Seems mine transmission is rather noisy when clicking it down into 1st from neutral these days (7000 miles, 3000 race miles). It shifts fine throughout the range it never misses a shift or acts screwy in any way. Other than the noise, clunnnkity...clunk into 1st & feeling a bit sloppy it seems fine. I've always changed the oil for every weekend usually get some aluminum flakes (they look like paint flakes real thin) out but nothing really out of the norm. It has been a good engine never had the shift cam bolt problem or anything like that. Clutch is still stock & still laying down good starts. Back wheel does not spin freely with clutch engaged & rear wheel off the ground. BTW I use the clutch for all up-shifts, maybe not oll the way in sometimes but more than enough to unload the strain on the tranny when shifting. It never misses a upshift or downshift. So should I have it torn down & checked or keep racing on? Top end on this motor had a clean bill of health at the beginning of the year so I hate to pop it open. It's not the strongest bike on the grid but not the slowest either, just a showroom quality stocker that gives no problems. Could it just be age on the gears? like I said it shifts very positive & I really would not be worrying if were not for the excessive clunk into 1st gear. Maybe it was always like that I just can't remember it that well.
in my experience GSXR's are pretty clunky going to 1st from N.... kinda normal, not all of them do it but mine have always done it and they never needed tranny work. I'd say race on... since you notice no mised shifts, or popping out of gears your tranny seems fine. the clutch might be suspect, but if youre laying down hard starts and they're all good I wouldn't worry about that, either. da clutch is easy to tell when it goes...
I suspected a clutch but my starts are great (that's about all that is great with me). I know what a bad clutch feels like. All my Suzuki's in the past had very good tranny's, not that this one has not been good just noisy. Thanks
It's clearly the harmonic vibrations caused by the fatigue of the damper springs on the primary driven gear. A detailed spring harmonic curve will reveal that your damping rate is now identical to that found on your V-Strom. The gear dog receptacles now appear smaller to the gear dogs thanks to vibration induced local distortion of the space time continuum. (Ummm?) In short- Resistance is Futile.
clearly it's a vibration induced local distortion of the space time continuum. however, have you tried adjusting your clutch cable?
"I've always changed the oil for every weekend usually get some aluminum flakes (they look like paint flakes real thin)" I am not going to claim much mechanical expertise, but as far as I was told before having metal shavings in bikes oil is a sign of something going wrong. If it was my bike, and I would see metal in the oil or oil filter I will stop riding it until the problem area will be discovered/fixed. Try cutting your oil filter open and see whats inside.
I consulted my mechanic (certified trained Suzuki mechanic) when I 1st noticed the problem & he told me it was the coating on the gears wearing off. The coating makes the gears engage smoothly. Not an immediate problem as I was told. Wera & tear situation. It was similar to when you change the oil in a new bikes engine for the 1st time. Only flake or two at each oil change then other times nothing. It runs & shifts fine just a bit noisier than usual from neutral to 1st. It is idled up high, 1500 rpm which is way above the 1100 rpm recommendation. Seems if I had a problem it would show up doing something screwy in the shifting or somehting like that.
Bingo! The higher idle puts more tension on the tranny parts, giving you a louder more noticeable clunk when engaging first gear. Turn idle down and see if clunk is less, if so, turn idle back up and forget about it.
