Motorcycle Repair: yamaha virago-transmission problem?, metal shavings, yamaha virago 750

Question
hi there i have a 1990 yamaha virago 750, my brother inlaw was borrowing it the other day and while riding it, it started making this terrible noise when we pull in the clutch.  it sounds like a rattling from straight below the very front of the seat.  my husband drained the oil and it has metal shavings in it that was not there the week before when he changed the oil & filter. he also checks the rear end (which the local mechanic told him to do) but there isn t anything wrong there (except when he put it back together, now the rear tire won t move at all) we have a manual for the bike, but it really doesn t have anything that we can find that would give us some idea what the problem is. any idea as to what may be the problem, or where to start? oh yeah, when the noise started, my brother in law was down shifting at a higher speed. not sure if that had anything to do with it or not.

Answer
Hi Lisa.

This problem is known to sometimes happen with the Virago.  It will need the engine split to access the components needing to be replaced.

It sounds as if the final drive side of the transmission has a problem internally.  He's fortunate that the problem didn't finally culminate in it's present state while the bike was being ridden.

Get the bike into the shop.  It may be cheaper to replace the motor than to go into it.

Good luck and ride safe.
FALCON