Rubbing?? Sound
 

Hey guys, I have a problem with the shawk. At low speeds I hear a sound like kind of like rubbing until I get to higher speeds. It doesnt matter what gear Im in, but I think that it might stop when I pull in the clutch, I could be mistaken on that though. If this is enough information to troubleshoot GREAT! If its not would a recording of the sound help? If so Ill get a recorder on Monday and post up a file with the sound. Thanks a ton!

-Sammy

Rear wheel alignment?
Brakes rubbing?

I noticed by your previous posts you had clutch issues. Is your clutch properly serviced and bled?

Yeah the clutch is doing great now. I have new brake pads and tires that were professionally installed. If an alignment or brake pads are are the problem is that something I can easily fix myself? Or should I take it back to the stealership and have them do it? If they changed the brakes and tires wouldn't that mean they would have to fix them? I got the new stuff a month ago.

How many miles have you put on it since you had the pads put on? You want to make sure the spacers are on the front wheel correctly too. Long one goes to the right as you are sitting on the bike. Could be just the pads bedding themselves in and making the noise. I would give everything a good look to make sure they are tight and straight.

definition of professionally done: Done at a shop where you pay $$$ and expect that they know what they are doing, or are professional. The amount you pay is directly correlated to your expectations of their professionalism and knowledge on the matter, unfortunately it doesn't correlate to their actual professionalism or knowledge in that there is a large variance at each paid dollar for these two factors. Professionally installed...check to make sure that there wasn't too much fluid in either master cylinder reservoir. If there was, it will keep pressure in your entire brake system.

Ok so I checked the fluid levels in both cylinders and it seems to be fine. The rubbing almost sounds like it is coming from the back left of the bike. Maybe even at the chain where it makes the u turn at the back. I could be completely wrong on that, but its kind of disconcerting. Any more ideas for things I should check? Also the chain appears to be rusty, and a little more rusty in one place but it was cleared by the stealership... so I dunno

Check your chain slack and alignmet.

Ok so, I think it is definitely something to do with the chain. I had the GF look at the bike from the ground and behind, and she agreed with me that that's where it seems to be coming from. I'll look in the manual to see how to double check slack and alignment. Thanks for all the help guys. I really appreciate it.

*Edit-
Also the chain appears to be rusty, and a little more rusty in one place but it was cleared by the stealership... so I dunno

I just talked to the stealership and he is pretty certain that the problem is a tight spot in the chain. He told me that replacing the chain will fix it. SOOOOOO since I am VERY poor at the moment I went to the ebays and took a look. Will any of these work? Also if any of you have a stock chain in good shape laying around you want to part with lemme know a price and whatnot. Thanks a ton.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/REGIN...Q5fAccessories
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2002-...Q5fAccessories

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/530-S...Q5fAccessories

Pretty sure this one is rusted http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2002-...Q5fAccessories

Try giving the chain a good cleaning - scrubbing and re-lubing then adjust the slack on it. I have seen that give a bit more life to a warn out chain.

I could give it a try. The middle (functional) part of the chain seems to be relatively nice and silvery, but the outside is definitely rusty and gunked up.

*Tweety Disclaimer*
And yes I know that I need to be taking better care of the chain, I'm just now getting into the care and maintenance of my bike. I apparently purchased a bum bike from the PO and Im still wading through all the problems, good times. That is all :-)

Best get new sprockets as well as a new chain and some KY chain lube/wax to prevent future chaffing...

If you are lucky, it's just a kink that you can loosen up... If it's a stretched link or such cleaning and lubing won't help...

Seriously though... If you are going to pay for a chain, get a new one... It's not that much more expensive... If you are going to run a used one, keep the one you have...

I agree with Tweety, I would never buy a used chain. Sprockets, maybe since you can actually see the wear on them. But a chain, you would never know the mileage.

Also in regards to adjusting your current one. Definitely get a good cleaning on it, use some varsol, or some kind of cleaner that won't dry out the o-rings, try to steer away from Brake Clean. WD-40 works too, but can get messy. (it's a messy job no matter what) But once it's clean, take it for a little blast, warm up the chain, and then get some good quality chain lube, and re-lube the whole thing. As soon as it's lubed, rotate the chain to it's tightest spot, and adjust it there. Keep rotating the wheel until you find where the chain has the least amount of play, and make your adjustments to that spot. A loose chain is FAR better then an overtightened one.

Also, if your "professionals" replaced your pads, they could just be making a lot more noise then your stock pads. I had a set of racing pads installed on an old CBR, and they would howl while riding. I actually liked the sound of them though.

Hope this helps.

If I am trying to take off the chain to give it a really good scub down, and try to work out the tight spot, is it possible to remove it if I dont have a rear tire jack? I cant get the bike off the ground at all.

Nope, you can't even get the chain off even with the wheel lifted or removed. If it's a factory chain, they are usually permanent links, so they are riveted, not removable with out grinding it. So, cleaning must be done on the bike. It's a pain, but it can save you a lot of money. Steel brush, can of WD-40, and a bunch of rags..

Sorry but that statement is not true. You can remove the chain from a SH without cutting or removing the master link.

Just remove the left rear set and the front sprocket cover and it comes right off in an endless loop. Easy as can be.

Oooooh.. My bad!! My bike is not here, so I wasn't 100% sure! I just thought it went through the frame, over and under the swing arm. so, without removing the swing arm bolt, and pulling the swing arm off, that chain stayed on there.

That would be true on a bike with a standard style frame. As the swingarm bolts to the engine on this bike it allows you to pull the chain with minimal fuss.

Okiedokie, its finally the weekend so I was able to actually look at what Im dealing with here. It seems that taking off the left rear set would be easy enough, but would taking off the front sprocket cover require me to empty all the clutch fluid out? It looks like there is a gasket and I know that is where I bleed out the clutch. If I am looking at the wrong thing or if Im about to do something the wrong way could someone please post a pic of what Im looking for and a couple words of encouragement? Thanks a ton guys! Looking forward to riding without an embarrassing sound following me down the road.

Have you picked up or downloaded the service manual yet?
If not do so and it shows you the whole procedure.

But to answer your questions, No you don't need to drain the clutch. You can remove the cover and the slave cylinder without disconnecting the clutch line. In fact you trick you can do is leave the bolt right under where the clutch line attaches to the slave in. Remove the other 2 bolts and the rest of the sprocket cover bolts and leave the slave attached to the sprocket cover when you take it off.

Make sure you bleed the clutch after you put it all back together.

Just tie down the clutch lever to the the bar before taking off the sprocket cover. (Bleeding the clutch with a jam jar, tubing & spanner is only a five minute job anyway).

Don't worry about the gasket it's not hypercritical, and while you've got that area apart give the inside of the cover and area around the front sprocket a good clean out of all the lube/grit/gunge. esp the clutch rod.

Remember on reassembly to tighten the swing arm nut to the correct torque with a torque wrench (you'll need a socket on the other-side to stop it from spinning).

Here's some pics when I did a rear linkage overhaul

http://gallery.me.com/spaderunner/100172