THEY ALL. CLUNK BUT WHY

[RTman10]

So far as I know and definately my 17 RT Limited all make a loud clunk when engaging first or reverse from neutral. I had hoped after years of this on a BMW I would have it no more. But what is it. Is it the gearbox, the drive chain or even the clutch. If I knew I could teach myself to forget it, maybe.

[Peter Aawen]

It's just that the engine side components are spinning & the wheel/trans side components are stopped, so when you 'engage' them via the clutch, they clunk! If the oil is cold & not fully circulating yet, the clunk will be louder & heavier than it will if you warm things up for a bit longer first, but it's still gonna have some clunk there regardless!

To a greater or lesser degree, exactly the same thing applies to your car, any other motorcycle or motor vehicle with a clutch & transmission, & pretty much anything where moving or rotating machinery on one side hasta engage with stationary machinery on the other side.... they all clunk, some loudly &/or heavily, some quietly or gently, & some isolate the driver/passengers from said clunk better, but they still ALL do it! Would you be prepared to add another couple of thousand $$ cost & some more pounds of fuel & power sapping weight for BRP to attempt to engineer it out?? No vehicle manufacturer has managed to do that completely yet, but I guess eventually someone's gotta be first!

Me, I know the clunk isn't hurting anything, in fact, it's hardly there if I warm things up for a few minutes before engaging a gear, and besides, it's significantly less than some of the clunks I've hadta live with on some of the vehicles (& boats) I've driven over the years, and I'm really not prepared to pay any more $$ for what is in the end, such a meaningless gain! So I'll live with it!

[RTman10]

So really it's a combination of everything that's not spinning engaging with them that are. Obvious when you think about it. Will just have to be a little more patient first thing in the morning.

[Peter Aawen]

So really it's a combination of everything that's not spinning engaging with them that are. .....

That's it! But do remember, while warming everything up properly reduces the clunk, it's still gonna be there to some degree, & you are always going to have some clunk.... hopefully not too much that it makes you want to take an axe to it!!

I do recall driving one (former) workboat that I got to use a fair bit that clunked so much on engaging the prop EVERY bloody time that it really drove me mad.... Sadly, it eventually had a slight accident & sunk - but you didn't hear that here!

[Buckeye Bleau]

Me, I know the clunk isn't hurting anything, in fact, it's hardly there if I warm things up for a few minutes before engaging a gear, and besides, it's significantly less than some of the clunks I've hadta live with on some of the vehicles (& boats) I've driven over the years, and I'm really not prepared to pay any more $$ for what is in the end, such a meaningless gain! So I'll live with it! [/QUOTE]

Oh you are such a funny person! People on here have hissy fits because they have to wait 10 seconds after turning on the key to start the Byke, now you want them to wait 2 minutes in order to minimize the clunk? That is rich very rich, my friend!

Joe

[Bob Denman]

If you can't accept the "mechanical experience": you always have your car...

[RTman10]

Hope I haven't started a war. I promise just to bang it in and zoom off.

[Bob Denman]

That's how it's done!
Just think of it as a chance to knock all of the rust off of the gears!

[Chupaca]

There you have it but.....Leave the spyder in gear when you shut it off. Then start it up in gear ( pull in the clutch and start on the SM and apply the brake and start the SE) and you will avoid the clunking...but now you can not idle to warm up or do much other than ryde off. It does seem to be more noticeable in the big twins and singles but you get used to it and all other gears are smooth. Do any of you remember un-syncronized gear boxes...

[Easy Rider]

So really it's a combination of everything that's not spinning engaging with them that are. Obvious when you think about it. Will just have to be a little more patient first thing in the morning.

The situation is aggravated by the fluid coupling effect in a wet clutch.......which is more pronounced when the oil is cold.

[Easy Rider]

Do any of you remember un-syncronized gear boxes...

Most all motorcycles have "un-syncronized", constant mesh gears.
From this discussion, I assume that applies to the Spyders too.

[Grandpot]

Here's a video explaining how the constant mess works. Simple and to the point.

[Tyris]

It's just that the engine side components are spinning & the wheel/trans side components are stopped, so when you 'engage' them via the clutch, they clunk! If the oil is cold & not fully circulating yet, the clunk will be louder & heavier than it will if you warm things up for a bit longer first, but it's still gonna have some clunk there regardless!

