Engine noise due to anti rattle gear adjustment
 

Recently, I had my clutch apart (hub off) and I neglected to load the anti rattle gear against the crank gear and then hold it with a punch and slide the clutch basket back on while keeping spring pressure on the rattle gear. (Per the repair manual)
I just lined up the teeth and the oil pump pins and slid the hub back on.
The engine made a lot of noise after that until I opened her back up and set the gears. This left slack in the anti rattle gear and it.......well, rattled. LOUDLY. It is the noise of the springs rattling around loose under no pressure. (Removing the gear and the springs would also make it not rattle)
Everything still worked perfectly. I rode it for two days...
It left me wondering how many of our Superhawks with chronically noisy engines had had their clutch baskets off in the past and how many of them did not get the anti rattle gear pre-loaded on re assembly?
I'm actually a mechanic and I overlooked it. I was slow and methodical in my mod of the shifter and was certain that I'd done everything correctly.
You must twist the rattle gear clockwise against spring tension on the crank gear and then hold them in position while re-installing the clutch hub.
I realize that this is a "no brainer" to some of you, but it would have been invaluable information to me.....:)

This thing
BEHIND THE IGNITION ROTOR

Hi Zero, seeing as you've been through your clutch recently, how much freeplay does the clutch basket itself have? I peered through my oil fill hole and operated the clutch lever (engine off) and I can see the plates move a little as expected, but I also get a small movement of the clutch basket itself, a slight rocking movement which I imagine is play in the clutch bearing. Do you have that?

A second question, if I pull the crankcase cover off, is it obvious whether the anti-rattle gears are preloaded correctly?

Mine doesn't move. Just the plates become loose. (I still have the engine cover off) No play at all.
I think if you look closely, you can see if the three backing springs are under pressure or not. But you must remove the cover.

Thanks Zero, looks like a clutch cover removal is in my future!

I know this is an old post but I still think it is relevant. After my engine rebuild I ran the bike with the anti-rattle gear installed. It rattling clucking chicken noises at idle. I later, after some clutch work, removed the anti-rattle gear. There was no change but I just hated that the bike sounded like a Ducati with the clutch lever pulled. So, since I had the fairing off I decided to get in there and re install the anti-rattle gear one more time. This time I took my time and just looked at the set up. You can install the anti-rattle gear in a position where the teeth line up and the anti-rattle gear touches the springs. in this position the anti-rattle gear rattles against the teeth of the clutch basket. I think the way it is designed to be installed is by moving the anti-rattle gear clockwise, depressing the springs and making the clutch basket gear and the drive gear mesh solidly. In this configuration there is no play in the clutch basket drive against the drive gear. Here is my dilemma, the anti-rattle gear is not easy to install with springs depressed to this extent. The book shows a tech with a screwdriver aligning the teeth on the anti-rattle gear with the drive gear teeth. That is a really lousy description. In reality I had to use a small drift punch, inserted in the holes to align the gears and even then it seemed like it just barely worked. The gears are really snug and I am still not sure if this is correct because the book says nothing about proper tensioning of the anti-rattle gear. I do not know how it works yet because I have a gasket on order. I will let you know how it goes..

Digging up old threads is encouraged, as long as you don't try and answer a question that was asked years and years ago, lol! Adding info is always welcomed Jim.
And BTW, I absolutely love the sound of a dry Ducati clutch! I wish my Multi had one!

I still have a rattly sounding clutch, and I'm fairly sure I have the anti-rattle gears properly tensioned (they needed a very good tweak with a screwdriver to get the clutch basket gear in place). When I recently had the clutch basket out, I noticed there is quite a bit of rattle coming from the 6 damper springs in the back of the basket. Some of these were loose enough to move with a fingertip i.e. putting no tension on the clutch damper mechanism. I suspect that the rattle in my clutch is getting worse as these springs get older and loose their tension.

I too love the sound of a Ducati, on a Ducati!
I am going to give the anti-rattle gear a good college try and see if I can't mitigate a little of the noise. I hate it when people ask "is is supposed to sound like that?"