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Guest phpbiker

CLUNKY Gearbox?

21 posts in this topic

When I put it in first from Neutral, the clunk is quite pronounced, warm or cold.

The gearbox itself is sweet enough on the up shit, no complaints there, but often clunk and slacky on the down shift.

Being a older Hinckley Triumph Owner, I am used to having to blip the throttle on the down change. If I do this on my X-11, I get a knock as the idler takes up slack somewhere not on all changes though...

Is this normal clunkyness on a 15800 mile mint X-11, or am I the proud owner of an iffy gearbox?

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The drive chain tension is something to look at there is a guide given on the N/S of the swing arm i tend to measure with a ruler rather than use Mr Honda's wear indicator to set up the chain length, i tend to run mine slacker than the spec and dont have any issues other than dropping from neutral to first whilst at a stop this sometimes requires some deft clutchery to avoid the backlash. Also engine oil might be something to check, there are different thoughts on this with no common agreement as to go full synthetic or not, i do run synthetic and have done for four years without issues. My box downshifts are not as clean as my up shifts and do need a blip to ease the drop but i thought that was just me.

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If I do blip the throttle I get a slight clunk sometimes as slack is taken up.

Up-shifts are smooth. It sometimes feels like the front sprocket is loose, or I suppose the chain is too slack perhaps? But it seems normal tension to me..

I find it impossible to believe that a bike this well looked after has a faulty box. Pretty much unheard of from Honda in these years?

Oil is brand new Castrol GPS Semi Synth. I am pretty religious about semi synth in road bikes. As I have had clutches slip on synth for no reason.

Edited by phpbiker
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They can be a little clunky, but once you are acustom to the bike it will nearly disappear & you will only notice the clunk when going for first now & again, its a bit of a learnring curve for you the rider, & just when you think you've got the hang of it, CLUNK it will remind you. I always blip on the down shift as we all know this gives a smoother shift by matching the speed of the engine to the gear you are about to engage.

Mine got really notch one year in France when I had 10w/40 fully synth in her & the ambient temp was 35 deg c, next year I put 20w50 fully synth in & the ambient temp was as warm & I had no problems. I now keep the 20w50 fully synth in all the time. Never had any clutch slip with the brand I use.

I run my chain slacker than the Honda manual advises.

Probably worth checking the front sprocket security.

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Indeed, that's what I was thinking.. front sprocket fixing check required.

I've just has an oil change thanks to some condensation in the oil when I bought it, there was no metal in the oil.

The oil was clean.

Can't be the box, must be, adjustment, whatever..

Clunk into first I can do, but when I blip the throttle and it takes up slack somewhere?

Odd.

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How about that "free play" on clutch lever? Properly adjusted?

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Yep. There is free play, but the problem if anything is the opposite of that, its like the clutch isn't completely letting go and the idler is still spinning, or that there is some slack somewhere that the natural drag in the clutch can overcome.

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My Money is on front sprocket. Its third party, and 3/4's of "loose sprockets" online are Honda's with crappy cheapo sprockets. VFR's. Whats the betting the X has a VFR front sprocket.

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Choices when you replace the front sproket, if you go aftermarket (Renthal) you get extra noise, if you go the Honda route you get a noise damper on the sprocket that works. I am running a Renthal and always know when 5th is engaged by the trans noise (like a landrover running on tarmac).

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There seems to be an issue with some sprockets the spline depth etc...

But if the sprocket was loose for whatever reason, it would explain the problem.

The weirdest of which is the clunk when blipping the throttle on downshift..

If you imaging the engine breaking effect forces on the sprocket and then you pulling the clutch and blip the throttle, even with the clutch dis-engaged the sprocket will try to jump forward, if its slack in some way, there you have the clunk.

Its certainly feels like a loose chain, but the chain isn't loose.

So, I'll take it apart tomorrow and see what we get.

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Sounds like you Are going through what we have all been through , When selecting 1st from standstill hold the cluch in for a few seconds before engaging gear and it will mostly be silent , this gives the tranny time to slow down

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Hi X11r,

I hope so, but the knock when I down shift when blipping the throttle is ... odd. Like I said it doesn't always do it, but the change has to be precise to avoid it, which to me points to slack somewhere.

Its an immaculate machine, I find it hard to believe its been wheelied by its previous middle ages owner into gearbox submission, I find it hard to believe that this box is busted.

