No drive connection, rattling from shaft side

[jsonewald]

The last time I rode my '82 650GL it made a sudden, short, grinding kind of noise, and then coasted to a stop. The engine starts and runs fine, but there is a rattling sound that seems to be coming from the lower left side of the transmission/drive case. In any gear the bike can be rolled easily. The clutch action feels normal, and looking through the oil fill opening I can see the clutch mechanism moving when the lever is squeezed.

Any ideas of what this is, and what the probable repair is? I am experienced enough in general to consider cracking the case myself, but I don't want to start without some experienced advice on what I may be getting into.

Thanks

[Nessism]

Two possible things come to mind: the rear driven spline (in the rear wheel) has stripped, or the secondary reduction bevel gear has sheared. The rear wheel is easiest to check so I'd do that first. Suzuki made some soft splines for a few years and they are prone to failure - updated service parts are readily available from a dealer part source. The bevel gear failure relates to the nut backing off. There is a tutorial on how to repair this yourself with minimal cost, although some machine work is required. http://members.dslextreme.com/users/...pair_zooks.pdf

Good luck and welcome to the GSR.

[jsonewald]

...
Good luck and welcome to the GSR.

Thanks for the welcome and advice - I joined quite a while ago, and didn't realize this was my first post.

[BassCliff]

Greetings and Salutations!!

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[tom203]

The last time I rode my '82 650GL it made a sudden, short, grinding kind of noise, and then coasted to a stop. The engine starts and runs fine, but there is a rattling sound that seems to be coming from the lower left side of the transmission/drive case. In any gear the bike can be rolled easily. The clutch action feels normal, and looking through the oil fill opening I can see the clutch mechanism moving when the lever is squeezed.

Any ideas of what this is, and what the probable repair is? I am experienced enough in general to consider cracking the case myself, but I don't want to start without some experienced advice on what I may be getting into.

Thanks

What's the mileage/ history and are you prone to blazing starts?

[fitzy84]

Hi there it sounds like what recently happened on my bike, I could hear a clunky sound coming from the transmission for a while and replaced the clutch then on my first ride that grinding sound started the bike was un-rideable. I pulled the secondary gear out and it was missing chunks.

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=175430

[jsonewald]

What's the mileage/ history and are you prone to blazing starts?

I bought the bike < 2 years ago with 26K+ on it, and have since put ~8K on it. I'm not prone to blazing starts. However, this area of east TN has some seriously twisty and hilly rides (Dragon's Tail, Devil's Triangle). I have ridden both, and many times for the Triangle. It is pretty demanding of the drive train.

[jsonewald]

Hi there it sounds like what recently happened on my bike, I could hear a clunky sound coming from the transmission for a while and replaced the clutch then on my first ride that grinding sound started the bike was un-rideable. I pulled the secondary gear out and it was missing chunks.


http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...d.php?t=175430

Do you have any idea yet how easy (or not) it is to get a replacement gear?

[tom203]

I bought the bike < 2 years ago with 26K+ on it, and have since put ~8K on it. I'm not prone to blazing starts. However, this area of east TN has some seriously twisty and hilly rides (Dragon's Tail, Devil's Triangle). I have ridden both, and many times for the Triangle. It is pretty demanding of the drive train.

You'll have to put bike on centerstand, put in gear (NOT RUNNING ) and wiggle rear wheel back and forth. Any clunking? Where? Pull back rubber boot at front of driveshaft and investigate. No sense looking for replacement parts till you know what's wrong. This drivetrain is overdesigned for this bike ( properly lubricated), no matter how twisty and fun the roads are.

[jsonewald]

You'll have to put bike on centerstand, put in gear (NOT RUNNING ) and wiggle rear wheel back and forth. Any clunking? Where? Pull back rubber boot at front of driveshaft and investigate. No sense looking for replacement parts till you know what's wrong. This drivetrain is overdesigned for this bike ( properly lubricated), no matter how twisty and fun the roads are.

Thanks for the advice. This is much better to start with, instead of opening the case.

[Breezy]

I am having the same trouble. I have experianced this kind of "ka-chunk" before but she has slipped back into a gear quickly. This time it stayed stuck between 3rd and 4th gear. I had to send my riding friends after the truck. I brought it home thinking the cases would have to be split and stuff replaced. I was excited because I have had the intentions of hard-tailing the frame and going Very custom. Now the frame is stripped and ready to be welded up and powder coated, and I have been toying and avoiding the engine breakdown. I have tinkered with it to breakdown the possibilities of what it could be closely following the factory service manual and the suggestions in the forum. It is not the diff, or the bevel gear. Now that the engine is out of frame and halfway torn down I have noticed that the gears shift through without an issue and there is no longer zero resistance in the bevel gear output.... wtf Did the Zuki just heal or am I losing it? Lord... if you listinin.... HELP!!

[tom203]

I am having the same trouble. I have experianced this kind of "ka-chunk" before but she has slipped back into a gear quickly. This time it stayed stuck between 3rd and 4th gear. I had to send my riding friends after the truck. I brought it home thinking the cases would have to be split and stuff replaced. I was excited because I have had the intentions of hard-tailing the frame and going Very custom. Now the frame is stripped and ready to be welded up and powder coated, and I have been toying and avoiding the engine breakdown. I have tinkered with it to breakdown the possibilities of what it could be closely following the factory service manual and the suggestions in the forum. It is not the diff, or the bevel gear. Now that the engine is out of frame and halfway torn down I have noticed that the gears shift through without an issue and there is no longer zero resistance in the bevel gear output.... wtf Did the Zuki just heal or am I losing it? Lord... if you listinin.... HELP!!

Praying might help, but slipping out of gears, and then staying stuck between them is trouble. Out of frame, there's little load on gears, so you'd get a false impression of what's going to happen when the gears are loaded. I haven't openned one of these up yet, but others will probably steer you in right direction.