Gear box question

[mcconnell]

On the left side of the bike where the swing arm meets the engine case is a ribber boot. Unclamp it from the engine, pull the boot back and stick a screw driver in there and see if you can wiggle the output shaft/U-joint assembly. It should be very rigid. If it wiggles noticably, the output shaft is broken.

A lot of the noise comes from the broken shaft releasing the preload on the bearing, allowing the secondary drive gears to mesh incorrectly.

[Anonymous]

Ok I will try that. Another question I have is about the left side of the gear box. To drain the gear box you need to take a plate off the case as well as the gear shifter. Behind this plate there is a black rubber/plastic piece being held on by 4 bolts. Dose anyone know what this is. I have thought about just taking it off to find out what is behind it but would liek to know before I go tearing into things.

[Anonymous]

Ok I just figured it out. The black piece is to remove the secondary drive bevel gear. Dgeorg? You said I can inspect and replace the bearings without pulling the motor? Can you give me some more detail on how to do this?