02 roadstar transmission problems

[Scott1111111111]

02 1600 road star carb and have Barnett's spring clutch conversion with over 4,000 miles bike has just under 50,000 miles most put on by me, I'm 2nd or 3rd owner ?

Interstate run 90 in 70 and still passed like standing still, back roads 60 - 70 and have 1/2 mile dirt road to get to blacktop
went to the dark side about 1,000 miles ago, tired of putting tire on rear every 2 - 3 months

Problem was odd the way things started to change and come out, have yet to take apart

1st noticed clutch lever became tight, out of adjustment and hard to pull out of the blue

Then clutch became too loose and in constant need of adjustment, thought it was cable and ordered cable and torsion spring

Last ride noticeable grabbing and noise , parked it

Put new cable on

Put on lift and put into gear and seems something has come loose or something is in a bind, motorcycle jerking and it's not the engine

Clutch will not stop rear tire from turning alone, with break on tire will not turn and engine will not stall , something has moved or come loose inside transmission

No problems with car tire and my turning habits only thing that have changed, no hot rodding or off roading

don't know if any recall work has been done and no way to check, Yamaha no longer has any recall information due to age

put Barnett's clutch in and friction disk looked ok , put back together and put 4,000+ miles on with no slipping problems

Clutch doesn't slip now and don't think drive chain would be slapping or need replacement

Have new friction disks and gasket in hand but don't think this is problem

Don't see how drive chain could effect clutch performance unless a retainer has come off or shaft has become loose or broken . A shaft broken or retainer off in transmission?

took plug off drive chain side and let rear wheel turn in 1st gear at idle and everything I can see looks ok

Comes back to recall for transmission, symptoms of and parts replaced and I can't find any information

Have yet to take apart and would appreciate any information to put me on right path to fix

Turning wrenches 30 + years and this one has put me back in school, don't know what to take apart 1st

What parts where replaced in recall for transmission and what where symptoms ?

Hope it's just a simple fix but clearly had - has the potential to lock up rear wheel without notice and car tire would have made things REAL interesting

Any information appreciated

[Tcontrol]

Have you checked the primary drive chain on the right hand side of the bike? Also check the small belt drive gear on left side of bike….
the belt drive gear does have a tendancy to loosen up and possibly strip the serrated shaft/ gear assembly…. Look at the simple things first…

the clutch issue you discussed regarding pressure plates and friction discs is typically unrelated if you have everything re-assembled and adjusted correctly..

[Scott1111111111]

Hope my problems are simple fix , thinking about the perfect storm and chain of events

Not cleaning carb and 150 mile rides every week on top of every day and more than one thing wearing out at same time instead of broken shafts and gears inside transmission all at once

Car tire definitely putting more stress on transmission can only hope weakest point or gear only problem, carb Popping and spitting at 90 probably root or magic seed wearing everything out

Too lazy to clean carb once a month, too cheap to buy good gas. Only using additive and that only works so many miles

Will post photos

[Mr. Miyagi]

from Texarkana in the Arklatex. I hope that you get sorted out soon.

[Tcontrol]

I must be out of touch with modern terminology…

popping at 90 …. Root or magic seed…. No clue to what this means… (most likely hitting the rev limiter or incorrect jets)

cleaning carb every month…. Why?…. You run the bike every day plus 150 mile weekend trips…. Carb has plenty of use…. Old gas is not your problem…

car tire wearing out the transmission…. Thats a new one on me…. Its round and it rolls…. Thats what tires do… it might have slightly more coefficient of drag due to a larger contact patch with the road than a motorcycle tire but is negligible… an over size fairing like a goldwing creates more drag at speed…. Ape handlebars and a large rider has the same effect…

oil in transmission case is shared with the motor… change oil at regular intervals and no issues should arise…

wear items would be bearings, main drive chain (right side uses gear oil to keep chain lubricated… that should be a service item to check level and change periodically) and the main drive belt…(gravel roads may contribute to excessive wear)

the belt sprockets can also show wear from incorrect belt tension, damaged drive belt, gravel, and general lack of maintenance… the small belt drive sprocket has been known to loosen on the shaft due to a small design flaw (check nut torque, use red lock-tite, and confirm the proper tabs bent on the locking washer)

you sound like a capable mechanic…. Start at the back wheel and work your way through the belt and small gear…. Should i mention that checking for brake drag should be step #1….

methodical approach …. One step at a time…

[Scott1111111111]

Checked stuff and so far nothing

Was going to check front pulley on drive belt but my gut says waist of time, doesn't look like anything is slipping
Popped drive chain cover and chain feels tight, oil level was correct

Next will check clutch basket

Thinking broken internal gear, shaft or case

Looking expensive

Tire is tubeless with balance bead's, smooth and like an arrow on interstate, like ice on sharp turns, won't go back to changing tires every 3 months

I'm hard on motorcycle but not stupid

[roadiemort]

Lmao. Lift the back wheel up and turn the wheel, now take your dowel and stick it in your ear and listen carefully as you turn the wheel,probably quicker to unbolt the cover though.

[Scott1111111111]

Last 2 times I cleaned carb insides coated with odd beady grit that seems to clogging jets, blow clean lasts about a month, pump gas or gas from the pump and filter is new
interstate and passing with poping and skipping due to jets clogged maybe jerking everything more than I think, breaking stuff ?

