Shift Hard into 1st gear. with a clunk?

[Doharris90]

Hey all I am hoping someone can help me. I have a 1996 XR600R and it has been flawless up until now. When the bike is Idling or I am just down shifting, the bike makes an obvious clunk or the same sound you might hear as if clutch isn't disengaging well. Mostly in 1st gear. When I am at a stop sign and shift down into 1st it hits hard and the bike jerks just a little bit.

ANY IDEAS what is happening????

Thanks in advance!

[SpringChicken]

Maybe too much free play in your lever? ?

Maybe worn springs?

[Doharris90]

You are probably right on the springs it is 10 years old and I ride it almost daily. I have only owned it for a year but put about 3500 miles on it

The lever is adjusted pretty good I think but I can play with it a little more. So when springs get week doesn't the bike slip on high revs? My bike has no slippiage.

[roadcam]

check clutch adjustment for any 'drag', make sure it is fully dis-engaging when HOT ... (I suspect you already checked that) ... also, you may re-consider the oil you are using, plus the CORRECT oil level, these dry-sump XRs have a peculiar oil-check procedure, ... different oils definitely will show different characteristics in clutch/trans operation ... there are a gazillion oil threads on here already, so I wont add to that confusion ... ?

[Doharris90]

Yeah I can put the bike in 1st gear with clutch in and start it just fine but if I lift my back tire there is alot of drag still causing the tire to turn with force but not enough force to move them bike when I am on it. Every milimeter of slack is out of the clutch adjustment. I ran a test and adjusted it too far out so that the clutch would not engage at all and I still had the same issues.

IT still FEELS like the clutch is enganed a little... That is causing the Clunk..

any quick suggestions on oil type and level?

any suggestions on wether or not to use the a product like Chem tool to clean out the gunk in the crank?

Thanks again for the reply.

I am using Rotella T full synthetic and it might be a little high on the oil level. I do that to make sure that overflow to the head is constantly getting oil.

[brichter]

Sounds like you've got a warped clutch plate, either a fiber or a steel one. Usually the steel ones get hot and warp.

[captb]

Sounds like you've got a warped clutch plate, either a fiber or a steel one. Usually the steel ones get hot and warp.

+1 clutch drag is usually warped plates

[Doharris90]

so you don't think it is a warped plate? Have you ever heard or Groves in the basket causing this symptom? It happens worst in 1st gear and second gear and evena little in 3rd gear but 4th and 5 seem pretty normal.

any idea where to get a good basket from?

[Boy Honda]

It could be a grooved basket. With ten years on the bike the dampening springs in the basket gear are probably worn and allowing the friction plates to beat on the basket. If when you take your clutch basket off and the springs rattle around in the gear, they are worn out. You will need to replace them or you will end up with the same problem at the end of the season.

There are a lot of good aftermarket baskets out there. I just don't know if they are making them for the old XR. I like the Barnett idea of the stainless inserts to stop the grooving.

A warped plate will be easy to identify. It will have shiny spots on it indicating the high spots.

Let us know what you find.

[bork]

Maybe 4th & 5th seem normal cause they are sycronized better when you shifted. You can shift other gears pretty easily if they are not under load & meshed right. ( but I use clutch to avoid problems) Sounds like you might have to open up side case & inspect & hopefully see obvious problem. It might be a wise idea to change crank shaft seal if you pull cover, I wish I had. ( I have seepage now) Good luck ! ?

[Doharris90]

Sounds good.. well not really.. I would rather not tear into it. The bike has never had a screw turned on the bottom end... bummer. Well here goes. I had an old XL600 did a ton of work on it but never split the cases. SO is it hard to replace the crank seal? Can you give me any pointers on where to start and how much effort it should be. I have a pretty good shop manual

I will let you know what I find!

Thanks guys!

[bork]

Sounds good.. well not really.. I would rather not tear into it. The bike has never had a screw turned on the bottom end... bummer. Well here goes. I had an old XL600 did a ton of work on it but never split the cases. SO is it hard to replace the crank seal? Can you give me any pointers on where to start and how much effort it should be. I have a pretty good shop manual

I will let you know what I find!

Thanks guys!

I'm sorry !!!! I meant the kick starter shaft seal. Looks like knock out & in?

[brichter]

Comes out really easy, and goes in the same. Just make sure you don't roll the lip like the last guy to work on mine. Fricken $6 part, but 5 days away! ?

[exaresix]

You have probably already thought of this, so I apologize if it sounds obvious. The most common cause of a hard clunk into first gear is an idle rate that is too high, as when the bike is first started and the choke is on and the engine is warming up.