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Hey Paul, I've had the very same clunk on my bike since I bought it over 2 years ago,it's as if the bike has a primary chain drive and the chain was too slack but the X does not have a primary chain drive.It seems worse when I try too hard not to make it clunk :laugh: but when I'm out with the lads thrashing it around Wales I never notice it,my son rides my X occasionally he says he can't see any problem,its my riding style he said.... :huh:

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Hi Ken,

So you get the clunk on a down shift throttle blip?

Edited by phpbiker
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OK...

I seemed to have fixed it. Fingers crossed.

When I bought the bike, the clutch was covered in mayonnaise from condensation. The bike had literally done a couple of hundred miles in a couple of years.

I had thought that all the symptoms I felt were the result of clutch drag. But I couldn't notice it on the bike when riding. Not like old style clutch drag .. where the bike tries to move LOL..

But .. anyhow.. I decided to burn in the clutch a little.

So I stuck the front wheel against my garage stuck it in SECOND and slipped and rev'd for a short while. Not TOO long.

I then deepened the clutch travel and took it for a ride.

Tried giving it a second before engaging first. All that's required, a second. And... CLICK.. no clunk !!>.

Then road through town, got it nice and warm lost of gear changes up and down no clunking. Blipping the throttle everything.. so I have some conclusions.

This kind of reminds me of being an Alfa Romeo owner somehow, I can't think why rolleyes.gif

Clutch left sitting for long period in condensation damaged oil.

Clutch slightly incorrectly adjusted.

A guy with a new bike used to a light sports clutch.

Definitely stretched clutch cable in need of oil.

And extra clunky after market final drive in place of original Honda with damping. This DEFINITELY comes into play here.

I looked at the adjustment guides and IMHO these suite the Honda dampened final drive and are too slack for a non standard setup.

So..Although its mostly better.. in search of perfection..

I am going to get a new cable. PTFE it.

Some Pazzo leavers because I have short stubby fingers.

And Replace the final drive with genuine Honda.

And finally I may even get a new clutch. Including drive plates, which I suspect are the ones that are grabbing ..but the clutch will be last.

As I think as I do some power starts and stuff and use the bike and gradually replace stuff.. and get the shorter leaver to increase action speed ..

It will be perfect ...hopefully.

The bike aside from a heavy clutch, rides like a new machine. SHHHHCHCHing a long and pulling like a team of shire horse :-)

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My x11 makes no noise whatsoever selecting gears when the engine is stone cold.

Only after a few miles it clunks very slightly when selecting 1st from neutral, and 1st to 2nd, fine after that.

I allways blip on downshifts, i allways have on every bike i've ridden/owned.

Anyway it's a Honda thing, my 2 previous cbr1000f's did it worse than the x11, the cb500 i passed my test on did it and even my mates 2yr old Goldwing does it and his Pan-European before that.

So long as the chain is properly adjusted (i tend to run it a bit slacker aswell) and the sprockets are ok, it will be fine.

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Like Mark says it seems to be a Honda thing, I`ve had a few and they all do it. you should try riding in a large group of them at the lights it sounds like machine gun fire as every one selects first lol

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Yeah..

It sounds like there are a few variables at work here. That are like a combination of Honda design features, the way people ride them and the way the service / replace their parts.

Its like a "syndrome" LOL.

No dampener on after market front sprocket, often stiff difficult to time clutches, condensation on clutch causing drive plate damage (easily rectified with clutch slipping session) and long old leavers, oh and gear box idler over run.

With the help of copious quantities of PTFE cable lube A Honda Front Sprocket, some clutch cleaning with slippage etc..

Its all starting to come together as Honda intended.

Definatly a syndrome.

VTR's are like BOK rolleyes.gif

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OK, so, I have the OEM front Sprocket in my hand.

Looking at this thing,

There is now one thing that I am certain about..

This does so much MORE than keep wine down in top gear.

I would suspect the entire transmission is designed around the inclusion of this particular component.

Missing it out, would surely change smoothness of the box.

I wonder how the hell the torque doesn't rip it to bits however..

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I wonder how the hell the torque doesn't rip it to bits however..

Side of the chain only "lean" on that rubber, if this is right way ta say it....

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OK I see...

I was looking at it the same way I look at certain BMW parts I've seen where the rubber transmits power.. I did think it was a feat of engineering :-)

Perhaps I was a little optimistic, but now I understand the 30mm chain tension which allows the rubber to take up slack..

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