Ringing sound when clutch lever pulled in '04 R1150RT

[kiddo480]

Hi guys, I recently had an issue with the clutch where the bike would jump when I tried to shift into first. Thinking the master or slave cylinder were going bad, I had a friend take a look at it. He could find nothing wrong (maybe the trailer ride over moved an air bubble?), so he flushed and bled and it has been working fine for a few weeks. This morning I noticed that when I pull the clutch lever in, I hear a "ringing" noise coming from what I assume is the clutch/transmission. Tranny oil is fine. Is this a warning sign and should I be overly concerned with the new sound? Thanks, Keith

[dirtrider]

Evening Keith

 

Obviously when a new noise appears it is something to worry about.

 

It is really difficult to identify your noise over the internet as we can't hear or feel it.

 

Your noise could be one of many possible things from a slave cylinder bearing going bad, to some ringing coming from your clutch assembly, to maybe something in the engine that makes noise when the clutch mass dampening is changed.

 

You might try raising the idle RPM just a bit with either the choke or the twist grip to see if that changes the noise you hear.

 

Maybe get yourself a mechanics stethoscope & poke around to see if you can identify the exact area that the noise is coming from. Or have your friend take listen to it see what he thinks.

 

At the very least carefully note the noise & exactly when it appears. That way if it changes or gets worse you can pick up on that & address it before it becomes more serious.

 

[kiddo480]

Thanks for the response, D.R. I have listened to the engine running a couple of more times, and have determined that the noise is present at a much lower volume when the lever is not pulled in, but gets much louder and more persistent when the lever is pulled. So your comment about the dampening changing with the clutch seems to ring (no pun) true. I made a recording of the noise with my phone and will attempt to send that along to my friend to get his take on it. Thanks for your help.

Keith

[Twinsig]

Slave cylinder bearing huh. Sound reasonable I'd loved to have a stethoscope one of those optical lights too.