May have broken something internal

Clutch cable is new and doesn't want to adjust correctly, where problems where first noticed

back to recall for transmission and what had to be replaced, what where symptoms?

[brianmac]

drive pulley can just slip under load, after teeth get chewed off, remove nut and look , looks to me from pic like bolt is below nut level

[brianmac]

lose clutch cable lever parts? is there a ball bearing in there?

[Scott1111111111]

Clutch basket and friction disks look ok
transmission bearings?

[Scott1111111111]

Rear wheel turns fine all new bearings put in miles ago
with rear wheel off the ground in gear at idle there's a hesitation and sound

On ground riding hesitation can be felt and clutch in and out of adjustment like something is moving

Clutch cable 1st thing replaced

Will take chain cover off next

Still don't see anything wrong or showing wear

Will look at expanded view to get better idea

Thinking bearing behind the clutch basket?

[Scott1111111111]

4 bearings in transmission and my guess will find more than one NFG
wheel bearings, belt, belt pulley front and rear , clutch cable, clutch friction disk's and steel, drive chain all ok no wear or broken teeth or gears

Transmission bearings or broken case?

[Scott1111111111]

Rear brake and disk fine must be internal bearings
anyone on dark side with 1600 with similar experience?

Car tire stress on internal transmission bearings or case busting?

[Agpilot]

Check front belt drive pulley...

[Chooch]

Did you check the clutch boss splines and nut, push lever axle teeth and bearings, push rod teeth, and throw out bearing? Your first indication of a problem was a clutch that would not stay in tolerance.

[Tcontrol]

You seem convinced that it is transmission… methodical approach…. Doesnt lead me there yet…

clutch adjustments are a clue…. I used straight synthetic in my bike once and experienced clutch adjustment issues… cable would have to be adjusted from cold oil to hot oil… pain in the ass so i went back to walmart vtwin mobile 1 oil… no more adjustment issues (45k since that little experience)… i am assuming that you have already inspected the clutch mechanism, pressure plates, friction discs, and it is assembled correctly… without excessive wear or bent parts…

carb issue is something else… isolation of the issue would examine any filters, old fuel pump breaking down… contents of gas tank… etc…. Maybe even the air filter breaking down… your eyes and fingers should locate the issue pretty quickly… did you tick somebody off who puts sugar in your tank?…. Recent breakup with a psychotic girlfriend..??

if you are that convinced about transmission… remove the primary drive chain… put transmission in gear… spin the back wheel by hand and listen carefully… use a dowel/ screwdriver/ or stethescope…. Should be able to hear it quite readily… cut your oil filter apart and look for metal shavings…

if you havent been using vtwin rated oil or a high zinc content oil, you may have damaged a cam or lifter… you can always remove the valve covers and check the pushrods for excessive play.. remove 1 spark plug from each cylinder and spin the motor using the starter… a loose pushrod will be obvious (zero lash adjustment is expected….)

This should put you all over the place in your troubleshooting…. Seems like that is what you are doing anyway….

[davej]

My guess is the you have some warped friction disc and steel disc in the clutch. That could cause the issue that you described. We can all guess but the only thing that will tell is you taking the clutch apart for inspection.

[Scott1111111111]

Noise and grinding deep causing hesitation

Clutch adjustment way more than adjustment, had to move lever to get more adjustment, everything should be fixed and I'm getting way too much movement and has to be bad
Don't see how transmission bearings could wear so fast, bike under 50,000 and car tire only about a thousand

Just can't see car tire making bearings wear out causing this much movement and noise but know something broke

Hot and cold can't make this much free play and rear wheel turns when in the air with clutch in

First indication of problem clutch got too tight then way too loose, moved lever and still too loose so ordered cable, new cable same length, same problem

Something broken allowing too much movement, don't know how much the bearing plays in holding stuff in place, bearing or case something broke ?
will play with it again tomorrow, new bearings about $100 but if no upgrade to deal with added stress from car tire not worth keeping, I'm hard on motorcycle but this is new


gas problems from cheap gas. Filling up 3 times a day some days can tell driving away from pump. No sugar, new filter and average 30 + mpg @ 90 , additive quicker than taking off and blowing things open but as stated only does so much and don't carry additive with me

friction disks and steels are ok, new clutch cable correct

[davej]

The tire spinning a bit when in the air don't mean anything. That is quite normal. Put it on the ground and check.

[Scott1111111111]

Retaining clips not holding stuff in place will be splitting the case , clutch basket moving = too tight or too loose and clutch or clutch cable has nothing to do with it, you can't adjust clutch because the shaft and clutch basket are moving

I was lucky things didn't lock up

Could have picked up more RASH or METAL

Will be LAST Yamaha for me

Suggest you clean up and make a sticky for the next one asking similar questions

If this bike went to dealer for recall or not unknown , making it almost 50,000 miles before transmission retaining clips allowing shaft to move amazing
Car tire puts more stress on transmission and recall or not you're rolling the dice with early year 1600 if running car tire

i heard odd noise felt a thump like someone was trying to throw stick in spokes on dirt road coming in

Next ride out about 200 miles and clutch got super tight, didn't notice till about 30 miles from home, hand was sore, made adjustment to loosen clutch

Bike cooled and noticed clutch was too loose , moved lever and screwed