s.o.a.b. has this ever happend to you?

i've been lurking here for a while now, one or two posts. after owning an 84 vf750 i scrimped/saved/begged my way to getting an 01 vfr. only 24xxx km's on it. figured it was such a safe bet as the former owner also had an example of every other style of motorcycle (eg. a cruiser, crotch-rochet, couple of classics, and two sport-touring...one of which i bought)

i've ridden the bike everyday for the past 2 1/2 weeks and been excited every day. but...on my way home tonight i started hearing a grinding/chunking noise. i was about 5 blocks from home so i continued on and my wife happened to be standing on the side of the road where she tells me that she can hear the noise as well.

waisting no time i pull the bike into the yard and pull the side cowel and put the bike on the center stand and get my wife to fire up the bike so i can listen. nothing...until she completely releases the clutch. pop-pop-pop-pop. i look at the chain/cogs. not skipping. then it dawns on me. output shaft. trans must be skipping teeth. crap...

more to come after i visit a shop tomorrow...

 

Just a wild guess but that's unlikely. From your description, probably a chain at the end of it's life. Clean and lube it up well, see if the problem is better.

 

wow, you think? i'll give'r a go in the morning. now that i think of it, there was a very small miss-alignment between the rear cog and the chain but i didn't think that it could cause these kind of symptoms

 

I've just never heard of a 5th gen transmission going bad but there's always a first time.

 

tight spot (s) on chain replace it.

 

okay, lubed the chain. symptoms 90% gone. so i'd have to agree its the chain. either way it'll be a couple of weeks before i can fix it. thanks for the suggestion

 

update-- just got the bike back from the shop. they say that the chain is nearing the end of its life. there was a massive build up of crap on the drive cog in addition to poor chain lubrication that may have caused the issue...however they were unable to replicate my described symptoms. just the same, happy to have it back.

 

I have lost third gear. The selector engages but there is no drive, resistance or noise. all other gears fine. Its like han=ving another neutral! Any idea on time required for a fix or is this a common problem? Thanks in advance guys.