clutch woes???

[Rayford]

Hi, I am a new member and just bought my second xs11,Now i have a 1980 xs-11 special it runs and looks great! The only problem i am having is when i change gears it chatters (but still changes and dos'nt slip) It dosent change gears smoothly all the time. I am wondering if it is just an adjustment that is needed or could it be more involved Thanks Rayford...

[randy]

Could be. Could be that they're all a little clunky in the tranny department. Have you tried adjusting it at the engine side?

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Rayford,

Welcome, and congrats on your acquisition, do you now have 2 machines, or did you have 1 many years/decades ago?

You say CHATTER, hopefully you don't mean GRINDING? That could indicate bent shift forks or 2 different gears trying to mesh at the same time, not good!

But if you are just saying that it's making some prominent CLUNKS when shifting, that's normal for these old machines with square cut gears. But like Randy said, there's an adjustment to be done at the side of the engine. It could be too loose so that the clutch lever isn't totally disengaging the clutch during shifting. But also, what rpm are you running it up to before shifting, and are you giving it a little blip and then backing off to release tension on the gears before trying to shift them?!
T.C.

[Ivan]

I was thinking maybe he is in the beginning stages of the rounded off gear dogs.

If it sounds like a machine gun when trying to shift into certain gears, there is a fix for it, which should be a Saturday afternoon thing, unless you have too many beers.

[Rayford]

The Clacking shift

Thanks for all the good info.I will try to adjust the clutch from the engine side this weekend.this is my second xs11 but I sold my first (79 xs11 standard) about 4 years ago (reluctantly).I really like the 1980 xs eleven special,I bought it not running,soaked the carbs and cleaned out the jets and prayed a little now it runs smooth and strong! Its a 8.5 out of a possible 10 in the cosmetics department I will post some pics this weekend thanks again for the quick responses to my question. Rayford, Locust grove, Georgia

[scalded dog]

Welcome Rayford, I'm in ga.and live about 50-60 miles away, been riding xs 11s for the last eight years, evry year we're still having a rally in north ga just had one the end of september, good luck on the special, I have a special I'm working on as well. Later 'Dog

[79XS11F]

If it is true clutch chatter it might be that the clutch plates are warped from over heating caused by wear or poor adjustment by the PO. If adjusting it does not cure the problem and the oil has no additives that would cause slippage then you might want to check the clutch out more closely. If it goes that far check for warped steel and or fiber plates, discoloration of the plates from over heating, shinny surfaces from slippage etc. Also check the basket and all other contact surfaces for burring that can cause the plates to not slid in and out of position smoothly.
Rob

[egleaves]

If it sounds like a machine gun when trying to shift into certain gears, there is a fix for it, which should be a Saturday afternoon thing, unless you have too many beers.

I'm wondering how many people recognize this reference?

It reminded me right away of that post last week and I almost blew coffee out my nose.