Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums General Tech Sometimes click-Sometimes clunk.

my 2004 Speedmaster has 42000 klms. on it. Until recently it was as smooth as silk when changing gear. Now when changing gear it either goes in smooth or it goes in with a clunk which sounds like moving gears meshing. Before I start ripping it apart I would like some suggestions on what to look for. The problem isn't related to any specific gear change. Sometimes 1st to 2nd. Sometimes 3rd to 4th. Or any other up shift.

Has anybody else had this problem.

Oil is new 10-40 synthetic.
Clutch free play is as the Triumph manual.

My 03 BA commonly goes clunk when shifting. I kinda like it and attributed it to just being Triumph.

Hey Frank

mine clunks occaisionally, seems to be more noticeable when the engine is "cold". I'd give it the Kodak Treatment.




wait and see what develops.

Mine starts to do that when I get close to oil change time.
Maybe try a different oil on your next change.

Maybe I am worrying to much. I have the oil already for my next oil change which co-incidently is a different brand (Mobil 1). Currently running Fuchs which cost me an arm and a leg.
It clunks when it is both hot & cold, but not all the time.
It never clunks on a downshift, being from the old school I always give it a few revs before downshifting.

When was the last time you adjusted the cable a bit allowing for some stretch.

Good thinking Ron.

Yeh, mine clunks sometimes too an other times it's smooth. 1,200 miles. Just got it 2 days ago. New oil, but not synthetic, I think I may switch to synthetic to see if that helps. It's a pretty loud clunk. Other times really smooth.

I just went from a 10w40 to Mobil 1 20w50 and I noticed a difference in the feel and sound of my shifts...taking into account for being anal and having papers certifying my status of basket case, there was a difference...I am now going to stay with the Mobil 1...THIS is NOT another oil thread, just an observation : )

Mountainman has the right answer, it's the nature of the Triumph Bonnies. My 04 America did it brand new, as does the 04 Thruxton and t-100. All the Bonnie variants do it.

"or it goes in with a clunk which sounds like moving gears meshing"

are you achieving full disengagement of the clutch? Sounds like no. Yeah you mentioned "it either goes in smooth" too, but having the engine at the proper rpms will manually sinc the gears.

Try this, upshift using only a throttle cut. Clutchless speed shifting. Does it make the 'clunk which sounds like moving gears meshing' when speed shifting?

Down shifting with a throttle blip syncs the gears just fine. Not blipping sometimes are associated with louder clunks.

The reason I write this is nowhere have I read about clunky trannys and moving gears meshing in the same post.

When you are sitting at idle, in gear, with the clutch lever pulled all the way to the grip, does the bike want to roll forward?

r a m b l i n g over...

Try putting a little (not enough to make it shift) pressure on the shifter just before you pull the clutch to shift. Aside from that, it's a Triumph thing.

When I switched from 10-50 to 10-40 (per the owner's manual), the clunk went away. Perfect shifts ever since then. I have always used Amsoil fully synthetic. The only difference was the oil weight, and evidently that was the problem. I believe the original Triumph shop manual said 10-50 but the owner's manual said 10-40. Anyway, the 10-40 works right for my bike.

If I pull the clutch in and leasurly shift it'll clunk, but if I quick shift it, it is smooth. You know shift as soon as I take pressure off the clutch. Down shifting can be a different story. Especialy, if I'm sitting at a light and it's idleing in neutrel. when the light turns and I stick it in gear, it almost always clunks hard into first. Certianly not like a Yamaha, and I don't recall the 69 Triumph shifting like that either.