Clutch squawk

[Dave McReynolds]

I've put just over 1,200 miles on my new KGT, and everything seems to be working fine, except for an occasional squawking sound when I engage the clutch in first gear. It's about a half-second noise that you can also feel as a small vibration through the clutch lever, and sounds like an old fan belt sounds when it slips on a car engine. It happens after the clutch starts to engage, but before it is fully engaged. It seems to happen after the engine is fully warmed up. One odd thing is that it seems to be coming from the front of the motorcycle, maybe the right front, somewhere where I don't think the clutch is located (the service writer nodded sagely at this point in the conversation, seeming to confirm that he agreed that the clutch wasn't up there, but I really don't know where the clutch is). Or maybe the sound is really coming from somewhere else, but the noise is being channeled by the fairing up toward the front.

 

I can't make it happen by varying the load on the clutch, or by how fast or how slow I engage the clutch. It seems to happen when it wants to happen, about every 20th time or so. I reported it at the 600 mile service, but they were, of course, unable to replicate the condition. Their attitude, understandably since they probably don't get paid for chasing my wild geese, is to either live with it or wait for it to get worse, since they can't fix what they don't observe. Obviously, there's plenty of time left in the warranty, but I'd just as soon not be stopped cold by this in the middle of the Nevada desert. Any ideas?

[chrisolson]

TADT some more than others. My '06 does it, but hasn't in quite a while. I don't believe its related to impending clutch failure ... 'course YMMV ... I've got over 11K miles on mine still going strong