever had the final drive separated from the swing arm? Was the splined coupling ever serviced/lubed?
3. Have you felt or heard any ratcheting from the final drive area?
4. Have you drained the final drive oil to check it's condition?
5. Is there anything leaking in the final drive area?
Thanks for the response. I will go into a bit more detail and answer the questions the best I can. About two weeks ago, I noticed that when I was cruising along and gave it a good throttle, the RPMs would rev up, but the bike didn't jump forward. Then that problem the next time I road it got expedentiall worse. I put it in neutral fine, started it up, dropped it in first, let out the clutch, and it started to go, but then, on just a slight bit of throttle, the same thing engine revs, but there was no movement. I went up through a couple of gears as I was moving a bit, but it didn't matter. So I guess the same feeling as if a ghost was pulling in the clutch as a throttle or something wasn't engaging, like the shaft according to another online group I am in. Your suggestion about the clutch sounds more plausible. So there is a little back story. Now to answer your questions the best I can>
1. How many miles on the bike? 13K
2. Have you always used motorcycle specific engine oils when servicing? (Using automotive oils will cause the clutch to slip) Yes
3. Have you moded the bike or raced it? No
4. Can you find neutral easily? Yes
5. How much freeplay is there at the clutch lever? The cable should have 2 millimeters slackness. Have you tried adjusting the cable? None
6. Are you the original owner? No
7. Any noises from the engine and location if there is? No
Final Drive questions;
1. Require mileage? Not sure what that means?
2. Have you ever had the final drive separated from the swing arm? Was the splined coupling ever serviced/lubed? No / Not sure
3. Have you felt or heard any ratcheting from the final drive area? No
4. Have you drained the final drive oil to check it's condition? No
5. Is there anything leaking in the final drive area? No
