Noise coming from Clutch area

[Mike T]

A friend just purchased a '05 1200GS with 32K on it. When the bike is running and in neutral there is a fairly loud noise coming from the clutch area of the bike. It sounds kind of like a knocking noise. As soon as the clutch handle is pulled in slightly the noise immediately goes away. It does not sound like the transmission noises that my R1000 makes when doing this.

 

Also when riding the bike I notice that the clutch engages at the end of the lever release. If you pull in the lever ever so slightly the clutch starts to slip. I'm assuming that with the clutch having a slave cylinder that this cannot be adjusted. The lever does release fully.

 

The bike is still under warranty but I'd like to know what the problem may be before I have the dealer look at it. If it's just a worn clutch then it would not be covered and I would rather do the work to replace the clutch myself if thats the only problem.

[Ken H.]

I don't think he has a problem needing to be fixed.

 

The noise is indeed gear knock in the tranny. When you pull the clutch the tranny stops spinning and therefore can't knock.

 

A release point near the end of travel is also normal. It takes almost no movement of the lever at all to disengage the clutch on the hexheads. Hence the term, "fanning the clutch." There is an adjustment on the lever for how far from the grip that end of travel point is.