Hello, Recently I noticed that the clutch on my R1200GS make some weird clicking noise when I release the lever. The click occurs almost at the end of the lever travel and preceded by something that I could describe as grinding sound. Bike has less than 8,000 miles on it and it did not do that before. Also, this happens only when the engine is cold. I took a short video: <object width="420" height="315"><param name="movie" value="//www.youtube.com/v/-GmEI_AT11o?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="//www.youtube.com/v/-GmEI_AT11o?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="420" height="315" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object> You can't hear grinding sound, but clicks are very noticeable. The other (may be related) issue is that when I start the bike from cold, it produces another loud grinding sound (lasting for about a second or even less). Again, it only happens at cold start, never when the bike is hot. Now, I've never owned a motorcycle with dry clutch, thus I'm not sure whether it's normal or not. So, before I contact the dealer (and most likely get there standard reply, like: "They all do that", etc.), I'd like to know what are you guys thinking? Thanks!
Its probably the micoswitch clicking that you can hear. Without that microswitch you would not be able ti start the bike in gear with the clutch in.
No, it's not a switch. Switch is clicking well before that. I purposely did not squeeze the lever to the point where it activates the switch. The "click" on the video is coming from the engine.
I have the same year GS . I haven't noticed any clicking but I'm usually wearing ear plugs. I'll check tomorrow and let you know
I have a 08 gsa, the sound started to be noticed at 25k km... Here's a video where you can here it with the clutch level pressed and released.. According to some posts here, it's a common problem.. http://youtu.be/bfk7vM3M2P8
Thanks Dave, but fortunately mine does not sound that bad. Actually, when the bike is running there are no any weird noises. The only thing I could notice is a bit harsh clutch engagement, but I always thought it's a kind of dry clutch character. Now I suspect that those two things (harsh engagement and clutch clicking) may be related? Sent from my SGH-I747M using Tapatalk
So, considering almost 300 viewer and nothing, I guess, I have a problem nobody has experienced before?
To much transmission end play is one possibility.... Does it shift OK? Change your transmission oil and check for any large metallic particles.... it might give you a clue... Sidenote: My 05 clunks from the FD in first gear in slow traffic due to backlash (took me a while to get use to that noise). I took it straight to BMW of Las Vegas 5 min. after buying it and had the mechanic look at it.... First words out of his mouth was "They ALL do that"!...., but he was right!
I've got the same year bike, 16,000Km...just checked and no noises whatsoever when playing with the lever...none. Sorry I got no clue what it could be but thought I should check mine
Yes, it shifts fine. I changed tranny oil less than 2K miles ago. I could do it again, but if the verdict is there is a real problem with clutch/transmission, I'd rather take it to a dealer. The bike is still on warranty.
Thanks. Seems like time for warranty claim. Was not expecting this so called "highly reliable" bike would require clutch/transmission repair at just 8K miles...
Even with too much end play it will probably shift fine... It's going to be an annoying noise... Just my best guess based on a limited amount of information... Basically They all do that if you have too much end play... Sent from my Droid MAXX using Tapatalk
Everything in the gearbox stops turning when the bike is stationary and the clutch is disengaged (lever pulled in). The noise you hear as you release the lever is the slop in the gearbox being taken up. It is normal. The noise will vary with oil temp and some bikes are just more noisy than others. I've had many years of BMW service experience and this is a very common complaint. It rarely means a repair is needed. This was a common complaint with the older manual trans cars also. To cure the noise, sometime in the 80's, BMW installed rubber dampened flywheels.
Thanks for the reply! It does make sense. As long as it's not a sign of some potential bigger issue, I'm ok with it. I'm trying to figure out a pretty annoying buzzing the bike make just in 2 spots: 3,500 and 4,500 RPM. That's a much bigger issue for me, because it occurs at a normal highway speed and makes the bike almost un-ridable for anything longer than half an hour. TB's are synced, tires balanced, but the buzzing stays . I guessed, maybe something's got loose in the clutch or tranny ("clicking") and causing the buzzing...
Well maybe it's best if you take it to the dealer? I think you mentioned it is sill under warranty.. I did not find the video you placed.. I wanted to see if maybe the sound is as it was on mine before it started to make more noise. There seems to be noises and things you may consider a bad signal or a problem that are just "normal" for these bikes .. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I'd say that if the buzz is bad enough to limit riding......take to the dealer. With the bike being under warranty you don't want to be tinkering with it too much anyway. I'd much rather let a mechanic see, feel and hear the problem in person.
Thanks! The bike is going to a dealer next week. I'll let you know what they'll find. Sent from my SGH-I747M using Tapatalk
