Kawasaki 4 stroke dirt bike mechanical question..

[oonighttrain]

picked up an 08 klx 450r the other day. bike is pristine with only 90 miles on it.. when you are riding it in any gear with the clutch released, it makes a clattering noise.. pull the clutch in, it goes away..

think its got a broken clutch plate or??

thanks!

 

[motojunkie101]

Its got to be in the clutch, I'd pop the cover and take a look. Just make sure to lay the bike on its left side so you dont dump oil all over.

If you have to get new plates, let them soak in oil for 24 hours before you install them.

 

[Ex-Member]

Could be valves... might be worth a check.

Do you have a service manual for it?

 

[BigRed118]

I would change the oil. Make sure you are using moto oil and not auto oil. If it hasn't been riddin for a while it might have a stuck plate.

 

[motojunkie101]

I would change the oil. Make sure you are using moto oil and not auto oil. If it hasn't been riddin for a while it might have a stuck plate.

Thats a good point, make sure you get your oil from a bike shop to make sure its the right stuff. Most oils wont work because they aren't designed to lube the engine as well as the clutch.

I wouldn't think that the valves would clatter only when he is riding it, especially with only 90 miles on the bike...they should be in pristine condition.

either way...with only 90 miles on it you might check with the kawi dealer to see if its got any time left on the factory warranty.

 

[Ex-Member]

Thats a good point, make sure you get your oil from a bike shop to make sure its the right stuff. Most oils wont work because they aren't designed to lube the engine as well as the clutch.

I wouldn't think that the valves would clatter only when he is riding it, especially with only 90 miles on the bike...they should be in pristine condition.

either way...with only 90 miles on it you might check with the kawi dealer to see if its got any time left on the factory warranty.

Eh, i'm using rotella synthetic in mine... same specs, just not sold for $20 a friggin' liter. $14 a gallon is a lot easier to swallow when i'm changing oil once a month.

 

[PJ-Hunter]

Meh, just drain the gear oil and look over the clutch plates. Not that hard and it would be a good thing to look at them anyways. 90 miles on a race bike (if it in fact, has been raced) could wear out plates pretty quick.

 

[powpow]

It could be clutch plates, springs, or,,,,,,,the basket has grooves in the fingers allowing the plates to move an 1/8 of an inch.

How loud is the sound?
Does it change with RPM?

 

[BigRed118]

Eh, i'm using rotella synthetic in mine... same specs, just not sold for $20 a friggin' liter. $14 a gallon is a lot easier to swallow when i'm changing oil once a month.

I just checked the Rotella website and I do not see any motorcycle oil listed. A bike oil is totally different than an auto oil. An auto oil has more friction additives and less shear protection. Remember, your car, truck, etc. uses 3 different oils for the engine, transmission, and rear end. A bike uses 1(now 2 with some of the new MX bikes). If you use auto oil in your bike, the plates will slip, the transmission will wear early and you will have problems. I understand that bike oil is more money but it is doing more work. Run what you want, but don't complain when you have issues with your bike.

 

[skid]

I just checked the Rotella website and I do not see any motorcycle oil listed. A bike oil is totally different than an auto oil. An auto oil has more friction additives and less shear protection. Remember, your car, truck, etc. uses 3 different oils for the engine, transmission, and rear end. A bike uses 1(now 2 with some of the new MX bikes). If you use auto oil in your bike, the plates will slip, the transmission will wear early and you will have problems. I understand that bike oil is more money but it is doing more work. Run what you want, but don't complain when you have issues with your bike.

Lots of people run the rotella diesel oil in their fourstroke mx bikes. I am one, if you do a search on thumpertalk.com you will see it is very popular. There is one guy on there that tests his oil and has had his best results with that over expensive synthetics.

 

[BigRed118]

In the motor or in the transmission?. It depends on the MX bike. Some have seperate oils now. CRF's and KXF's I know, the RMZ's and YZF's I think are still single oil. If you run this oil in the tranny, you will have issues. If it is in the motor, I would question it but I can see where it might work. The problem is in the rating. The bikes do require a certain amount of friction and shear protection(when the gears crush the oil) for everything to work properly. The newer auto oils do not offer that.

 

[oonighttrain]

i honestly think it could be the chain.. either too tight or too loose... or not enough lube..

the noise is mostly there when you are riding a constant speed.. kinda just cruising..

i dont think it can be anything serious, it only has 94 miles on it..