CBF125 Intermittent Grouching Noise Clutch/Gearbox

[MattRad]

So yesterday my CBF125 started making an intermittent grouching noise coming from I am now pretty certain is the clutch.

I'm not a complete novice these days neither at riding nor at maintaining it just never bothered to upgrade or probably more accurately been able to afford it Haven’t bothered to get the 33bhp restriction taken off my licence either yet but that’s another story.

So recent history, I took it on a mentally long ride to North Wales this weekend and racked up 500 miles. Also a kind lady decided to bash into it in the car park and drop it on one side, and then pick it up and not knowing bikes it then drop it on the other side. So it's been in the wars. I rode the 250 miles home with just cosmetic damage after this fine though so probably more to do with the hammering it got going up and back. She's done 12250 miles now and been serviced by myself at all the correct intervals except the first which was late at 1500 because I got it at 500 and didn't know it immediately needed a service.

So I've had the clutch cover off before to do the oil strainer and the centrifugal filter. So thinking of taking it off again and having a look. It needs doing again in 3000 miles anyway.

So the dealers suggested you can get 20000miles plus on a clutch but possibly beginning to be towards the end of its life? Other thing is I have the biting point set closer to the bars than is perhaps correct/optimal because I am a little chap and have short hands and struggle to ride safely with a long reach to the biting point. This might have contributed to additional ware? So it has more slack, and perhaps doesn't fully disengage when leaver is fully pulled. Still I argue it is likely to not be fully engaged where the shop set it when I took it to it's first MOT (without telling me) which might make it slip under normal riding conditions. It's engaged a lot more than it is disengaged right?

Anyway, it's very intermittent and only just started and doesn't sound great, but she still rides and goes forward fine and in and through gears fine. When it happens it ever so slightly puts a small amount of drive into the bike and nudges it forward slightly. Not even enough to need the brake to keep it still. It comes and goes and sometimes twice in close succession. It then warms up and it can go away completely but will always return on the 2 subsequent times I've tried to ride it and then warm it up for a test. I'm not risking riding it now

It sometimes is more challenging to get out of gear into neutral than it had been which would indicate more clutch than gearbox I would have though? It's very strange and she's been far better to me than seemly I have been reading they have been to others. Engine is turning over and sounds nice still. She only ever needed the regulars and chain and sprockets as well as inevitable like brake pads disk and shoes. So this is the first unexpected problem.

So I've done everything on her so far and would love to not have to give in and take her to the shop to be fixed. So plan is to take the clutch cover off and give it an inspection, it might be obvious but might not so looking for any advice based on the symptoms.

Then if she does need a new clutch there's a special peg spanner that is required for removing the centrifugal filter. Has anyone ever bought one of those? The dealer didn't know immediately what it was or how much it was but said that all the Honda tools are expensive . There's also a need for a brace to be made up out of a flat bar and some bolts to keep the clutch from turning while undoing the centre nut. This looks easy enough to fabricate. I've done car clutches before so not too daunted by this if I can get the tool, the bike has been so easy to work on so hoping this will be relatively easy again too.

Would be great to have some ideas of what I might find when I get round to draining the oil (nearly needs changing again) and taking the cover off?

Cheers guys.

[TomReilly]

Did you try turn it off and on again
____________________
Motorcycle riding can be really cozy. If you want to be a little closer to your passenger, brake a little quicker for the next stop.

[MattRad]

[TomReilly]

I'm not the best mechanic mate so I'm not help really, I'm more of a machine engineer guy not engines haha.

I had a similar problem with bite point though, I'm 5'5 short hands too etc and I was on one of the busiest roads in my area behind a lot of traffic and even with the clutch held in the bike would roll forward so I had to hold the brake in, and I only had the rear at the time so with someone of my size on a big supermoto, stretching over to reach the brake pedal all the way down.. it was not fun at all.

I figured it out by just adjusting the clutch cable giving it more/less slack until it was at the perfect bite point for me.
____________________
Motorcycle riding can be really cozy. If you want to be a little closer to your passenger, brake a little quicker for the next stop.