T500 Death Rattle?

crazycanuck · Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2008 6:04 pm Post subject: T500 Death Rattle?

After weeks and weeks of fine tuning, changing air filters completely rebuilding the carbs-twice, wiring and re-wiring, fixing banjo connections, cleaning, polishing, running sea foam though the engine, replacing the left coil and condenser , finally my 1974 Titan was running like new.
For three weeks as a daily commuter it's sweet sweet roaring/giant bumble bee exhaust note could be heard all over Ottawa.
Suddenly yesterday my chain became loose and it felt and sounded like the clutch was slipping under anything more than a very mild twist of the throttle. I adjusted the chain and drove back home from work.
It developed a loud rattle i thought was the chain but it seems now to be something way more serious, it sound like someone threw a couple of ball bearings into the clutch.
I don't think its the gears because it still rattles at a stop in neutral, but seems to lessen when i pull in the clutch handle.
I am very upset and don't know where to start?
Sorry for rambling on but I was just starting to have so much fun.
Does anyone have any suggestions? About the bike, not my mental health!!

dorT500 · Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2008 11:30 pm Post subject:

Sorry to hear what you had to hear, there are no ball bearings in the cluth assembly, just a bearing sleeve the clutch rides on. Get some other opinions but if your oil level got to low the sound may be broken teeth off the fifth driven gear and the fifth gear on the countershaft. First drain your oil and pull off your clutch cover to see if all is well there( might look at the oil to see if any chunks of steel came out with it) This is a worst case scenario and hope it is something easier to fix. The countershaft was sold with fixed gears and a ball bearing - This assembly is no longer available from Suzuki - Neither is the removable fifth gear driven. There are sources for good used internal parts. PM me if you need sources for internal parts- Hope you don't. Ther can be a slack issue with the cluth hub/sleeve . that can cause some noise and there is a procedure for fixing that but I will have to look for that.

crazycanuck · Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2008 5:44 am Post subject:

Thanks dorT500,
I think you are right as I've lost 4th and fifth gear.
Tonight after work I'll tear into it and see what falls out, now my wife will be lamenting the whole motorcycle widow thing.
I'll disappear into the garage for a few days, but then i'll post an update.

redstedman · Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2008 6:01 am Post subject:

Do either of you gentleman have any T500 parts? My friend Scott has a beautiful Titan and needs a headlight trim ring and a couple side cover emblems.

dorT500 · Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2008 10:11 am Post subject:

dorT500 · Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2008 10:24 am Post subject:

crazycanuck · Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2008 4:27 pm Post subject:

dorT500,
Thanks for the continued support man.
On the case is stamped 1400cc, and I've been very careful about never letting the oil get low, as the oil fill level screw is still set for 1200cc so you have to completely drain the oil and then pour in 1400cc. I've made my own dipstick to check from time to time.The oil in there when I got the bike was like river mud and stank like somthing had died in there. I replaced it with type 4 transmission fluid. Also when I got the bike both Banjo oil lines for left and right had air in them and I had to repair them with epoxy. I don't know how long the previous owner ran it that way but when I took off the exhuast to look at the pistons they were not scored.
I've been using synthetic two-stroke oil, and checking the lines before and after each ride.
I do have spare clutch parts, and some gear parts but I'll know more about what I'll need in a couple of days. Then I might need the names of some suppliers you trust.
Glad to hear you fixed the brakelight problem!