Clicking Part 2

Hey all;
I've been working on troubleshooting the clicking that's coming from the bike. Thought originally was coming from the front wheel but was not. Definitely coming from the front sprocket. I cleaned the chain today and lubricated it up real well. Still making the same sound. I've got a video of it below. The sprockets look good, no clue on how old everything is and will get replaced by next season for sure but want to make sure it's good for now.




Also, shouldnt the back wheel spin a lot better than it is? On a couple of those spins, I'm spinning it as hard as I can.
Thanks!

there's no video

pete greek1 wrote: there's no video

no video........ :huh:

I'm doing this on mobile and never done a youtube attachment on here. Thus why the url is there to.

Output shaft bearing on the trans then? If thats where it is coming from

Your chain looks to tight. Put the proper slack in it, and rotate it in the forward direction, and see what it sounds like. Some noise as it goes over the sprocket might be normal. But it should rotate smoothly and easily. If you suspect your transmission output bearing. Pull the sprocket cover, the sprocket, then the transmission cover and check the bearing.

I could be wrong, but I believe the noise you hear is the chain on the counter sprocket AND it looks to me like your chain is too tight. Are you aware that there should be approximately 1 inch of up & down slack in the chain? When you sit on the bike and when the bike hits a bump the swing arm moves up relative to the frame. When this happens the chain gets tighter because the centerline of the countershaft sprocket is forward of the centerline of the swingarm pivot. If there is no slack in the chain it will pull on the sprockets and stretch as well as applying too much force on the output shaft. Make sure there is 1 inch on up & down slack in the chain. The Kawasaki Service Manual shows how to properly adjust it. Ed

Thanks for the replies. It's definitely on the counter sprocket. Can see when the chain hits the gear that's when the noise comes in.

There is some slack in the chain and I really have to pull on it to get it. I thought it looked too tight too after watching a bunch of videos on changing the chain out. Would that also cause the wheel not too turn as smoothly then?

I looked in the manual and seems easy enough to make the adjustment, so will get to that some day this week, if not today even. It should be 1" up/down when the back wheel is off the ground, correct?

I understand there's some noise when the chain hits, but never this loud. If I"m under a bridge or next to another vehicle, it's annoyingly loud. My buddy says that's all you hear he's in his car on my left side. I've never heard another bike click that loud. Hopefully after adjusting the tension that will fix it.

Thanks.

david-b wrote: ..... It should be 1" up/down when the back wheel is off the ground, correct?....

Thanks.

Yes, the bike should be on the center stand when measuring the slack and making the adjustment, so the rear wheel should be off the ground. Ed

Your chain is way to tight that is the source of the noise, adjust your chain.

I got the bike on the stand yesterday and made the adjustments according to the manual. The back wheel will now spin freely about 1.5 full turns when I spin it hard. When riding and pull in the clutch, she coasts a whole lot further now. I'm going to recheck it again this weekend after I put some miles on it and make any adjustments if need be. Looks to have about an inch up/down but didn't have a ruler to get a fully accurate reading. I will also take a video and post that up to see what you think. Will also try to get a video of the clicking while riding so you can hear how loud it is.

It still clicks though and just as loud, so I'm assuming the damage has been done to the chain/sprocket. I do want to replace that anyways so it will get done at some point.

Also replaced the neutral switch with a new one. Was having a problem where the light never really turned on when in neutral. Only really worked if bike was leaning over on the stand. Bought a new one and replaced. The tip of the old one was totally flat, compared to the new one that was round. Definitely worn out. Thing lights up every time now.

You should replace the chain, and both sprockets as a set. Get a sealed chain, O-ring or X-ring. They will last a very long time.