Gearbox

[1sportyrich]

1998 - 1200 Sportster.


This morning going in to work, I heard a noise as though I was riding through gravel, ferk it was loud. Didn't think anything of it, until I went to park the bike up. Sounded as if something was rattling around the gearbox area.

Snicked it into 2nd gear & tried to pull away successfully, same with first. Switched the bike off and then restarted, put it into first gear, with no clunk and pulled away, no probs.

Have been a bit worried that the box is going to grenade on me out on the road. This afternoon, on leaving work, started up okay. Put it into 1st and waited on any noise form that area, the clunk was there ("they all do that sir" ) but not as it usually is. Got home in 1 piece, no worries.

The question is, is this something that I should be worried about and get checked out?

[The Dude]

It wouldn't do any harm to check it out.
My '89 "went south" at 15k miles.
This range of sportsters have notoriously dodgy gearboxes.
I had 2 gears go, total bill was about 400 notes, but he said that he'd seen boxes that had exploded out the back, and were a 4 figure sum to mend!
Not a spot of bother with it since. (fingers crossed! 33k now)
If you can afford to, the recomendation is to have all of the gears replaced with Andrews ones, or similar.

TD

[1sportyrich]

Cheers m8.

Gonna get some new oil and dump the old lot next week. Getting a filter from the paint shop at work, just to see if there is anything lying around in there.

[Urrell]

My first port of call would be to remove the primary chain inspection cover and check the tension of the primary chain, Only 2 screws and it could rule out any problems there, May just be a broken adjuster!

[banquo]

Yes, and that "a noise as though I was riding through gravel" sounds very like the description of a chain rubbing on something. Don't have chain final drive do you?

As an optimistic aside,I had a similar event when riding the Guzzi out on Christmas day last year. Convinced something terminal had occurred, I pulled over to the side of the road, to discover I'd picked up a bit of twig, that was busily getting shredded between the rear tyre and mudguard.

Sounded really bad at the time.

Could you have picked something (like a stone or something) up on the belt/chain, and had it grinding away near the front pulley/sprocket?

If you've had a really bad noise, and it suddenly goes away, then some external source like that could be the cause. My car's continually picking up stones that get jammed between disc and disc guard; sounds like the whole car's falling to bits...

Hope it's something simple.

[1sportyrich]

Originally Posted by 1sportyrich

1998 - 1200 Sportster.


Sounded as if something was rattling around the gearbox area.

Cheers Jake, definately something internal, but will have a good look round, especially the belt,the rest of the bike, just in case.

[kiwidave]

The 5 speed you have Rich is not as prone to grenading as The Dude's 4 speed. Check it out but do not assume the worst just yet.....

[The Dude]

Sorry, my mishtake, thought I'd seen it as the '86-'90 range of bikes!
Forget my total blather!
It's one of those days/weeks/months/years!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!

TD

[Hawkeye]

When my 4 speed did the gearbox i thought i would see bits in the oil but no. It had knock off one of the drive dogs nice and clean.

If all the other advice turns out ok don't rely on metal in the oil to say the gearbox is ok.

Hope it's just the chain adjuster for you