[Subbu-500]

Hi guys, i have been hearing a new noise from my 2014 UCE B5 Carb version over the last 3 to 4 weeks. It sounds like a metalic grinding/slipping noice mostly in 2nd gear under specific conditions:
1) when the engine is still cold and i try to accelerate hard in 1st and/or 2nd gear.
2) even when engine is nicely warmed up, if i have a pillion rider and i try to pull away from a speed breaker or climb up an incline in 2nd gear in a hurry.

I feel/hear the noise only for a second or two but once the revs have climbed up, it disappears. Never happens while on the go no matter what gear or speed i am doing. Have not noticed any drop in power (yet).
Took it to the RE service station and like in most cases, just could not replicate the issue to the mechanic no matter how hard i tried  . Do you guys think this could be early signs of a dying clutch?

PS: Forgot to mention that my B5 has a little under 23k miles on the odo.

[Bmadd34]

Hmmmm.... A bit hard to say not being able to see it occur first hand. Could a number of things. Possibly post a video?

[ROVERMAN]

Check the chain for condition and adjustment first i would think.
Roverman.

[gashousegorilla]

Hi guys, i have been hearing a new noise from my 2014 UCE B5 Carb version over the last 3 to 4 weeks. It sounds like a metalic grinding/slipping noice mostly in 2nd gear under specific conditions:
1) when the engine is still cold and i try to accelerate hard in 1st and/or 2nd gear.
2) even when engine is nicely warmed up, if i have a pillion rider and i try to pull away from a speed breaker or climb up an incline in 2nd gear in a hurry.

I feel/hear the noise only for a second or two but once the revs have climbed up, it disappears. Never happens while on the go no matter what gear or speed i am doing. Have not noticed any drop in power (yet).
Took it to the RE service station and like in most cases, just could not replicate the issue to the mechanic no matter how hard i tried  . Do you guys think this could be early signs of a dying clutch?

PS: Forgot to mention that my B5 has a little under 23k miles on the odo.

  Did your Mechanic at least pull the left side cover off and take a look ?    It's doesn't take very long to do ?

 The first thing I think of when I hear about noise behind the left side cover, is that the bolt spun out of the crank shaft which holds the sprag gear in place.... it's happens so often on these bikes.  It gets knocked around by the primary chain, wedged between the case or cover or even worse.  It could also be that the 24 mm nut is loose holding the clutch assembly to the main shaft ?   It could also be a bad push pad bearing or a bad auto chain tensioner , maybe the spring has broke?... but they gotta look.

[Blairio]

Agreed. Is noise doesn't occur under load it suggests that something is loose, and the free play at idle is taken up when the drive train is working harder. The description of the noise sounds not unlike one I used to get on an old suzuki when the clutch basket retaining nut worked loose.

Does it make a difference with the clutch pulled in? A noisy clutch release bearing (if these bikes have one!) will go quiet under load.

[Subbu-500]

Did your Mechanic at least pull the left side cover off and take a look ?

No he did not as i was unable to reproduce the noise in his presence ...like i said, i tried really hard to do so. asked him to ride pillion and took off in 2nd gear from stand still, climbed a sidewalk in second etc...but the damn noise just wouldn't show up.

Is noise doesn't occur under load it suggests that something is loose, and the free play at idle is taken up when the drive train is working harder.

The noise is louder and comes more often when i have a pillion rider. But like i mentioned, it is only under specific conditions.
I think i will take it to an independent mechanic and have him take a look. The RE service centers are so crowded always that they just dont have the time to spend on investigation. They would readily and happily declare a part bad and replace them.

[Subbu-500]

Well, the occational noise is still there alright, but now the engine knocks a lot more compared to earlier when accelerating hard in any gear but the 1st. Though i cannot feel any drop in the way my B5 pulls, i can surely feel it struggling to get past 70 kmph. I used to be comfortably sitting at 80 kmph at 1/4 throttle earlier. However, on my ride back home last evening, i was shocked to find that the speedo would not cross 60-65 at the same throttle input. When i open it a bit more to say 40%, it does get to 80 but engine feels stressed/restrained  ...its like something is holding it back. Really worried now. Should i just go ahead and get the full clutch assembly changed like the service center guy suggested? Or are these symptoms of something worse? Please help

[hpwaco]

As mentioned several times, the cover really needs to come off for a look.  If you are not comfortable doing it, have the independent mechanic you mentioned do it - before a serious problem occurs.

[Bilgemaster]

If I recall correctly, you recently had a swing arm bushing replaced to cure some sort of "thunking" under power. I wonder if this might influence the focus of diagnosis, since the whole primary drive may have been over-stressed. I'd want to take a good look inside there--particularly at the whole clutch assembly and its bearings.

Good luck, buddy.

[Subbu-500]

If I recall correctly, you recently had a swing arm bushing replaced to cure some sort of "thunking" under power. /quote]
It wasn't me does this change your diagnosis

[Bilgemaster]

If I recall correctly, you recently had a swing arm bushing replaced to cure some sort of "thunking" under power. /quote]
It wasn't me does this change your diagnosis

My mistake. It must have been another of your countryman with the thunking swing arm bushing. But, yes, it still sounds to me like a close look at the clutch and the rest of the primary would be in order.