Clunky Gear Change

Old oil. Clutch adjustment.
Of all the Trumps I've had (6), the gearboxes all seemed agricultural

 

Do check chain for excessive looseness
If too loose the snatch of the chain when the clutch is released can cause a snatchiness and rather agricultural feel.
This could also be noticed as a clunk due to not enough tension on the final drive spindle, which affects the selector forks.

So check your chain tension at its tightest spot

 

Still very much in the settling in stage as far as the chain is concerned.
Needs checking every 2,000 tops, don't leave it to the garage

Get the bike on a single sided rear paddock stand
You would need a 17mm socket to release the pinch bolt
In your tool box is the c-spanner and handle extension, then with the c-spanner on the adjuster ddisc (next to the sprocket) gently rotate to get the right tension in the chain at it's tightest spot

 

You need to ride a BMW , my triumph gearboxes are slick compared to that .....

 

My RS has remained pretty slick in terms of gear change but I adjusted the chain tension as a matter of course, after the oil service at about 1000 miles.

My 2016 R got really clunky after about 1500 miles and sorting out the chain slack fixed the problem completely. Definitely something to check out.

 

A paddock stand is a must...but never use it when you check the chain slack. You need the bike on its side stand held upright, with the weight of the bike on the back wheel as usual. If you lift the rear wheel using a stand, the suspension drops and the chain tension changes...and you'll be way off with any adjustments.

 

Apologies if you already know this, but here's my approach if it helps.

It's such an easy thing to check...but quite hard to explain clearly. Grab a ruler, or even a piece of card with measurement marks at 0 mm, 21 mm and 30 mm.

Pick the midpoint between the front and rear sprockets. Holding the ruler (or card) behind the chain, pick a rivet as your fixed reference point and measure how far the chain moves as you push it firmly up and down between the upward point of travel (the 0mm position) and then the downward point of travel (somewhere between a minimum of 21 mm and a maximum of 30 mm).

You should wheel the bike forward and repeat this measurement at different points along the chain, as it may have tight spots. You're looking to base your adjustment at the tightest point (least amount of slack).

Then you undo the 17 mm adjuster clamp bolt (pinch bolt).

The adjustment required using the C spanner is very slight - a few degrees of rotation will tighten or loosen the chain considerably.

Check your measurement before tightening up the adjuster clamp bolt to 55 Nm.

I have found that if it's too loose then the gear change feels slack and not at all positive and makes a clacky noise. If it's too tight (because you ignored the bit where you roll the bike forward to find the tightest point) it will create a horrible ticking sensation. Remember it tightens up more when you sit on the bike.

Finally...the Triumph Toolkit C Spanner is not your friend. It will fall apart at the slightest opportunity and generally make life hard. I bought one of these (based on a recommendation elsewhere on this forum) and it is brilliant.

 

Surely if the Speed Triple is on a paddock stand raising the rear wheel at the axle it would be more accurate than with the bike on its side stand
With some of the weight on the side stand there would be less on the rear wheel and thus the rear shock

So long as the adjustment is made with the understanding that there is enough slack to allow for the full movement up to the chains tightest point (when the rear sprocket, swing arm axle and front sprocket are in line)

I always check my chain whilst the bike is on its rear stand.

 

Well...I described my approach, which has always worked out for me.

I thought it worth checking what it says in the manual...perhaps I should have read it before posting


I inherited my method up from a different bike (Yamaha possibly) and didn't think it would be something that would vary. What I'm realising now, is that the measurement range given by the manufacturer is based on a specific method of measuring it.

I assume then, that 21 - 30 mm requires just the bike weight to be on the rear wheel and a different measurement would be given if it was on paddock stand, or with a rider sat on it.

 

But you're disagreeing with an excerpt from the manual itself. Go figure.

 

This method describes the chain slack measurement when the bike is unloaded resting on both its wheels ( NOT on a stand ), as it describes rolling the bike forward to find the tightest point in the chain run.

 

Have you checked the gear change linkage at the lever on the gear change shaft is tight, as If this is loose it will produce all sorts of issues. Also check the rest of the linkage too.

 

If it turns out not to be the chain, my pals race 675 started to get clunking issues and it was the detent spring please see link. https://www.triumph675.net/forum/showthread.php?t=57497

 

Statement of the bleedin’ obvious to most but correct chain tension varies from bike to bike because the relationship of the gearbox sprocket to swingarm pivot point varies. Normal bikes (wait for it!) will tighten their chain as the suspension compresses. The slack is there to prevent a tight chain inhibiting suspension travel and the chain snapping. Ideally the two should be concentric but the engineering fiddle is seldom worth the marginal improvement in transmission efficiency.

Plenty of saggy Harleys have the exact opposite........the chain gets looser the more you compress the suspension.......