screeching while shifting

[78airhead456]

hello i recently purchased a 1978 r100/7. i had it completely rehauled by a master airhead mechanic, one of a handful im the nation just happened to live close by. anyway i had expressed that it was sometimes making a horrible screeching noise while shifting, that goes away if i shift gears or go into neutral. well after picking it up it is continuing to do it. could it be me just short shifting the gears? the clutch was replaced and all the appropriate lubrication was preformed. is this something i should be concerned about or should i just work on my shifting?

[Rob Frankham]

That sounds very much like a failed bearing in the gearbox although there are other possibilities, the clutch thrust bearing for example. A bad gearchange might cause a clunk as the gears change but not a screech. If this was happening when you got the bike... or if it is in a warranty period... you should take it straight back to the mechanic and say 'Fix it!'.

If my first guess (failed bearing) is correct, that's a complete gearbox rebuild so you don't want to mess with it.

Rob

[Kurt in S.A.]

The bearing is the easiest thing to check first. It could also be the fingers of the clutch diaphragm spring rubbing the pressure plate as the clutch is being engage. Once the gear change is complete, the noise goes away. The tips of the fingers should have been lubed with a small amount of tacky grease. Something to check if/when you have to look into the clutch pack.

Kurt