78 gs 1000 clutch

[zeek93_2000]

i just inherited a 78 gs 1000 , with the clutch out im getting a noise or rattle in the clutch in neutral, with it pulled in it goes away any ideas the bike is shifting great and no slippage

[Jackrp]

i just inherited a 78 gs 1000 , with the clutch out im getting a noise or rattle in the clutch in neutral, with it pulled in it goes away any ideas the bike is shifting great and no slippage

Had a problem just like that a week ago, mine was the big nut on the inner clutch hub was loose causing a horrible noise,and it too shifted smoothly, but sounded like it was coming apart especialy below 2000RPM.

[chef1366]

Springs

Hopefully for you it isn't one of the springs behind the hub. On a car it is a pressure plate. If I were you I'd do a thorough inspection of the clutch before I ride it because if you throw one of these springs you can cause some serious damage.

[mkaczmarek]

i just inherited a 78 gs 1000 , with the clutch out im getting a noise or rattle in the clutch in neutral, with it pulled in it goes away any ideas the bike is shifting great and no slippage

I have the exact same problem, haven't ridden the bike yet (well, unless you count the 10ft. from driveway to garage), but the clutch grabbed ok, and didn't make noise when I rode it the very short distance. When in neutral and once it starts to warm up a little especially, the rpms start to drop to below the 1500rpm range that's when the noise tends to show up. With the clutch pulled in it goes away. Granted, there are times when the noise isn't there, but i'd say it makes noise more often than not. I haven't yet taken apart the clutch cover, as I wanted to get my carbs done first (don't like to start too many jobs at once, higher likelyhood you can loose parts). As soon as I get the carbs done I'll have to take the clutch cover off and inspect for loose parts I guess.

Any other suggestions other than the mentioned 'loose nut' would be greatly appreciated.

Just curious, when working on this clutch, is it best to drain the engine oil before taking off the clutch cover? I have not owned any bikes previous to this one and unlike in a car where the various parts (engine, transmission, differential etc.) and use seperate fluids this is the wet-clutch system that shares the engine oil, Just wanted to know if I should drain the engine oil to avoid possible spillage when clutch cover is taken off.


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1979 GS1000E

"The less you know, the more you believe."
"We thought that we had the answers, it was the questions we had wrong."

[gotjeepzj]

I've also read on this board the clutch basket get's loose and either it can't be replaced or it's serious $$$ to replace. I have the same problem shifts fine, noisy as hell with the clutch out. Of course I might be way out in left field and totaly miss stating the whole thing.

[mkaczmarek]

Clutch basket...

I forgot to mention this in my previous post.

I was picking up some parts at the Suzuki dealer today and asked the parts guy what could be causing the problem, granted he isn't a mechanic, but does restore bikes and has some knowledge. He pulled up a microfiche and showed me the clutch basket blow up and showed me basically what COULD be causing the clutch plates to possibly stick sometimes (which is actually more noticeable when you drive), so what he said is that the basket has those towers/fingers or whatever you want to call them, you slide the clutch plates into the basket and these towers/fingers keep the clutch plates in place. Well, that's all good when the basket and plates are both brand new. Over the years as you rack up the miles the clutch plates start to create little grooves in those towers/fingers and the wear could get to the point where the plates have a lot of play inside the basket while at the same time could possibly get stuck in those grooves at any given time since the surface is no longer flat. (He did mention since a clutch basket can be a rather expensive part to replace (new), the cheapest alternative is to file those grooves so the clutch plates don't get stuck as much, granted, this doesn't eliminate the clutch rattle, but should eliminate sticky clutch plates) just thought it was worth mentioning.

Since the possible existance of these grooves could be annoying while driving should the clutch plates not release, the added "play" could possible cause the so called Clutch Rattle when the bike is in neutral (due to the obvious engine vibrations that exist when the engine is running.

In my case since I have not yet had a chance to clean up my carbs, and sych them (bike has not been run for the past 4 years by the previous owner), the rough idle could be causing the excessive rattle even more so than a bike that runs nice and smooth. Now, I hope someone with more knowledge than myself can try to disect the above mentioned "explanation" and guide all of us here that have this "clutch rattle" symptom in the proper direction.


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1979 GS1000E

"The less you know, the more you believe."
"We thought that we had the answers, it was the questions we had wrong."

[Nessism]

There is a certain amount of "clutch rattle" on most bikes caused by the inner plates moving relative to the outer basket, the trick is judging the degree. If you are worried why not take everything apart and have a look see. Check for looseness of the main nut of course and of the basket where it attaches to the drive gear. If all is well, put it back together and get used to the noise.

Good luck.

Ed

[Sandy]

There is a certain amount of "clutch rattle" on most bikes caused by the inner plates moving relative to the outer basket, the trick is judging the degree. If you are worried why not take everything apart and have a look see. Check for looseness of the main nut of course and of the basket where it attaches to the drive gear. If all is well, put it back together and get used to the noise.

Good luck.

Ed

Most GS's do this at idle. If it's not too loud and goes away if you bring it up just off idle it's probably nothing to worry about. Never hurts to check though. Sometimes just syncing the carbs and making sure it is in good tune with the idle set correctly helps reduce the rattle also.

[mkaczmarek]

Most GS's do this at idle. If it's not too loud and goes away if you bring it up just off idle it's probably nothing to worry about. Never hurts to check though. Sometimes just syncing the carbs and making sure it is in good tune with the idle set correctly helps reduce the rattle also.

That's kind of what I figured, which is why I don't want to touch the clutch until I give my carbs a thorough cleaning and proper synch, once that is all done I will see if the problem still exists, my guess is that due to the carbs being completely gunked up and out of synch there is too much vibration at low revs which could be causing excessive rattling at times. I will update once I get carbs done.

Having said that, my dealer did mention that a number of years ago Vance & Hines actually produced much stronger clutch baskets for these GS bikes, since the stock clutch basket was deemed "flimsy" for a motor this strong.

I did look up the Vance & Hines web site and they pretty much stick to exhaust systems nowadays. Does anyone know of a more durable clutch basket replacement for these old GS's?


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1979 GS1000E

"The less you know, the more you believe."
"We thought that we had the answers, it was the questions we had wrong."