Ok so I was out tinkering about yesterday after tearing into everything and when i shifted it almost sounded like something was kicking around in the box... the tranny shifts fine but sometimes if im in neutral it grinds going into 1st or 2nd and i get a few false neutrals though it might just be my inexperience with riding... the tranny also likes to clunk into gear... If i had to describe the noise it would be almost like the sound of gears changing but without touching the shifter...

Do the obvious first and check the oil level. Did you recently just do an oil change and if so what oil did you use?

oil is perfect and still nice and clean, oil was Valvoline Motorcycle 10W-40 designed for wetclutches and such... next change will be synthetic... I don't know if its just me getting used to the acceleration of a bike... but it seem like its not pulling as hard as it used to but is running much better...

Quote from: crzydood17 on June 17, 2011, 08:28:28 PM
oil is perfect and still nice and clean, oil was Valvoline Motorcycle 10W-40 designed for wetclutches and such... next change will be synthetic... I don't know if its just me getting used to the acceleration of a bike... but it seem like its not pulling as hard as it used to but is running much better...

That's the same oil I run(or Castor brand) and I have no issues.It kind of sounds like the clutch needs to be adjusted down on the side cover.Have you done this?It sounds like the clutch may not be completely releasing or some of the plates are sticking to the friction discs.I have a write up on a clutch upgrade that is cheaper than a stock clutch rebuild.I would try and adjustment first and checking the oil.The GS is sensitive to oil level.You are checking it with the bike upright and with the dip stick just sitting on the case?Don't screw it in to check the oil level.

yup upright not on the center stand, unscrew, clean, dip but don't screw down and pull out... Clean Golden and just below the F Line

Clutch was adjusted by following your instructions, 1/8th turn from friction.

Quote from: crzydood17 on June 17, 2011, 09:37:11 PM
yup upright not on the center stand, unscrew, clean, dip but don't screw down and pull out... Clean Golden and just below the F Line

Clutch was adjusted by following your instructions, 1/8th turn from friction.

Erm, the bike should be ON the centre stand when checking the oil level. It can give you a false reading otherwise.

Quote from: crzydood17 on June 17, 2011, 06:02:13 PM
Ok so I was out tinkering about yesterday after tearing into everything and when i shifted it almost sounded like something was kicking around in the box... the tranny shifts fine but sometimes if im in neutral it grinds going into 1st or 2nd and i get a few false neutrals though it might just be my inexperience with riding... the tranny also likes to clunk into gear... If i had to describe the noise it would be almost like the sound of gears changing but without touching the shifter...

I've been having similar problems with shifting gears, I'm wondering if my issue is the same as yours. I get a kind of "ticking" noise in the lower gears, usually in 1'st gear when decelerating and when I have the clutch squeezed between around 15-20mph. It's a kind of regular, rhythmic ticking sound, not very loud but audible and about 2 ticks per second. It doesn't sound at all alarming, but I've been wondering what it is. I'll also sometimes discover that I'm in neutral when I think I'm in 1'st gear because the neutral light isn't on and I just shifted down from 2'nd or neutral. Another problem I've had is that it's extremely difficult to shift from 1'st to neutral when the bike is turned off. I tried parking in 1'st one time and was almost unable to start the bike because it took me forever to get it into neutral. Does any of this sound like what's going on with yours?

Also, how do you adjust the clutch? I recently checked my oil level and it's close to the full line.

Quote from: paalak on June 18, 2011, 08:57:18 AM

Quote from: crzydood17 on June 17, 2011, 06:02:13 PM
Ok so I was out tinkering about yesterday after tearing into everything and when i shifted it almost sounded like something was kicking around in the box... the tranny shifts fine but sometimes if im in neutral it grinds going into 1st or 2nd and i get a few false neutrals though it might just be my inexperience with riding... the tranny also likes to clunk into gear... If i had to describe the noise it would be almost like the sound of gears changing but without touching the shifter...

