Cluth noise

[rotax21]

1980 GS 1100E. I took the bike out today for the first time since last year and it sounds like there are marbles rattling around somewhere near the clutch. When I disengage the clutch it gets a little bit quieter. Letting the clutch out in neutral is when it is the loudest. The bike still shifts fine. Any suggestions?

Thanks, Lee

[Anonymous]

I'll bet the springs on the backing plate are loose. That's not a serious problem. Just to be safe, you may want to remove the clutch cove and do some poking around. The clutch hub can get loose also and that IS a problem.

[rotax21]

Swanny,

Thanks for the info. Is it a big deal to pull the sidecover off to inspect the clutch. Drain the oil first and than remove the screws holding the sidecover on?

[Anonymous]

Swanny,

Thanks for the info. Is it a big deal to pull the sidecover off to inspect the clutch. Drain the oil first and than remove the screws holding the sidecover on?

Basically that's the procedure. I'd get a new gasket first so that you don't have to re-use the old one. More than likely it will break. If you have the stock philips head screws you may also want to get some allen head to re-install the cover. Not only do they look better, but they make repairs so much easier. If you don't have a manual I would also suggest one of those.

[rotax21]

Swanny,

I took the sidecover off, removed the 6 bolts holding the clutch plates in. I removed all the clutch plates. I have not removed the inner and outer housing yet. The noise was coming from behind the primary outer clutch housing, and also this housing has play in it. Is it supposed to have slop in it?

Thanks,
Lee

[Anonymous]

The puter clutch hub rides on a couple of caged needle bearings so there will be a little play. I don't know the spec off hand. It's not much. If the play is excessive you should be able to see wear.

If you pull the outer clutch you will see 4 springs in the backing plate. I'll bet some of those are loose. You can ride it that way with no harm. When I rebuilt my motor I repaced the backing plate with a heavy duty ones and it came with new springs. They get weak over time and with the typical hot rodding that goes with an 1100.

[rotax21]

My outer hub is a Vance and Hines piece, the guy I bought it from installed that part. It sure seems like there is a lot of play in it. I cannot find any specs on how much play there should be. I will continue to tear it down tomorrow and check the springs and the bearings. I am also going to replace my clutch plates while I have it apart. Any recommendations on what brand to buy?

Thanks again for all the help,
Lee