Clunky gearchange GSX1100et

[Hilko]

Hello again. I don’t make any comments on here (don’t know enough to really give a useful opinion on most issues) but I do read all the topics and feedback. I did write a post a while back regarding the fuelling on the old girl (1979 GSX1100et in standard trim) and got the reply I needed to help me sort the problem out. I am hoping the same will happen with this issue which has been there for a while but appears to slowly be getting worse.

Gearchanges on the bike are great when rolling but when at a standstill it is really clunky and extremely difficult to get into neutral. I tend to change into neutral before coming to a complete stop as it is often near impossible to get neutral at traffic lights etc.

Has anyone else come across this issue and if so what, if anything, fixed it?

Cheers.

[TonyGee]

your clutch is dragging.  take up more slack and see if it helps. 

[Hilko]

Thanks for the quick reply.

I adjusted the cable at the bars to give 1-2 mm slack but makes no difference. Should I adjust at the casing end?

[Hilko]

The wheel does spin quite quickly when on the main stand in neutral. Is this another symptom of clutch drag?

[Gixer1460]

7 minutes ago, Hilko said:

The wheel does spin quite quickly when on the main stand in neutral. Is this another symptom of clutch drag?

If cold, its likely oil drag but it shouldn't be silly rpm's, if hot, then yes draggy clutch! If its adjusted correctly then its probably clutch plate / basket wear. These old monsters are a little clunky on gear selection / location of neutral - most get used to it after a while!

[TonyGee]

yeah you might have to pull the clutch plates out, my 750 ET is getting a bit that way, will have a look at some time. 

[Hilko]

I do only see the bike on the stand when it is cold as I am warming it up so perhaps that is oil drag as you say. I’ll check the adjustment at the casing end first and then adjust at the bars (as I think it is supposed to be done) and see how it goes.

The bike only does a few hundred miles a year and hasn’t had a long trip since I brought her from N Ireland to Poland about 15 years ago when she ran like a dream.  Perhaps she’s just feeling neglected!

Its also not common to find 10w40 oil here so I use anything from 15w40 to 15w50. Are they very sensitive to the higher viscosity oils. I only use the bike on good weather days.

[Captain Chaos]

the engine was designed for 10w40 so it's best to use 10w40. Higher viscosity will only make your clutch issue worse.

Semi synthetic motorcycle oil, no car oil.

[Hilko]

I always use mineral oil. Is the change to semi-synthetic just a matter of draining and replacing including the filter. I was led to believe that any residue from one type can cause emulsifying if the two come into contact or is this just an ‘old wives tale’?

[Captain Chaos]

as far as I know you can swap mineral for semi synthetic without any problems. But mineral should also be ok for your bike (although someone migth correct me)

[Arttu]

Over the years I have used 10W40, 15W40, 20W50, 10W50 and probably some others too. Mineral, semi-synthetic and full synthetic. Bike oil, car oil and even some "tractor oil". All work ok. However, there have been some slight differences in clutch operation between different oils but I haven't noticed any clear connection to viscosity or oil type. Seems to be just random.

Making the clutch drag free, or even close, can be quite delicate job on these engines. The first thing is to make sure that you get full travel from the lever to the clutch pack. Second common problem is grooves on the clutch hub and basket which prevents the plates moving smoothly. Then the plates can be bent/warped which will cause dragging too. Also sometimes there seems to be a good amount of black magic involved too...

[SuzukiMad]

I put synthetic oil in an old GS1000 and it caused an oil leak from the head, clutch and rocker gaskets plus made the clutch slip. Went back to mineral oil and the leaks went away.

On a newly rebuilt GSX1100 had no issues at all with leaks or slip with synthetic oil. 

 

[Hilko]

Changed to 10w40 mineral oil, adjusted clutch as per the manual and now clunkier and worse than ever to get into gear. Had no problems changing whilst in motion before but now it’s dreadful. Looks like I’ll just have to keep fiddling. Maybe my bike likes the higher viscosity oil?

[Mike711]

Is your chain loose?

[Gixer1460]

Bearing in mind the age of the bike and the clutch basket is likely to still be original - notches in the basket teeth isn't uncommon and will certainly not help smooth clutch operation. Also non Suzuki fibre plates aren't a good idea with these either. Loose chain also good call!

[Hilko]

Chain is fine I checked and adjust regularly. Looks like I’ll have to start looking at the clutch components. 

[Fazz711]

Definitely look at notches in the basket. 

 

[rodneya]

I put new clutch plates, steels and small aluminum spacers behind the spring and it made things better. My basket does not have grooves and there is still some drag and it can be hard to find neutral. 

I had it nicely adjusted, but I had to take the motor out to split the cases again and fix a problem and Im having a hard time getting it perfectly adjusted again, so maybe the black magic mumbo jumbo does apply.

A high idle speed does make it much more difficult to find neutral while standing still

[Gixer1460]

6 hours ago, rodneya said:

A high idle speed does make it much more difficult to find neutral while standing still

Well, idle it down then - should idle reliably @900-1100rpm!

[Hilko]

Mine is at 900 so not sure it makes much difference. It’s obviously something that affects bike when running as I can easily get neutral with engine off