I've been having similar problems with shifting gears, I'm wondering if my issue is the same as yours. I get a kind of "ticking" noise in the lower gears, usually in 1'st gear when decelerating and when I have the clutch squeezed between around 15-20mph. It's a kind of regular, rhythmic ticking sound, not very loud but audible and about 2 ticks per second. It doesn't sound at all alarming, but I've been wondering what it is. I'll also sometimes discover that I'm in neutral when I think I'm in 1'st gear because the neutral light isn't on and I just shifted down from 2'nd or neutral. Another problem I've had is that it's extremely difficult to shift from 1'st to neutral when the bike is turned off. I tried parking in 1'st one time and was almost unable to start the bike because it took me forever to get it into neutral. Does any of this sound like what's going on with yours?

Also, how do you adjust the clutch? I recently checked my oil level and it's close to the full line.

Run the adjusters in at the lever and on the top of the side cover.Then remove the left side cover with two phillips head screws.These are actually JIS screws but a #2 phillips usually works.Under the cover is a screw with a lock nut.You need a wrench (13mm IIRC) and a small flat head screw driver.You want to gently turn the screw until it feels like it touches the rod.Then back the screw off 1/8th to 1/4 of a turn.Hold the screw there and tighten the lock nut.If the screw is hard to turn once the nut is loosened,you will need to remove,clean it,and lube it with oil.Now you need to adjust the clutch cable.Start at the adjuster on the side cover.You want between 2mm and 4mm of play in the lever.Use the clutch lever adjuster to fine tune the adjustment.I can do this in about 10 to 15 minutes with a cold tasty beverage in hand.

Quote from: vinny on June 18, 2011, 08:38:32 AM

Quote from: crzydood17 on June 17, 2011, 09:37:11 PM
yup upright not on the center stand, unscrew, clean, dip but don't screw down and pull out... Clean Golden and just below the F Line

Clutch was adjusted by following your instructions, 1/8th turn from friction.

Erm, the bike should be ON the centre stand when checking the oil level. It can give you a false reading otherwise.

I used to make that mistake also.I even did a write up about it.After reading an owners manual and a service manual,the GS is to be checked off the center stand,up right on it's tires,with the dip stick resting on top of the oil cap opening.

Quote from: ben2go on June 18, 2011, 10:26:45 AM

Run the adjusters in at the lever and on the top of the side cover.Then remove the left side cover with two phillips head screws.These are actually JIS screws but a #2 phillips usually works.Under the cover is a screw with a lock nut.You need a wrench (13mm IIRC) and a small flat head screw driver.You want to gently turn the screw until it feels like it touches the rod.Then back the screw off 1/8th to 1/4 of a turn.Hold the screw there and tighten the lock nut.If the screw is hard to turn once the nut is loosened,you will need to remove,clean it,and lube it with oil.Now you need to adjust the clutch cable.Start at the adjuster on the side cover.You want between 2mm and 4mm of play in the lever.Use the clutch lever adjuster to fine tune the adjustment.I can do this in about 10 to 15 minutes with a cold tasty beverage in hand.

Thanks Ben, I got all of that except for the first part. How exactly do I "Run the adjusters in at the lever and on the top of the side cover." Just not sure what that means, thanks 

Quote from: paalak on June 18, 2011, 11:08:04 AM

Quote from: ben2go on June 18, 2011, 10:26:45 AM

Run the adjusters in at the lever and on the top of the side cover.Then remove the left side cover with two phillips head screws.These are actually JIS screws but a #2 phillips usually works.Under the cover is a screw with a lock nut.You need a wrench (13mm IIRC) and a small flat head screw driver.You want to gently turn the screw until it feels like it touches the rod.Then back the screw off 1/8th to 1/4 of a turn.Hold the screw there and tighten the lock nut.If the screw is hard to turn once the nut is loosened,you will need to remove,clean it,and lube it with oil.Now you need to adjust the clutch cable.Start at the adjuster on the side cover.You want between 2mm and 4mm of play in the lever.Use the clutch lever adjuster to fine tune the adjustment.I can do this in about 10 to 15 minutes with a cold tasty beverage in hand.

