noisey first gear question ?

hope i can get some helpfull feedback on this one.
prob is bike is running fine pull in the clutch pop it in first gear , when i let out on the clutch and the bike starts to take off i can slightly hear and fill a couple of clunks as first gear takes hold and starts spinning the first few turns . a few months ago i changed my friction plates and shaft drive checks out fine . im woundering is this a sign that first gear is going out or could it be something else?

 

Whoah, sounds like your not getting a firm shift. Selector fork, drum or pin could be dorked up. So could the gear set for first. No noise prior to the clutch change? How many miles did you put on the machine since the clutch change?

 

There is the possibility that what you are hearing is related to a bad Universal Joint or worn-down swing arm pivots.
(You hope! Because the U-joint and swings don't require pulling the engine and splitting cases!)

Stick the bike on the work stand. Put it in gear and move the rear wheel forward and back; by hand. And, the whole ass-end left and right.

You shouldn't "Hear" much if everything is OK at the U-Joint. But, if you do hear a noise that sounds metal-to-metal ... slip-off the rubber drive shaft boot and test it again. You'll feel it if the swing-arm pivots are worn.
Worn swings are something you'd notice while riding, though.

If the noise is coming from the boot area, the U-joint might be worm pretty badly and will need to be overhauled or replaced.

If water drains out from the boot when you dislodge it ... You should go-ahead and service the U-joint and swing bearings ... plus have a look at the oil seal and all the fasteners in there for possible rusting-out.

 

at first i thought it might be the shaft drive so i check it . clean, dry no play and the swingarm has no play and travels smooth. I changed out the friction plates about 4000 miles ago. I do not think i had this prob before. the reason i changed the friction plates was cause i could tell it was slipping. after changing it was working great.
I just started becoming aware of it a couple of monthes ago [ 1500 miles ago ] . this prob dosnt fill like slip , its a slight sound and i can feel in the clutch or gear area only the first couple of revolutions of first gear starting off from a stop light . im thinking my first gear is going out or my clutch job didnt take. may be there is something else in the transmission that is the cause ?

 

Well ... if you swapped-out the Driven Plates, too ... there is the possibility that they might be incorrect ones and are jockeying around, in there, on you.

You'd really know it if you got the installation order messed-up. Instead of a going-away klunk ... you get a worsening squeal ... or the pressure plate rubbing against the inside of the clutch cover.

I've only seen the latter in 20-years, though ... not to say it don't happen.

You might be at the point where you're going to need an assistant to help you further shake-down the trouble.

Somebody with the touch to pull and release the clutch lever while you feel and listen around the area you think the noise is coming from.

I use a fiberglass rod with a rubber intake manifold vacuum nipple "plug' slipped-on over the end ... to probe and "listen" for rotational noises and klunks and knocks.

Touch the block with the bare end and listen to the rubber plug-it to actually hear the rotational sounds and whatever else might be making some suspect noise you are trying to trace. It's a cheap mechanics stethescope ... but, it works like a charm.

Feel and listen to everything as the lever is slowly released. You might actually be aple to pinpoint where the noise is coming from.

If you don't get the noise with the bike up on the stand and the lever being smoothly realeased ... it opens the door for the problem being related to something outside the engine.

Maybe a possible loose suspension or other part that shifts when the bike shifts from being at rest to initiating forward motion. You'll need to be careful and have the assistant sit on the bike > off < the stand and do the whole listen and feel for it; again.

I still hope it nothing inside you have to deal with. If you didn't do anything to loosen the clutch basket when you swapped-out the disc's and plates ... you should be able to probe, listen and feel for it and find it.

 

I am going to try to use that listening rod technique. I have been listening to this while riden around , It seems like I ride around just listening to this noise and i need to figure out what it is . this winter would be the time for me to fix it.