Like the title says...i have a 2011 EG Classic, 41k, the clutch and primary were recently adjusted....but .i had this slight issue before the adjustments were made....so..when i first fire up the bike, or restart after shes been sitting a little while, after taking off then coming into The initial stop when going back into 1st i get this weird rubbing/whirring sound/sensation as the bike comes to a stop....it sounds like its coming from the front of the primary and i can feel the "rubbing" in the shifter as i put it into 1st and slow down.....Once i take off again/bike warms up i cannot get the noise to repeat....the location is leading me to believe its maybe the compensator...my local wrench said its common for the SE compensator to make some whirring noise.....idk....is the primary chain or tensioner too tight? I was told on the last adjustment that it was pretty loose, but like i said i noticed it before the last adjustments were made. The clutch seems to be working fine, the tranny shifts as it should and like i said it only happens initially when i get back down to 1st with the clutch pulled in...weird...any ideas or reasons to be concerned?

 

Your primary chain is not adjustable. And there is no way to see it when they do the clutch. Not sure why you are pulling the clutch in to slow to stop at 3rd gear. If it's safe to not worry about being in gear all the time, just come off the throttle and when you get that sense of bike is too slow for gear range, clutch and finish both brakes to a stop. You need to keep transmission spinning a little for a smooth shift.

A really too tight primary chain makes a whining sound at speed. Clutching takes all rever push off compensator. Most of the time, you can hear compensator if the fingers are rough is at idle. That actually hurts nothing. And it sure is not going to break or leave you stranded.

It is possible at 41K if bike it banged a lot to have uneven chain wear. They will cause auto adjusting tensioner to get tight. It has to have a long worn area in the chain to jump too far. Then, of course, it will be tight in a spot. Probably hurts nothing. The auto adjuster spring loaded and you really have to push on chain hard with the front primary cover off to check it.

 

Oh ok. I think you misunderstood me. Or I am not explaining it clearly. ..I am not stopping from 3rd gear I was just using it as an example of the initial take off to the first stop... I get up to like 3rd, or 4th or maybe only 2nd for that matter, doesn't matter, point is when I get to where I have to initially stop. I'll downshift as needed to slow up, it's when I get into 1st as I roll to a stop with the clutch pulled in. I am well versed on engine rpms and downshifting and braking with BOTH brakes lol...been riding for almost 30 years. I'm just bad at giving an example!! Haha.

I also know about the self adjusting primary chain...again a bad explanation. The entire outer primary cover was off when it was checked, not just the derby cover. I guess I'm asking if the self adjusting tensioner can go bad?

 

Edited the original post for clarity lol😃

 

Your bike should have the automatic tensioner installed. So I'm a little suspicious about a claim that the chain was excessively loose. Equally, it would be entirely possible for the shop to ratchet the tensioner too tight.

 

Auto adjustable chain tensioners fail too.

 

I guess that's essentially what I'm asking...again I told you guys I'm bad at explaining lol...it definitely feels like its rubbing...only for a few seconds, only the first time shifting back into 1st as the bike rolls to a stop. I'm talking 10mph or less...does that make sense?

 

The tensioner ratchets from tension on drive to when you let up and the load goes the other way. There is a trigger with dog ramps. There has to be enough play in the chain from engine drive to reverse load of bike drag to move the ratchet one notch. When installed, the spring-loaded tensioner is tied down with plastic tie wraps. Once they are cut, it jumps up taking up the slack. It may if you turn engine with rear wheel and then turn it back hard get one more tooth. Usually, it does not do that. Think it depends on how the drive is when the straps are cut. I have installed 3 of them. On older bikes. Two have since been take out. Including mine. My chain had too much uneven wear. The other was OK but the compensator was noisy and the tensioner and I got the blame.

Why did they remove your primary cover?

I doubt the tensioner will go bad in normal riding. Even a lot of miles may actually grove the shoe in on the chain links but once the rollers of the chain hit, they roll and wear stops. My original shoe on my manual adjuster has 50K on it.

 

I took it in for a SLIGHT bit of clutch drag and this wierd noise...honestly I think 95 percent of it was in my head. ..I adjusted the clutch myself to the exact spec of the service manual. No big change. Then brought it to the local dealer...they "adjusted" it...no change, then I went to a local indy to check yet again lol. . I'm assuming they removed the outer cover to inspect the chain and check the compensator? They did not report any wear on it....I think they only adjusted the clutch to spec (which is now better) and tightened the adjuster? I was told everything checked out ok, and like I said, the bike runs and shifts fine, it's just that weird noise in the beginning for a few seconds....like the chain is rubbing against something for a few turns. You can hear and feel it like a belt that is tracking and finding its groove...

 

Did they tighten your adjuster? If so, it sounds like they may have forced it to the next notch and it's probably a little tight causing the whirring sound. Ride it and let the tensioner wear in again and it should go away. That is of course until it continues to wear, jumps to the next notch again and the sound comes back. Mine does this occasionally. I wouldn't worry about it. The adjuster should be good for over a 100,000 miles. Mine was changed at 112,000 as part of a rebuild.

If the noise really bothers you, get a good amp and speaker upgrade