How much lash in the drive train is normal?

[Claviger]

I found it a bit odd at first too, coming off a chain drive bike with brand new chain and gears. There is a lot more lash on the R3R than the Tona, however, as many have said use the clutch to smooth hit hit from a stop. From 3-7 mph in 1st if I need to go slightly slower than idle in 1st gear I apply the rear brake a bit with clutch all the way out, just a light drag, keeps the gears touching and you don't get lash like going on/off clutch over and over.

 

[ratsidecar]

Well I went out for a brief run on the bike today and noticed the whining noise from engine getting much louder, soon this changed to a shrieking sound, the kind of sound you get when 2 gears are meshing very badly and after a liberal application of throttle in third I got a sudden lurch after a few seconds and more whining noise. Noise increases in intensity with road speed rather than rpm, doesnt matter what gear you are in. This happened again after another test so I nursed the bike home.

Looks like an annoyed phone call to the dealer will be in order as they didnt pull the sump pan and check for bearing fragments when they were servicing the bike like I asked them to do when it was being serviced. They also said the bike was fine and nothing wrong with it, despite me telling them about the noise that had started and was getting worse as I rode the bike. Mileage is just under 20k, the mileage that most people with output shaft bearing failure start having issues at.

Pretty pissed, theyre gonna have to collect the bike from me as I don't want to risk driving it another 30 miles to them in case of total destruction or the back wheel locking up on me and I hope they will work with me on the price to check things out and sort the problem as I did ask specifically that they check this out for me when they had the bike.

I just hope that if it is output shaft bearing that real damage hasnt been done to the gears etc with the last few miles put on it.

 

[cootertwo]

Well, that's a bummer, and sounds like it could be a lot of mula! It's a shame some dealers/stealers do not seem to know their butt from a hole in the ground. I was lucky, my Dealer, that by the way, no longer deals Triumph, changed out my final drive twice, under warranty. No noises, just seeped a bit of oil.

 

[Stanley R Gray]

I agree with Ricochet, shaft drive bikes will always have drivetrain lash. Using a lower gear usually makes it disappear for me. In stop and go traffic I finesse the clutch. Lugging the engine is the best way to feel lash, can be unnerving then. I like shaft drive's reliability, lash is the tradeoff.

Nope. My 1100 Sabre is smooth as silk.

 

[Rocket Scientist]

Well I went out for a brief run on the bike today and noticed the whining noise from engine getting much louder, soon this changed to a shrieking sound, the kind of sound you get when 2 gears are meshing very badly and after a liberal application of throttle in third I got a sudden lurch after a few seconds and more whining noise. Noise increases in intensity with road speed rather than rpm, doesnt matter what gear you are in. This happened again after another test so I nursed the bike home.

Looks like an annoyed phone call to the dealer will be in order as they didnt pull the sump pan and check for bearing fragments when they were servicing the bike like I asked them to do when it was being serviced. They also said the bike was fine and nothing wrong with it, despite me telling them about the noise that had started and was getting worse as I rode the bike. Mileage is just under 20k, the mileage that most people with output shaft bearing failure start having issues at.

Pretty pissed, theyre gonna have to collect the bike from me as I don't want to risk driving it another 30 miles to them in case of total destruction or the back wheel locking up on me and I hope they will work with me on the price to check things out and sort the problem as I did ask specifically that they check this out for me when they had the bike.

I just hope that if it is output shaft bearing that real damage hasnt been done to the gears etc with the last few miles put on it.

The fact that it increases with road speed rather than rpm, points to something from the output shaft back. The output shaft itself is known to have the inboard bearing installed backwards from the factory in the early years. If it didn't hitch or try to lock up you probably haven't damaged anything. Your wise not to ride it until it's checked out. Dropping the pan will tell the tale in short order.

 

[ratsidecar]

Yup hitched/lurched twice on me. Its very annoying as I told them to drop the sump pan and look for debris and take the bike for a good road test and listen out for the whining so they didnt do what I asked them to do. I had also asked for the old spark plugs etc to be kept so I could have a look at them and they didnt manage to do that either.

And whenever the bike was being serviced I said "Can you please collect the bike, I dont want to risk riding it to you as I believe the output shaft bearing is on its way out and it is making this noise etc............."

ARGH

 

[TriumPhil]

Speed, not load dependent? - Yep', sounds like a bad bearing.

 

[Mittzy]

Yup hitched/lurched twice on me. Its very annoying as I told them to drop the sump pan and look for debris and take the bike for a good road test and listen out for the whining so they didnt do what I asked them to do. I had also asked for the old spark plugs etc to be kept so I could have a look at them and they didnt manage to do that either.

And whenever the bike was being serviced I said "Can you please collect the bike, I dont want to risk riding it to you as I believe the output shaft bearing is on its way out and it is making this noise etc............."

ARGH

I hope that was documented......

 

[Bedifferent]

I agree with Ricochet, shaft drive bikes will always have drivetrain lash. Using a lower gear usually makes it disappear for me. In stop and go traffic I finesse the clutch. Lugging the engine is the best way to feel lash, can be unnerving then. I like shaft drive's reliability, lash is the tradeoff.

You hit the nail right on the head and I agree with you 100%. You need to pick a lower gear. I try to stay around 1800 or above on the RPM range. I never try to go slow in a higher gear. As long as I don't lug the engine at slow speeds I seldom feel any lash. Adding the tach to my touring makes it easier to stay in that sweet spot.

 

[ratsidecar]

I got an update on the bike today, Its all stripped down, the engine is out and new parts are ordered. It was a bearing failure on the TDSU /output shaft and when the shaft wobbled inside the engine it chipped and marked the teeth on the gear on it. They are going to replace the bearings and both the gears. Some pics are attached, perhaps someone can tell from the pics if the bearing was installed by the factory facing the wrong way or not when the bike was built. I never quite realised how big of a lump the engine is till I saw it out of the bike.
The guys at the shop have been pretty decent at keeping me posted as to whats hapenign and have said they will work with me on the price a bit.