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I ride an '85 Kawasaki ZL900 with 16,000 miles. Recently, I've noticed a grinding noise in my transmission while in certain gears. I can especially hear it in fifth gear (six speed tranny). I was riding down the highway tonight, and couldn't shift into sixth gear at all...i was greeted with the same grinding noise when I tried...forcing it through wasn't an option. When I throttle and release in third, it sounds as though its coming unseated from the gear and then settling back in. In fifth, the noise is continuous, but performance seems to remain. There's some slip when steadily accelerating(not open throttle) in first, which leads me to believe this all might be clutch related, or at least i hope so. The problem isn't exactly the same each time I ride, but it's happening a lot more regularly now. Anyone had any similar problems, or have any reccomendations? I could really use some help. Thanks.

I think I would be looking at the clutch first, too. And it's easier to access than the tranny gears. Slipping points to clutch not gears, and so does trouble in all gears. Often a tranny will fail one gearset or shaft first, so any problems tend to show in certain gears and not others.

How's the oil look? Lots of shiny metallic particulate? Black and burnt smelling?

Buzz is on the money. Sounds like your clutch is spent! If it's adjusted too tightly to make up for its lack of grabbing power, it won't completely disengage and cause the shifting trouble you're seeing.

If you've done it before, you could try dry-shifting into the troublesome sixth gear. This means not using the clutch and can be carefully done. Let us know if you've done this or if you need further instruction.

BuzZz wrote:I think I would be looking at the clutch first, too. And it's easier to access than the tranny gears. Slipping points to clutch not gears, and so does trouble in all gears. Often a tranny will fail one gearset or shaft first, so any problems tend to show in certain gears and not others.

How's the oil look? Lots of shiny metallic particulate? Black and burnt smelling?

I just changed the oil less than 100 miles ago. I still have the old oil and filter in my garage. I'll have to check for debris. Most likely won't get a chance to get to it until the weekend though.

Skier wrote:Buzz is on the money. Sounds like your clutch is spent! If it's adjusted too tightly to make up for its lack of grabbing power, it won't completely disengage and cause the shifting trouble you're seeing.

If you've done it before, you could try dry-shifting into the troublesome sixth gear. This means not using the clutch and can be carefully done. Let us know if you've done this or if you need further instruction.

This is my first bike, and I've had it for one season.The only work I've done so far is with the carbs. Any instruction you could offer would be appreciated.

85zl900 wrote:

Skier wrote:Buzz is on the money. Sounds like your clutch is spent! If it's adjusted too tightly to make up for its lack of grabbing power, it won't completely disengage and cause the shifting trouble you're seeing.

If you've done it before, you could try dry-shifting into the troublesome sixth gear. This means not using the clutch and can be carefully done. Let us know if you've done this or if you need further instruction.

This is my first bike, and I've had it for one season.The only work I've done so far is with the carbs. Any instruction you could offer would be appreciated.

Quick and dirty guide to dry-shifting:

Ride along at about the RPMs you want to start shifting into the next gear. Next, sharply roll off the throttle and just a split-second later, pull that shifter peg up into the next gear as you start rolling back on the throttle. If you do it right, it'll pop right into the next gear, no clutch needed.

It works by taking advantage of the "slop" in the drivetrain. Everything from the crank to the rear tire's final drive has a bit of imperfection in it. You're taking advantage of this to get the engine and transmission spinning at the proper speeds. Normally, your clutch allows for a speed difference and gently brings them back to an agreed speed.