Clutch Basket

[javamotorsports]

Hello,

I ride a 1980 GS850L and this bike is my daily rider up untill about November. Here is my issue, and please be patient as I have posted this issue a couple times on here and never really got a answer, so I have been doing a lot of trouble shooting and this is all I have come up with. I rode to work one morning about 15 mile ride and returned home on the bike with no issues. I started the bike the next morning and the oil light would flicker just a little while on the side stand. My thought was that the bike was low on oil so shutoff the bike pushed it in the shop and placed it on center stand. Oil level was fine. I rev the bike and no strange sounds so I make up my mind that I am going to ride it to work, as soon as I start to pull away I feel a little vibration. so I remove my helmet and can hear a ratteling/ shatter sound but only when under a load. So I think timing chain slack or transmission. took timing ten. out of bike and it is functioning fine timing chain does not have enough slack to hit anything inside the engine. I find today that there is a little play/movement in the clutch basket and hub. What do you think? How much movement should it have? Please help, I really want my GS back on the road and park the other two.


Thank Jason

[zuzu]

Jason,

Could you post a video of the clutch basket movment that you are observing?

[Agemax]

remove the pressure plate and check to see if the main hub nut has come loose. that will cause a rattle and show up as play in the basket

[luvmy40]

I am hearing the same type of "rattle" from my '82 GS850L clutch assy. I pulled the friction and drive plates and the basket seems to have more free play than I would expect as well. I'll try to get a video done (if I can figure out how to embed it).

I am going to pull the basket out and inspect the bearings/spacers but I can't find any real specs in my Clymer manual. It just says "Replace if damaged or excessively worn"

[tom203]

While you go looking for loose stuff, have some fruit

http://www.theflyingbanana.com/clutchhub.htm

[javamotorsports]

Thank you tom203,

I have seen this on this site before also. I tried searching for it but I was having a hard time locating it. I am about 95% completed with my restore on mine, I could have had this thing back on the road a long time ago but.......... well to be honest took my sweet time on it. not all I have to do is connect all my wires, insall new horns replace/rebuild clutch basket and install oil pump and add oil and on the road agian! I will try to video the movement on the clutch basket today and find out how to post it. I am almost 95% sure mine has too much play. Don't see how it would not make a lot of noise as much as it moves around. I really thank everyone for the support.



Jason

[luvmy40]

Well, I can't get it to embed but here's a link to the video

[javamotorsports]

Thank you luvmy40,

I will try to view the video once I get home from work, I can't access youtube from the work laptop. I have a feeling this is what my GS needs. Not like I don't have other bikes to ride...... but this oone is my favorite.



Thank you!


Jason

[javamotorsports]

luvmy40

luvmy40,

I just watched the video via my phone and mine has way more play/movement than that. Thanks for the video I know now that is my issue. Thanks again.


Jason

[gs11ezrydr]

From what I am seeing in the video the thrust clearance is excessive and the large center spacer needs to me machined down to get approx. .003 clearance between it and the large washer that goes between the inner and outer hubs. Providing the basket itself is not worn out and need rebuilding or replacing. If yours is worse then the one in the video you do have some serious issues. Just some fuel for thought here. The way I check for the proper clearances is to stack all the washers, spacers, bearings, etc. just as they are installed in the motor on the work bench set some weight on the whole assembly or apply some pressure and measure between the large spacer and the large washer with a feeler gauge. Then either install or remove shims if tight or machine the spacer if loose. If machining is needed most machine shops with a surface grinder with a magnetic base can do it just a few minutes. I believe the specs are between .001 and .003 I recommend pushing for about .003 to be safe so when things heat up it won't bind or drag. This applies to checking the thrust clearance on all the gs clutch baskets with a helical cut gear since under acceleration and deceleration the basket moves in and out. Causing creeping, dragging, hard shifting, etc. I also recommend using a hardened clutch nut APE etc. to help against pushing the threads out of the stock ones in certain applications if you already don't have one.

[javamotorsports]

Good morning,

Ok so I have my GS850L back on the road and some of my noise was loose springs in the clutch basket, so I did the clutch basket rebuild and man it is so much more quiet! However I still hear a vert slight noise mainly when changing gears the sound is almost like a rattle sound. I looked inside both covers thinking something was touching the clutch basket or the magneto hub but found nothing. I have been riding the bike for a couple days and it has not gotten any worse in fact it seems to have gotten better? Just wondering if anyone has had this problem before or any ideas. This bike only has 26,000 miles on it and I am the 3rd owner of it. Any ideas?




Thank you!