Thanks Ben, I got all of that except for the first part. How exactly do I "Run the adjusters in at the lever and on the top of the side cover." Just not sure what that means, thanks 

Just loosen the stop nut all the way up the adjuster then screw the adjuster all the way in.There is one under a black rubber like cover on the clutch lever mount and one under another black cover, on top of the left side cover,just above the little cover with the phillips screws.

Quote from: ben2go on June 18, 2011, 10:26:45 AM

Run the adjusters in at the lever and on the top of the side cover.Then remove the left side cover with two phillips head screws.These are actually JIS screws but a #2 phillips usually works.Under the cover is a screw with a lock nut.You need a wrench (13mm IIRC) and a small flat head screw driver.You want to gently turn the screw until it feels like it touches the rod.Then back the screw off 1/8th to 1/4 of a turn.Hold the screw there and tighten the lock nut.If the screw is hard to turn once the nut is loosened,you will need to remove,clean it,and lube it with oil.Now you need to adjust the clutch cable.Start at the adjuster on the side cover.You want between 2mm and 4mm of play in the lever.Use the clutch lever adjuster to fine tune the adjustment.I can do this in about 10 to 15 minutes with a cold tasty beverage in hand.

I started doing this work and the first thing I noticed was that my clutch lever play was about 12mm, much more than the 2-4mm you recommend. I checked the usuer manual and it says the play should be between 10-15mm. I adjusted the play to about 5mm with the handlebars straight (I noticed there's less play with them turned to the left, so that if I have 4mm with straight bars I get no play with them turned). I took it for a ride and noticed that gear shifting is much smoother with the amount of play you suggest. So looks like the manual got it wrong 

However, although the shifting is smoother it didn't seem to do anything about the noise I described above. I think it may actually not be the clutch causing the noise. It tends to happen when I close the throttle to decelerate when going around 25-40mph, and it happens whether I have the clutch lever squeezed or not. I'm wondering if it's the front suspension or something hinky with the frame. Anyway, I may post a separate thread about this issue soon if the noise keeps annoying me, but it doesn't seem pressing. Thanks for the tip about the clutch cable though, it's now easy to shift gears with the bike off.

Quote from: paalak on June 18, 2011, 07:06:35 PM

Quote from: ben2go on June 18, 2011, 10:26:45 AM

Run the adjusters in at the lever and on the top of the side cover.Then remove the left side cover with two phillips head screws.These are actually JIS screws but a #2 phillips usually works.Under the cover is a screw with a lock nut.You need a wrench (13mm IIRC) and a small flat head screw driver.You want to gently turn the screw until it feels like it touches the rod.Then back the screw off 1/8th to 1/4 of a turn.Hold the screw there and tighten the lock nut.If the screw is hard to turn once the nut is loosened,you will need to remove,clean it,and lube it with oil.Now you need to adjust the clutch cable.Start at the adjuster on the side cover.You want between 2mm and 4mm of play in the lever.Use the clutch lever adjuster to fine tune the adjustment.I can do this in about 10 to 15 minutes with a cold tasty beverage in hand.

I started doing this work and the first thing I noticed was that my clutch lever play was about 12mm, much more than the 2-4mm you recommend. I checked the usuer manual and it says the play should be between 10-15mm. I adjusted the play to about 5mm with the handlebars straight (I noticed there's less play with them turned to the left, so that if I have 4mm with straight bars I get no play with them turned). I took it for a ride and noticed that gear shifting is much smoother with the amount of play you suggest. So looks like the manual got it wrong 

However, although the shifting is smoother it didn't seem to do anything about the noise I described above. I think it may actually not be the clutch causing the noise. It tends to happen when I close the throttle to decelerate when going around 25-40mph, and it happens whether I have the clutch lever squeezed or not. I'm wondering if it's the front suspension or something hinky with the frame. Anyway, I may post a separate thread about this issue soon if the noise keeps annoying me, but it doesn't seem pressing. Thanks for the tip about the clutch cable though, it's now easy to shift gears with the bike off.

