newbie Q: clunk sound after shifting?

hi, i test rode a SV650 yesterday and loved it! except for one thing... each time just after i shifted it would CLUNK. it shifted fine but then "CLUNK" it did not feel "right" to me (almost like something was loose or not working right) but i know NOTHING about motorcycle mechanics and before yesterday i had only ridden the Honda Nighthawk 250 in the MSF class.

this is a 2005 bike from the showroom floor, new but test ridden. i asked the dealer and he said he thought i was "babying it" and letting the RPM go down too low when shifting (could be, i am still learning). my friend (also a new rider) test rode it too and felt the same thing. the dealer test rode it for me to verify, and said it was fine.

does anyone know what the "CLUNK" is, if it's "normal", if something is wrong with that particular bike, to all SV650, to bikes bigger than 250, ... if it is something normal during break-in, ... or if it's *me* doing something wrong?

i love the bike! the fit, the feel, the size, the power, the style, the color, the price, ... i love pretty much everything about it ... except the clunk worries me a little.

thoughts, comments, etc. all welcome but please be gentle, i am new.
thanks!
Jan

[northwind]

It's possible it was just drivetrain noise...

Did it happen through all gears?

It can be a bit clunky at low revs. I know it sometimes makes a clunking noise when I put it into first at a standstill but I don't worry about it.

Originally Posted by northwind

It's possible it was just drivetrain noise...

does that mean you think it may be "normal"?

Originally Posted by Couerdelion

Did it happen through all gears?

It can be a bit clunky at low revs. I know it sometimes makes a clunking noise when I put it into first at a standstill but I don't worry about it.

i think it was all gears, but i wasn't going very fast, just a short distance and not fast at all. i probably did let the RPMs go low like he said. my friend said it only happened to her shifting from first to second.

maybe i just wasn't going fast enough? i was a little nervous, i've only ridden those 2 afternoons in MSF class, and this was the first time on a real street with cars! i will be fine with some practice (i live next to a mall).

i plan to go test ride it again maybe next Saturday. i will find an empty lot near there and figure out if it was just me or if something is odd with that bike. maybe he will let me try the yellow one to see if it was just that one (blue) bike.

i have to say i really LOVE the bike tho!

[northwind]

Originally Posted by jan92653

does that mean you think it may be "normal"?

It's hard to say without hearing it... But yeah, it could well be. If it is, you should be able to sort it with smoother clutch action and better matching of revs to speed- that'll come with time. Do you find any lurch or change of speed at all when it happens? (even a small one?)

Originally Posted by northwind

It's hard to say without hearing it... But yeah, it could well be. If it is, you should be able to sort it with smoother clutch action and better matching of revs to speed- that'll come with time. Do you find any lurch or change of speed at all when it happens? (even a small one?)

change of speed? i dunno. i don't think so. it felt more like when i released the clutch, something just CLUNK'd into place. then i gave it more throttle and it moved again. it was not horrible, it just didn't seem right to me. but it very well could be just me.

i definitely have to try it again. i was so excited to be riding it ( first time riding something above the 250 in class, and first time out of the parking lot! ) ... i was a little nervous, slightly overwhelmed, happy, excited, etc. so i am not really sure. i was thinking it was just me til my friend said she felt the same thing.

i am going to try to go test it again next Saturday (they close at 5pm during the week and i work til 4:30 so i can't get there til just minutes before they close) and see if i can spend a little more time with it and see if i can make it shift more smoothly without the CLUNK. it could very well be i am just not used to it or not shifting correctly. (i did ok in class but that was a 250, i guess it could be different?).

i LOVE LOVE LOVE the bike other than the CLUNK!
thanks for your help!
Jan

[northwind]

Hmm. Not sure then... well, let us know how you get on, I reckon you'll work it out.

I think your just shifting 2 slow now that i think about it if I take my good old time shifting gears it does put out a clunk when going in on mine. Just try to click it up faster no need to be gentle.