whining trans, weak front brake

[nightpilot]

I just got my xj11 project so can ride around neighborhood slow and find th trans whining, but not slipping with moderate throttle and myfront brake seems weak with plenty of lever seeming normal. Thinking about putting synthetic in trans.

Anybody got any ideas on these problems?

[tarzan]

Is there gear oil in the middle and final drives?

Also there are differing opinions on synthetic.Some guys report the clutch slips with it.Some guys report that it works fine.
I know that any oil you use should not have the friction modifiers in it.You can tell by the ansi label.If there is nothing in the bottom part of the circle then there are no friction modifiers in it.(I think I remember that right)

[DGXSER]

Are you talking about the trans in the engine or the Middle Drive? Synthetic is recommended for the middle drive. Make sure you did not accidentyl drain the middle drive when you thought you drained the engine oil and did not refill it!

[nightpilot]

good points

Re the engine oil, noting the many threads, i have given up and am either going to use amsoil, which is supposed to be in it now or castrol semi syn bike oil my mechanic loves.

Actually I figured out after I wrote that I think it may be the middle drive. The sound reminds me a little of how some of the old stick transmission would sound. Who knows what the previous owner did so I think I am going to drain it to see if there is anything in it and put the right amount of the best synthetic 90 I can get back in it and hope for the best. The bike is supposed to have less than 30thousand on it so not sure what to think.

Do middle drives have many problems?

[Ken Talbot]

Do middle drives have many problems?

Usually, only if they are ridden with no fluid. When they are run dry, it is usually a sudden failure, including total lock-up at whatever speed you're travelling.

BTW - your brakes probably feel weak because you're got the original rubber lines. Grip a hand around a line, pump the brake with the other, and feel how the line swells. New braided stainless is the only way to go.

[nightpilot]

back

apreciate the reply, saw thread where guy kept blowing a bearing,

I had 3 700 maxims and no problem with the middle drive.

will check brake lines

thanks for info

[oseaghdha]

Re the engine oil, noting the many threads, i have given up and am either going to use amsoil, which is supposed to be in it now or castrol semi syn bike oil my mechanic loves.

Actually I figured out after I wrote that I think it may be the middle drive. The sound reminds me a little of how some of the old stick transmission would sound. Who knows what the previous owner did so I think I am going to drain it to see if there is anything in it and put the right amount of the best synthetic 90 I can get back in it and hope for the best. The bike is supposed to have less than 30thousand on it so not sure what to think.

Do middle drives have many problems?

Some gear noise is normal, but nobody can tell you how much is too much. Keep it in fresh oil, and it will run for many years to come.

[nightpilot]

catastrophic failure

good point on some noise is normal, what is chance on catastrophic failure leading to the side of the road in rubber down or rubber up position?

[fredintoon]

Hi Nightpilot,
about the middle gear unit, drain, refill with a 50% mix of 10W30 & kerosene,
put bike on centrestand and run the bike gently in gear for a few minutes.
Drain again & check what comes out. If it's free of shavings, be happy and refill with synthetic 90W Hypoid. Do the rear unit while you are at it.
About the brakes, yes, stainless lines are the way to go. BUT your SJ has a crazy mixed-up only one disk on the lever and the other on the footbrake system? Check that out too. What happened on my XS11SG is that the fork seals quit so that fork oil got on the pads. Believe me, lubricated pads don't hardly work at all.

[skids]

About the brakes... Some pads are not as aggressive as others. The stainless brake lines will get the pressure to the pads with less movement of the lever, but the overall braking pressure shouldn't be any difference.

[BossMaverick]

I'd try bleeding the brake fluid and taking brake cleaner to the rotors and pads in case oil or grease got on them. Also make sure your sliding mounts on the brake calipers are moving freely. Even with rubber lines you shouldn't have the feeling of weak brakes. Figure out whats wrong before dropping the $125 on stainless lines and finding out something else is still wrong. For reference, I can almost reach the point of front lockup with my rubber lines on dry, chip sealed highway when I squeeze as hard as possible.

Don't get me wrong, stainless lines sounds like an awesome upgrade that I plan on doing as an upgrade down the road, but I still have confidence in my brakes with rubber lines.

As far as gear whine, some noise is normal, but loud noise is not.

[John]

Don't forget to loosen the filler plug before loosening the drain plug! It would really suck to drain whatever you have in there, but not be able to put any fresh oil in.