My service manual is where I got the 2mm to 4mm.Clymer states that it should be 4mm.I run it closer to 2mm but I have an SV650 racing clutch in my bike.

Quote from: ben2go on June 19, 2011, 09:48:17 AM

My service manual is where I got the 2mm to 4mm.Clymer states that it should be 4mm.I run it closer to 2mm but I have an SV650 racing clutch in my bike.

I don't have the Clymer manual but I do have Haynes. The ownder's manual says 10-15mm. I just checked Haynes and it also says 10-15. Guess I should get the Clymer manual.

i think i found mine, a bit too much chain play...

2mm freeplay, you have got to be joking.....why???

Suzuki say 10-15mm at the lever thats S U ZU K I, not the dubious book of lies known as Haynes/Clymer......what do you know that they dont?

I am surprised you dont see some slip everytime you hit a bump in the road, unless the roads round your way are like a mirror 

Quote from: sledge on June 19, 2011, 01:11:02 PM
2mm freeplay, you have got to be joking.....why???

Suzuki say 10-15mm at the lever thats S U ZU K I, not the dubious book of lies known as Haynes/Clymer......what do you know that they dont?

I am surprised you dont see some slip everytime you hit a bump in the road, unless the roads round your way are like a mirror 

I just checked the Suzuki service manual (as opposed to the user manual that I initially used) and it lists 4mm as the spec for the clutch cable play, even though the user manual says 10-15mm! Anyway, I'm just going to try 5mm for awhile and see how it works. I like having less play because it makes the clutch lever feel more responsive. Bumps aren't an issue for me because I keep my fingers off the lever until I intend to use it

Quote from: crzydood17 on June 19, 2011, 12:43:23 PM
i think i found mine, a bit too much chain play...

Wow what a coincidence. I just decided to check my chain play since I was already down there adjusting the clutch cable, and discovered that my play was way over spec. 50mm, when the listed spec is 20-30mm. That's how the PO left it, I should have checked this a long time ago as I read in the manual that over-spec play can cause the chain to come off the sprocket while riding. Probably wouldn't be a very good day if that happened on the freeway 

So maybe both our funny noises were caused by over-spec chain play and not the tranny 

I hope your chain adjustment went without issue. When I adjusted my play down to 25mm, I discovered a problem with the chain when I tried turning the rear wheel. Part of the chain must be stretched or something, because when I turn the wheel to a certain point the chain looses all play, so there's some kind of irregularity in my chain. Be sure to try spinning your rear wheel and check the play at multiple points to be sure your chain is in good shape. I'm going to post a new thread about my chain issue.

Quote from: paalak on June 19, 2011, 02:06:30 PM

Quote from: sledge on June 19, 2011, 01:11:02 PM
2mm freeplay, you have got to be joking.....why???

Suzuki say 10-15mm at the lever thats S U ZU K I, not the dubious book of lies known as Haynes/Clymer......what do you know that they dont?

I am surprised you dont see some slip everytime you hit a bump in the road, unless the roads round your way are like a mirror 

I just checked the Suzuki service manual (as opposed to the user manual that I initially used) and it lists 4mm as the spec for the clutch cable play, even though the user manual says 10-15mm! Anyway, I'm just going to try 5mm for awhile and see how it works. I like having less play because it makes the clutch lever feel more responsive. Bumps aren't an issue for me because I keep my fingers off the lever until I intend to use it

The Suzuki Owners Manual lists 10~15mm measured at the end of the hand lever while the Suzuki Service Manual lists 4mm measured at the other end of the lever where the cable connects. Two different measurements that probably equal the same amount of free play.

Dale

My comment was not directed at you Paalak.....however if you or anyone else believes 2mm is an optimum amount of freeplay at the lever......you go for it