To a greater or lesser degree, exactly the same thing applies to your car, any other motorcycle or motor vehicle with a clutch & transmission, & pretty much anything where moving or rotating machinery on one side hasta engage with stationary machinery on the other side.... they all clunk, some loudly &/or heavily, some quietly or gently, & some isolate the driver/passengers from said clunk better, but they still ALL do it! Would you be prepared to add another couple of thousand $$ cost & some more pounds of fuel & power sapping weight for BRP to attempt to engineer it out?? No vehicle manufacturer has managed to do that completely yet, but I guess eventually someone's gotta be first!

Me, I know the clunk isn't hurting anything, in fact, it's hardly there if I warm things up for a few minutes before engaging a gear, and besides, it's significantly less than some of the clunks I've hadta live with on some of the vehicles (& boats) I've driven over the years, and I'm really not prepared to pay any more $$ for what is in the end, such a meaningless gain! So I'll live with it!

Should actually let engine run a bit before engaging reverse?

[RinconRyder]

To a greater or lesser degree, exactly the same thing applies to your car, any other motorcycle or motor vehicle with a clutch & transmission, & pretty much anything where moving or rotating machinery on one side hasta engage with stationary machinery on the other side.... they all clunk, some loudly &/or heavily, some quietly or gently, & some isolate the driver/passengers from said clunk better, but they still ALL do it!

I disagree. Neither my '99 F-150 (manual) nor my wifey's 2016 Hyundai Accent 'clunk'. They shift in and out of gear silently and easily. Most cars and light trucks have synchro gears that match the speed of the two gears involved. That usually stops the clunking unless you shift too quickly. Motorcycles tend to have straight-cut gears instead of helical-cut gears and that adds to the clunk you hear as they do not engage as easily. And not all transmissions have synchros on every gear. Typically, first and reverse do not which may be why the clunk is loudest on those two.

[Easy Rider]

Motorcycles tend to have straight-cut gears instead of helical-cut gears and that adds to the clunk you hear as they do not engage as easily.

Sure they do. The gears are "engaged" all the time.
See above post about "constant mesh" transmissions.

[Easy Rider]

Should actually let engine run a bit before engaging reverse?

Depends on what you mean by "a bit".

It is good to let things warm up for a minute or so but beyond that you are just wasting gas.

[Dmetcalf]

My Harley had a difinate and pronounced "clunk" when dropping it in gear. I would allow it to warm up then even pull in the clutch and count to 5 (sometimes 3) and it would clunk ..!

[RTman10]

I would allow it to warm up then even pull in the clutch and count to 5 (sometimes 3) and it would clunk ..!

Pull in the clutch (lever). Now that's a blast from the past. Don't want one of them again.

[RinconRyder]

I would allow it to warm up then even pull in the clutch and count to 5 (sometimes 3) and it would clunk ..!

Pull in the clutch (lever). Now that's a blast from the past. Don't want one of them again.

Back in the old Goldwing days we had one, and only one, Hardley rider. More than once one of the Wings would ride beside her (yes, a little bitty female) when she shifted and the very loud CLUNK would make the Winger think his bike had broken.

[stevencovert]

In neutral the oil circulates through better (according to a BRP release). Warm up in neutral lessens the thud. BRP says there is no damage being done by the clunk.

[Fat Baxter]

I too came over from BMW, so I was used to the same initial clunk.

What I do not miss was the chattering upshift into third gear on my R1100RT ("they all do that"). Didn't do it on the downshift, though. I put up with that for the 73K miles I put on that bike. Always wondering if/when the tranny was going to drop out. But, "they all do that." And there never were any metallic bits in the tranny oil.

I'm also used to different bits of Tupperware resonating at different revs and speeds, so the Spyder's drive belt harmonics didn't bother me. In fact, until someone mentioned it here in one of the threads, I didn't notice it at all.

[RTman10]

I too came over from BMW, so I was used to the same initial clunk.

What I do not miss was the chattering upshift into third gear on my R1100RT ("they all do that"). Didn't do it on the downshift, though. I put up with that for the 73K miles I put on that bike. Always wondering if/when the tranny was going to drop out. But, "they all do that." And there never were any metallic bits in the tranny oil.

I'm also used to different bits of Tupperware resonating at different revs and speeds, so the Spyder's drive belt harmonics didn't bother me. In fact, until someone mentioned it here in one of the threads, I didn't notice it at all.

In fact, until someone mentioned it here in one of the threads, I didn't notice it at all.Thats done it, neither had I until NOW. Might help me forget about the clunk though.