Motorcycle Repair: question about a transmission problem, 1998 yzf600r, clutch lever

Question
Hi, I have a 1998 YZF600R with 15,000 miles on it. All the gears work fine and they never pop out of gear, but when I'm decelerating or let go of the throttle completely there seems to be this rattling noise coming from somewhere close to the shifter, but as soon as you accelerate again it goes away just as long as you keep a constant throttle on it. Also I noticed there's this kinda on off putting feel in the clutch lever. Do you have any ideas? Bad bearings or what?

Answer
Michael, the last time I had a question like this, the drive chain was so loose it was about to jump off the sprockets. When you go on/off the throttle, the slack in the chain moves from bottom to top and back again. I suspect that something is getting ground away underneath your sprocket cover/swing arm/ chain guard by a too loose drive chain. Clean, lube and adjust to specifications listed in your owner's manual.

IF it isn't the chain, then you may have something going on in the transmission...

Bill Silver