middle gear

having an issue of klunk after shift in the geartrain. anyone know how to tell if the issue is in the middle gear or clutch? I have checked the final drive and U-joint driveshaft and all is tight there.

 

Which bike?
Most XJs have a definite "clunk" when shifting from neutral to first gear, that's normal. If your clutch is not adjusted and not releasing or the idle speed is too high the "clunk" is much worse.

 

Thanks for the reply. 1982 Maxim 650J. The klunk is not actual shift but when you throttle up quickly there seems to be more "play" in the geartrain than there used to be. If i put the bike on the center stand and shift into any gear(engine not running) and rotate the rear tire forward the driveshaft will move about a 1/8 to 1/4 turn before it stops. Also, I do not get that "torque lift" on accelleration from the rear as I used to. Hope this information helps. Thanks :?:

 

Could be your chutch is slipping. Thats the first thing I would look into. A service manual will tell you about clutch adjusting. If you don't have a manual I suggest getting one, they really do come in handy.
Its normal to have to turn the wheel to engage a gear with the bike on the center stand and engine off. Don't worry about that.

 

thanks for the help. i have a haynes manual and will go to work on the clutch

 

You could also have a bad universal joint.

The middle gear should howl horribly before it has that much slop in it.