Whenever i ride my ninja, if i'm shifting at 7-8krpms (or more) when i upshift the engine spins for a bit, and then finally catches about a second after the clutch is fully released. Also, whenever i'm in 5th or 6th gear and sometimes in lower gears, i can hear a faint grinding noise. It's not really like a crude grind like gears mashing together, but a grind like something's brushing up against something very faintly, almost like a hiss. It's especially noticeable in 6th gear when i put it on my rear stand and rode it up to six. And whenever i ride, there's a faint clicking/rattling noise that is noticeable at lower rpms (when my exhaust isn't too loud and you can hear the bike) and also at highway speeds. Would this be a chain issue? Or clutch maybe? I'm just hoping it's not something to do with my engine. I recently switched from synthetic oil to conventional last oil change which happened about 800 miles back, I'm not sure if that makes a difference. Any input is much appreciated
I do haha, I thought that was it too but it wasn't after i tried riding with just the key in. I feel like it's coming from the engine or the chain, but i have no idea and it's hard to locate it while moving because of the wind noise
I would check chain tension and make sure there are no tight links, that's something easy to do and costs nothing but a few minutes of your time.
The swishing/hissing noise could be a loose chain sliding along the slider and the click/rattle might be the sound of tight links as they come on and off the sprockets.
How is your chain maintenance? Are you regularly lubricating the chain?
My Honda had a chain recall so while they ordered in the replacement chain, I neglected maintenance (since I am lazy) and had some slapping, clicking, swishing, etc. by the time the new chain was installed.
Does your swish change with engine speed or wheel speed? Basically, does it sound the same at the same RPM in different gears? If it changes with wheel speed, you're looking at chain problems or maybe brakes rubbing (or something else downstream of the transmission), if it's changing with engine speed, you should be looking upstream of the transmission (clutch, timing chain, etc).
I get a swish at slow speeds that has been there since the bike was new, I think it might be front brake related (based on where I think the sound is coming from) but I haven't taken the time to pinpoint the issue.
I lube it from anywhere between 200 and 600 miles depending on how much rain and stuff has been happening and if i ride in it or not. The rattling gets a little bit more intense the higher the RPMs are esp in 6th gear. My front brake makes this funny sound but i'm not sure if it's like the abs doing it's calculation stuff or if it's the pads doin something weird on the rotor or something but yeah. I'm gonna see if i can post a video of it tomorrow but idk if my phone will pick it up.
How exactly do i do that? Do i squeeze the lever or do i just measure the cable without squeezing it? I feel like it might either be my clutch or my chain because it feels like it grabs late when i shift gears. And when i stop really fast, like towards a stop sign/light it'll sometimes drop me down a gear even if my foot is nowhere near the shifter while hard braking.
Freeplay is measured by pushing the lever just enough to take up the slack in the cable. If you press gently and slowly, you should be able to feel when the slack is gone. Then all you do is measure the gap between the lever and the housing at the pivot. Instructions should be in the owner's manual.
Also, are you able to use a GoPro (or similar action cam) to film some of your riding, trying to get clutch hand and gauge cluster in the shot? I remember threads (maybe on this forum, or maybe on others) where there were pages of troubleshooting only to have a video posted that showed rider technique was the issue and was an easy fix. Not saying I think you're doing it wrong, just that it might help to better illustrate the problem if we can see how your clutch work is and compare that to tach and speedo readings. If a picture is worth a thousand words, think of how good 30 pictures per second must be!
Another way of doing it would be to grab the "Ball" at the clutch lever end & try to move it back & forth. There should be some play. Remember that the play here should be MORE than just 2-3mm, which is what it should be at the pivot end.
Regards,
Kaustav
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