Motorcycle Repair: Feels like grinding gears!!!!, suzuki gsxr 600, 2004 suzuki gsxr

Question
Hello there,

My name is Paul and I very recently took a 200 mile ride (each way) over this past weekend.  I ride a 2004 Suzuki GSXR 600 (a little soar today!).  Near the end of my trip as I was downshifting, approaching a light, when I let off the throttle and let the rpm's run low the gears feel like they start grinding and clicking together.  It got much worse very quickly, I managed to limp it home because my local shop was closed yesterday 9/21.  I am now very nervous about the diagnosis of my bike and am looking for any ideas so I can either work on it myself or atleast give the shop a heads up and try to save a little money.  I had a dirt bike growing up and on that I once had a cracked crankcase and ended up stripping out gears and I am praying it is not that serious,  also I did just change the oil myself but all levels were regular and at the correct levels.  I am very desperate for any input, please get back to me at your earliest convenience since I can not get my bike out of my head I need to start atleast diagnosing the problem.


Thanks for any help!!
Paul Andrus
Sept. 22
Boulder, Co 80304


Answer
Hi Paul...

Well... grinding and clicking noises are not something you want to hear from your Baby... so, I understand how ya are feeling right now. The good news is that the problem may be your chain. When a chain stretches too much, the end result is often heard as a grinding and clicking sound... and it is more likely to occur after a long haul. First thing to do is check the freeplay on the chain. Some techs say to do this with the rear tire off the ground, I say do it with the rear tire on the ground. Use your finger and place it under the down loop of the chain about halfway between the front and rear sprockets. Lift up on the chain and gauge the distance the chain moves upward. Anything more than three-quarters of an inch and the chain is too loose. But just being too loose does not cause the noise... the noise is caused cuz the chain is stretched too long to fit the sprockets properly. That means that even if you adjust the chain to get the proper freeplay, you may still have the noise. I would also inspect the rear sprocket and make sure the teeth are fat and not "leaning" towards the front of the bike. If the chain and sprockets seem proper to you, then I would definately suggest you get her to the shop to be diagnosed proper like... there may be something much worse than a stretched chain. Hope this helps ya Paul...

Jack