Noisey Tranny

[3boatwait]

Hi, New to the site, Just got my 78 XS11 this summer from a friend who had given up trying to fix it, I got it going, and am in heaven! I have been swaping bikes with my friends, most of whom have V twins, noisey and lots of vibration, and not very comfortable seats! On the other hand, the XS is well mannered, quiet running, VERY smooth, no vibration, and comfortable seat. I am very impressed. I do have some concerns about the Transmission, it shifts into all gears, and holds well, but the shifting is very loud, sort of banging into gear, is this typical for these bikes, would a different oil help? It also seems like the clutch may need some adjustment, would this be a factor? The bike has 28K miles on it, and is basically stock except for some aftermarket mufflers, and the faring was removed, and a round headlight put on. The only other concern I have about the bike is that there seems to be a fair amount of slop in the drive, is this normal, or does it need to be looked at? I have made sure all the drive oil is topped up.
Thanks, Rich C

[motoman]

It's all pretty much normal. With some practice shifting and gettin clutch disengagemet timing down to corrolate with the gear change, it'll get better, and so will you. After engaging first, I can make all other gear changes, including down shifting and you would'nt even know it cept for rpm changes. These can be absolutely the smoothest gear changing transmissions, or the 'clunkiest' ones.........depending on rider's experience, and saddle time on the XS's.

[Pat Kelly]

These tranny's do tend to be a bit 'clunky' with shifting. Some develop a problem of popping out of 2nd gear as the tranny wears.
I have two XS1100's. One developed the 2nd gear problem around 20,000 miles. The other has 60,000 mies and 2nd is fine.

[DiverRay]

Rich,
If you look at the "Tech Tips" on the left of the page, most of your questions will be answered. The bikes DO have some "slop" in the drive train, but once you've ridden for a while, you learn how to shift. The oil you run WILL make a difference, so try a few of the top brands. A lot of us run the "heavy duty" Rotella or Chevron 15W/40 made for diesel engines. I'm happy with the Delo(chevron), and it come cheap in gallons. I do have 20W/50 as of now, but I am ridding through the desert in 110+ degree heat.
The rest of the time, I just run the Delo 15/40. Don't jump too hard in first or second gear, as they are the "weak point" of the bike. The "fix" is easy, and you DO NOT need to pull the engine!
enjoy the bike, and remember, as in most things, practice makes perfect, or as close as we can get.
Welcome to the land of XSesives!
Ray

[3boatwait]

Thanks MOTOMAN,
Actually because of the clunkyness I encountered when first riding my new bike, I figured hey this is a 28 year old bike ( that's about 60 in Motorcycle years!) so I figured I would do what ever I could to take it easy, and make it last, so I have been working on makeing the shifts as smooth as possible, and I do experience periods of smooth shifting, but probably the worst noises occurr when I am downshifting. Anyway I love this bike, and hope it lasts forever! Thanks Rich C.

[Targetman]

It also seems like the clutch may need some adjustment, would this be a factor?

It think it could be a factor.
Does your bike want to creep ahead in first with the clutch pulled in? Does it seem like the clutch engages too early when you're releasing the lever?
Here is a link to the clutch adjusment procedure in the tech tips section,


Clutch adjust tech tip

[skids]

If the bike has been mothballed for a while, the clutch plates are sticky. I wouldn't worry about adjusting the clutch unless it makes the bike creep with the clutch pulled in while in gear or it slips upon hard acceleration in higher gears (any gear really). One thing you might do is to start the bike in gear with the clutch pulled in and then feather the clutch in and out to coat the plates in oil. This makes it easier on the tranny than starting it cold in neutral and then banging it into first. You will eventually appreciate the feel of full gear engagement even if it makes a little more noise when shifting.

[trbig]

I found that if I shift somewhere in the 3000-3500 rpm range, it makes absolutely NO noise.... but anywhere else it is pretty clunky..... but there have been times when I was really on it and shifted without the clutch.... just a slight blip of the throttle and back on... that it is silent and shifts smooth as silk then also 99% of the time.... somewhere right in the middle when the tranny has no load on it either forward or backward pressure. But with the general consensus on here being to NEVER shift without the clutch.... I don't do it very often.

Tod