Clutch chatter? Maybe, maybe not.

[PanheadJosh74]

My idle is set at...

about 1200-1300. Its where I like it at for taking off and such. Plus it just sounds better to me. Now I might adjust mine down a little when I get the new rubbers billy is sending me. Billys a great guy hes helped me more in the past couple of days then most have in the last couple of years. My hat is off to him. Back to the idel and the noise issue. Im betting its just noisy clutch mine has a noise to it too when ya take off alot of asian bikes do. Same thing for noise when it idles. Put your ear down by the clutch if thats what it is you will be able to tell. and rev it a few times with no choke if the noise goes away its probally the clutch.

Pan

[hunter58]

about 1200-1300. Its where I like it at for taking off and such. Plus it just sounds better to me. Now I might adjust mine down a little when I get the new rubbers billy is sending me. Billys a great guy hes helped me more in the past couple of days then most have in the last couple of years. My hat is off to him. Back to the idel and the noise issue. Im betting its just noisy clutch mine has a noise to it too when ya take off alot of asian bikes do. Same thing for noise when it idles. Put your ear down by the clutch if thats what it is you will be able to tell. and rev it a few times with no choke if the noise goes away its probally the clutch.

Pan

Pan,

I'm pretty sure it's the clutch making the noise. As for the idle I'm only able to go by the tach which I noticed this morning is just a little under the 1500 mark so I'm probably at about 1300 or so. It sounds pretty good and doesn't sound like it's idling too high. I rode with a friend this morning and ask him what he thought about it and he said it sounded pretty good. I'm also learning that if I don't want it to make the noise I just take off reving a little higher and it doesn't do it. I tend to engage the clutch at pretty low RPM's at take off, just a habit I guess.

Steve

[Suzuki mad]

The clutch unit fits in tight to the main gearbox bearing, driving both the oil pump and attaching to the crankshaft.

With years of abuse and use the inner and outer get worn hence you get a stiff or sticky clutch. On later models such as the GS1100E/GS1150E/ plus the katana range Suzuki used a sim to tighten up the clutches and when you replace them it's a standard practice acording to the Suzuki manuals.

Often the noise if from loose compression springs in the back of the main clutch basket itself. I don't know of any companies here in the UK that with re-spring these springs in the clutch basket.

As long as the clutch is not loose on the shaft and 'chattering' it will keep on going. Its always worth having the carbs balanced/syncronised which will cure most of the noise.

Suzuki mad
GS1000E 1981
GSX1100ESD 1983 Now full functional (Boy it's quick!)

[hunter58]

You're not going to believe this one.

As I had mentioned I had changed the oil and went with the synth. It did seem to quite it to some degree but not much.

I had been reading on the site about people using Harley take offs for mufflers. Since mine were rotting and had some holes drilled in them I decided to see if I could procure some. I did get a pair for free. Had them put on and guess what. The bike runs better and the rattle is substantially less now. All I can say is that it is running better all through the low, mid to high power ranges. I guess putting the mufflers on made the tune better which in turn has decreased the rattle.

Very cool… who would have figured.
Here's a pic of the mufflers.

[Billyboy]

I took apart the clutch on the good bike and the parts bike. The plates looked good on both, but there was a quarter inch in height difference on the springs between the two. I swapped out the plates and all, put in the original springs and VOILA! easy clutch lever. Took it for a little boot and it performed flawlessly. I wanted to ride today and see it it still chatterred but it's raining mad. Later then.

[neal45130]

I have a 82 GS 1100 and just put a new clutch kit it and it does the same thing yours does with the chattering